Friends of the Parks, the Chicago preservation group that helped drive George Lucas’ museum to Los Angeles and made all kinds of trouble for the Obama Presidential Center, apparently is fine with a casino on Chicago’s illustrious lakefront.
Surprised? We were amazed. Clearly, the lobbying campaign mounted by Neil Bluhm and the Rivers Chicago McCormick Place casino entity is just that good.
The Obama center offers potentially transformational economic development for the South Side associated with the city’s most influential Black couple. But so threadbare was the Friends of the Parks welcome mat that even President Barack Obama himself has been heard to express surprise at the opposition to what he thought would be welcomed with open arms.
But craps with a view of the water? Lakefront jackpots? Boat-in blackjack? No problem, say the conservationists. Who wants learned political discourse when you could be playing poker in the park?
Clearly, the Rivers people have been wooing Friends of the Parks and have done far better than previous petitioners. In a letter of support we saw Wednesday, FOP Executive Director Juanita Irizarry cited the existing building (arguing that any new building anywhere would add to the city’s carbon footprint, which is absurd), the return of existing parking to parkland (this time it matters?) and a proposed new green roof. The group also was pleased the casino imagined “enhancements to the McCormick Bird Sanctuary.”
And in a tortured piece of logic, the group said it believes the new lakeside casino “has the potential to address demand for restaurants and other amenities in the area, hopefully minimizing the call for new restaurant structures on lakefront parkland.”
Friends of the Parks is making those arguments, all of which could have been applied to other projects, in support of a lakefront casino? Amazing. We would have expected them to argue that the aging Lakeside Center eventually be leveled. Is that not its mandate?
The other wild thing about this support is that the casino doesn’t even need to be on the lakefront. We believe Rivers is the most qualified bidder, but we think The 78 is a better choice. We believe it’s far better on the Chicago River than on our beloved Lake Michigan, although any site will have opponents.
That said, we sure are impressed with the neutralization of the most obvious foe of approval for a lakefront gambling emporium.
Friends of the Parks has proven to be a tough and opaque crew. If they can be swayed, stand by for what is ahead once Rivers starts to sweet talk members of the City Council.
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