Tinley Plans Push For Racino On Mental Health Center Site

TINLEY PARK, IL — Tinley Park is pushing to bring a racino — a combination racetrack and casino — to its former mental health center site and is abandoning five-month-old plans to build a senior housing complex there.

No formal proposal has been made, Village Manger David Niemeyer said. However, Rick Heidner, a member of the development team that was supposed to build the senior housing complex, brought Tinley officials the idea to build a racino on the site instead about a month ago. The mayor and trustees have discussed conceptual plans in executive sessions and embraced it, Niemeyer said, adding that, because of that, the age-restricted living complex is on hold.

Heidner's concept includes building a racino, hotel, restaurant and, possibly, other businesses on the 280-acre site. The idea has not moved beyond the discussion stage, Niemeyer said, so no blueprints or designs are yet available.

"We think it’s a great plan," Niemeyer said. "This is the best location in the area."

Trustee William Brady agreed. "I think it’s a win-win for Tinley, for the state and the south suburbs," he said. Other trustees are also supportive.

In January, the village agreed to negotiate with a development team, Melody Square LLC, to build a sweeping, largely age-restricted community on the land where the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center sits. The agreement permitted the board to negotiate the plan with Melody Square for six months, and is set to expire in July. Officials said at the time that the agreement is non-binding and can be canceled anytime. Public hearings, they said, would be held before a final vote is taken.

Since then, the political and economic landscape changed. Last weekend, the General Assembly passed a massive gambling expansion measure that permits, among other provisions, the south suburbs to build one casino and one 'racino,' or combination horse racing track and casino.

Tinley is a viable location because of the available land, and because it is already home to the Convention Center and Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, a racino complex would be in line with the entertainment base Tinley already has, Niemeyer and several trustees said.

Heidner, one of the Melody Square partners, is also an owner of Gold Rush Gaming, one of the largest video gaming operations in Illinois. He is a favored candidate for the racino deal, the Sun-Times reported.

The timeline for the project is not clear. Under state law, a racino operator has to be licensed first.

Mickey Ezzo, a project manager with the Illinois Racing Board, said that changes to the gambling laws are so new and so big, the board hasn't had time to fully grasp what happens next. Members will be meeting next week to review the legislation, he said.

However, under current law, existing racetrack owners have until July 31 to apply for 2020 race dates. It's not clear yet when new owners will be able to apply, Ezzo added.

Tinley also does not yet own the property, and one of the requirements before it purchases the land from the state is that it must conduct an updated environmental assessment. The last report, from 2014, showed that the land contained contaminated soil and leaking underground storage tanks filled with gasoline and chemical drums. The area would need remediation, the report showed, and estimates put the cost of clean-up at about $12 million. At the time, the village nearly paid $4.16 million for the property, but ultimately backed away from that purchase.

During the winter, Illinois State Sen. Michael Hastings, of Tinley Park, filed two resolutions that urged Gov. JB Pritzker and the director of the Department of Central Management Services to conduct and pay for an environmental study of the grounds and seek three independent appraisals, as required by state law. The status of the resolutions are not yet clear.

Neimeyer said that Tinley will be focused on helping Melody Square secure all necessary licenses. Tinley officials will then take subsequent proposals through the village's process for all new development projects, and the village will hold public hearings as required by law.

"Really, this could be one of the more exciting developments in history of the village," he said.