Aurora will conduct an international search for a company to build a high-rise residential building to fill the vacant site left behind once the casino moves out of downtown.
That was one of the major announcements from Mayor Richard Irvin during his State of Economic Development in the City speech Thursday at Bloomhaven, the former Copley Hospital campus on Lincoln Avenue.
Hollywood Casino-Aurora has begun building its new casino resort at Farnsworth Avenue and Bilter Road on the far East Side, near the Interstate 88 interchange.
When it leaves downtown for the new casino, it is contractually obligated to tear down the current casino and leave a slab at the north end of Stolp Island. Irvin said the city would do a “global” search with a request for queries to build a high-rise building on that site, “the first high-rise built in the city in over 100 years.”
“We plan to rise high in a new high-rise downtown,” he said.
The announcement accented the many changes coming to downtown in the next several years. He said the new Stolp Island Theater along the riverfront in the first floor of the city’s parking garage will increase the number of performances downtown, adding to the schedule at the Paramount Theatre and the Copley Theatre.
He announced that the first show in the new theater, “Million Dollar Quartet,” will open July 10.
In addition, five new restaurants will open within the next year downtown, and one longtime venue, La Quinta de los Reyes, will open its new renovation that will double the size of the restaurant.
“Our downtown is our heartbeat,” Irvin said. “It’s tied to our historical past and our innovative future.”
To highlight that, Irvin unveiled a new logo for downtown, known as Goddess of the Dawn. And with the logo came five “goddesses” on stage in person – five women who are downtown business owners: Fatimah Khahiga, owner of Pure Skin Solutions; Shannon Gutierrez, owner of Wyckwood House; Carolina Ocampo, of Maria Bonita Modeling; Shruti Harish, of APS Academy; and Abby Kemph, of Leilani Asian Fusion restaurant, to open soon downtown.
Irvin said their diverse makeup is “representative of who we are in the city of Aurora.” He then asked the audience, “I have one question – is downtown Aurora on the move?”
The answer was resoundingly positive, as was most of the reaction to Irvin’s speech. The audience was sprinkled with supporters, other government leaders, business owners and leaders and representatives from City Hall.
Irvin praised the other government leaders, as well as members of the City Council, for being part of creating more economic development “in seven years than past administrations have done in 70 years.”
“Thanks to so many leaders in this room, we have done more in seven years than in seven decades,” he said. “The current state of economic development in the city of Aurora is beyond historic … is transformative … is constantly evolving … and is sustainable.”
Also in the audience were residents and staff from Bardwell Residences, the senior independent and assisted living, and memory care, facility that is part of Bloomhaven.
The speech itself took place in the space that will become a VNA Health Care clinic, joining Bardwell Residences; Weston Bridges, a residence for adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities; the East Aurora School District administration center; a pharmacy; and a coffee house in the renovated former Copley Hospital campus.
Irvin said the location was appropriate to discuss economic development, because the Bloomhaven campus “has come full circle,” highlighting the Equity and Impact Award it won from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
Irvin also announced that the city has received “some competitive and exciting responses” to a request for queries sent out for the 50-acre site the city owns on the south side of Bilter Road, next to the Chicago Premium Outlets mall.
He said the city is looking at an indoor sports and entertainment facility there “bringing more entertainment to the city of Aurora.”
Irvin broke up his annual State of the City address this year into four parts, to be given quarterly. He told the audience it was because “Aurora has so many good things happening, we couldn’t do it in one night, or we’d have been here all night.
“This topic also is the most important.”
slord@tribpub.com
