The Aurora, Illinois planning and zoning commission recently approved Penn Entertainment’s rezoning and use permit requests, which would allow Penn to move its Hollywood Casino riverboat to a 16.8-acre site.
The $360 million casino project will offer 900 slots, 50 table games and a hotel. Penn President and Chief Executive Officer Jay Snowden said in a statement, “Our plan for Aurora is to construct a modern, best-in-class casino and hotel in an ideal location off I-88 that will allow us to serve the millions of visitors to the adjacent Simon Premium Outlet Mall.”
Currently the site is zoned for business, wholesale and manufacturing use. But if the city council’s business, zoning and economic development committee approves, it will be zoned for business and wholesale uses with a conditional-use planned development and presented to the city council for approval.
Only two residents attended the public hearing Wednesday night, where the commission heard about Penn Entertainment’s plans to move the casino to a 16.8-acre site on the west side of Farnsworth Avenue.
Commissioners Yvonne Owusu-Safo and Nancy Martinez asked about the impact on traffic. A city engineer said streets would be improved to include right-turn lanes and possibly qualify for a traffic light.
