Off track betting a plus for Villa Park redevelopment

Off track betting a plus for Villa Park redevelopment

Villa Park’s redevelopment of its North Avenue corridor received a boost with the local government’s approval of an off-track betting (OTB) facility at the edge of the North Park Mall property at Addison Road.

The Illinois Racing Board had approved Arlington Park’s plan to put OTB on the site subject to village officials approving a zoning change. That approval was given despite objections by opponents to gambling.

“This is a nice kickoff in these economic times. It fits in with the redevelopment plans for the area along North Ave.,” said Bob Niemann, village manager for Villa Park. He expected the facility to generate about $100,000 to $125,000 in taxes for the village based on projected revenue from $8 million to $12 million.

Niemann also noted that there will be an Italian restaurant on the site of a Denny’s restaurant, which burned down a few years ago. “The site has been a vacant lot since the fire. The new business will really clean up the area.”

Alesia Bailey, executive director of the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce, said she did not have any comment.

Construction is expected to begin this summer on a 10,000 square foot building. The space will include a dining room with a separate sports bar/off track wagering area that will include some 45 state-of-the-art television monitors and 12 next generation wagering terminals.

The facility will be operated by Arlington Park racetrack in partnership with a Salerno-Pincente Ristorante and sports bar. The two organizations operate a similar business in southwest suburban Hodgkins. That facility was opened in December 2007.

“We are very excited to be bringing a sports bar and restaurant with a horse racing theme to the Village of Villa Park’s redevelopment of the North Avenue corridor,” said Arlington Park President Roy Arnold. “We look forward to becoming a valued part of the Villa Park community.”

The OTB is Illinois’ 30th and the eighth to open since January 2007. It is the third one in DuPage County along with ones in Oakbrook Terrace and Aurora.

Central DuPage Hospital contests proton center denial

Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) has provided to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board additional information on its plans to build a $140 million proton therapy treatment center in Warrenville.

The Board voted three to one against the proton center project. That action resulted in an “intent to deny” action that provided the hospital time to respond to questions raised during a meeting of the state agency. A decision on the additional information is expected later this year.

The proposed proton therapy center is a joint venture of CDH, radiation Oncology Consultants, Ltd. and ProCure Treatment Centers, a Bloomington, Ind.-based company that specializes in developing proton therapy centers.

“We are not surprised by the board’s decision and believe we can provide the information members need to approve this important treatment,” said Jim Spear, executive vice president and chief financial officer of CDH.

“This is the first time the board has considered a certificate of need application for a proton therapy center and we understand that there are not established criteria available to judge some of the elements of our project.”

Under a different kind of application, the board recently granted Northern Illinois University (NIU) the ability to build a proton center in the DuPage National Technology Park in West Chicago.

In a public hearing earlier this year, NIU officials opposed the CDH application and said a second proton treatment facility was not needed at this time.

Provena Saint Joseph Hospital completes expansion

Provena Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin has completed a 163,000-square-expansion project anchored by a new four-story bed tower with 99 private rooms and a state-of-the-art Heart and Vascular Institute.

The next phase of the project is modernization of the existing hospital that will include a new and expanded Intensive Care Unit and several other enhancements. The expected completion of the modernization project is late 2009.

William A. Brown, president and CEO of the hospital, noted “We have been providing high quality care in the Elgin area for over 100 years.”

Dan McLeister, Contributing Writer

Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 (Archive on Wednesday, May 28, 2008)
Posted by jstoltz Contributed by jstoltz

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