American Place casino site plan approved for phase 1; developers present revised design and signage

Waukegan — Representatives of Full House Resorts presented design changes for the permanent American Place casino and the Community Development Committee voted Sept. 2 to approve amended site-plan approval for the phase-1 development at 600 Lakehurst Road.

What the developer presented: Alex Stollier, chief development officer for Full House Resorts, and project lead Brian Wasilowski (GHA) described a site plan that keeps the temporary casino building in place for some future event uses while the permanent casino is built on an adjacent parcel. The package shown to the committee included a main casino entrance with porte-cochere, restaurant spaces, employee and delivery access and a proposed boutique hotel (“the mansion”) of two stories and 20 villa-style rooms in phase 1. The applicant also presented monument signage designs, including a proposed 90-foot corner sign intended to help motorists locate the project from the interstate and the Fountain Square Place intersection.

Design and site features - Parking and circulation: The site plan provides roughly 1,600 patron and staff parking spaces in phase 1 and a layout designed to separate valet, employee and patron traffic. The developer said future phases could add a hotel tower, additional parking and a concert venue; the committee considered only phase 1. - Loading and service: The main loading dock was revised to be at grade (no basement level as in earlier designs); a separate, smaller loading area will serve restaurants and back-of-house needs. Brian Wasilowski said the design includes screening and landscape treatment to reduce visibility of loading operations from adjacent properties. - Temporary casino building retained: The developer said it will initially keep the existing temporary casino building to provide meeting or event space that is not part of the permanent casino’s immediate program. - Signage: The applicant requested a tall corner monument (90 feet) at the Spring Hill Suites corner to increase visibility for highway traffic. The project team said they had a letter of support from Spring Hill Suites and moved the south-side monument back from the property line to meet a 45-foot setback adjacent to nearby residential property.

Community questions and responses Committee members asked about the hotel’s scale (phase-1 hotel will be two stories with 20 villa-style rooms; a larger hotel tower is planned for a later phase) and whether the project has sufficient parking for large events; the developer said they had not finalized event capacity but had designed the site with parking expansion in mind and had not experienced parking shortages while operating the temporary facility. Alderman Florian and others pressed about signage and visibility from the highway and about smoking areas; the developer said smoking locations remained under design because of Illinois Gaming Board rules and patron circulation considerations.

Decision and next steps The Community Development Committee voted to approve the amended site plan for phase 1. The approval covers site layout, elevations and the signage concept; staff and the developer will continue to work on permit-level details, landscaping plans and any signage applications that require separate review.

Speakers and sources: presentation and answers by Alex Stollier (Chief Development Officer, Full House Resorts), Brian Wasilowski (GHA engineer) and Jeff Babinski (vice president/general manager), and committee questions recorded at the Community Development Committee meeting, Sept. 2, 2025.