City Approves First Drive Thru Gambling Facility

21 Dec, 2014

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ROCKFORD-
A site plan for a new drive-thru gaming facility named “Dirty Slots” on Jackson Avenue – near the I-90 interchange – has been given approval by the Rockford city council. The planning commission had recommended approval at its Dec 9, 2014 meeting. The council gave its approval at its Dec 16, 2014 meeting.

The site is located at 2625 Jackson, on the southeast corner of Jackson and I-90, and just north of the Westgate Shopping Center. The plan calls for demolishing the existing one-story service station and auto repair shop and constructing a single building with 820-square-foot drive-thru gambling stalls the first of it’s kind. The gas pump islands and canopy will be removed. The total project would cost an estimated $400,000.

The gaming parlor single lane drive-thru would primarily be accessed from a proposed curbcut on Jackson Ave., with an exit through the Westgate Shopping Center Jackson Ave. entrance. An existing curbcut off Jackson to the east would be closed. The new curbcut has been approved by the Illinois Dept of Transportation, and would prevent left turns onto Jackson. The drive-thru lane provides stacking for up to four vehicles and would be screened to the north by the proposed building.

In a separate vote at their Nov 17 meeting, planning commissioners had granted a special exception use for this project, which did not require additional city council approval. This was the first drive-thru proposal that has come through the city’s approval process since the city council approved changes to the Chapter 55 zoning ordinance that regulates drive-thrus. That approval came at the council’s June 2, 2014 meeting.
“Gambling has become such a big part of our community we just thought this idea was to good to pass up.” said Alderwoman Belinda Mc Feelgood.