Plans, Zoning For New $360M Casino OK'd By Aurora Council

AURORA, IL — Plans for a new $360 million casino in Aurora on nearly 19 acres of land near the Premium Outlet Mall will move forward after city council members approved two measures for the project on Tuesday night.

In a 10-1 vote, aldermen approved the final design plans and rezoning for the Hollywood Casino Aurora, which will move from its current downtown location to Farnsworth Road once completed.

Ald. John Laesch, a longtime opponent of the project, was the lone person to vote against the measure at Tuesday night’s meeting. In a pitch to lure the Chicago Bears to Aurora and build a new stadium within city limits, Mayor Richard Irvin used the casino project as a sign of the development that the city is capable of producing.

Under the project, the city and Penn Entertainment struck a deal last fall in which the city donates the property and then donates $50 million to the casino, which would then be paid back. City officials plan to pass about $58 million in bonds for those funds, city officials said previously.

City officials project that the land, once developed, will generate $5.5 million in property taxes each year. The payback would be completed through the creation of a tax increment financing district on the casino land.

The move comes 30 years after the casino took up residency in downtown Aurora before a move became necessary, city officials and project proponents agreed, to guarantee the casino’s long-term sustainability. City leaders worked with Penn Entertainment, the casino’s parent company, to move the casino away from the Fox River and to the more expansive space along Farnsworth Avenue, just south of Biltner Road.

The new site is set to include about 900 slots and 50 live game tables and will also feature rooms for baccarat and poker, according to the casino’s website. The casino will also feature a Barstool Sportsbook and 200 hotel rooms as well as a full-service spa, bars, restaurants, and about 10,000 square feet of meeting rooms.

In addition, plans call for the casino to provide 1,600 parking spots but officials said an additional 500 parking spaces could be added if needed.

Construction is scheduled to begin later this year. Casino officials said the new facility will more than double the number of jobs offered at the casino, providing 700 people with employment and 350 full-time jobs in Aurora.