(SIOUX CITY, IA) The Battery Building is getting a lot of foot traffic lately. Sioux City Gaming and Missouri River Historic Development opened the old doors of the historical structure January 25, 2013, for the second time to give local business owners a sneak peak.
Bill Warner, the President of Sioux City entertainment and Warner Gaming led the way through the dark hallways. He laid out his plans for each room, and talked about the blueprints for the new construction as well.
The 100 thousand square foot hotel and casino includes a World Tour Buffet, Brewhouse and beer garden, coffee house, a Hard Rock store, and of course the Paradise Theatre which would extend to the rear side of the building.
Of course, all three proposals are just talk at this point, but we spoke with local business owners who are looking forward to the future.
It's not easy to miss the Battery Building, especially if you're only a couple hundred feet away from it, and two of the closest business owners say they can hear slot machines ringing, already.
Painting the picture of a one hundred million dollar casino.
"Just picture this, this entire backyard being a nice grassy area going all the way back to the memorial," says Bill Warner, President of Sioux City Entertainment and Warner Gaming.
Local business owners can't see much yet, except the Hard Rock's vision. Rodney Reisdorph owns Hydraulic Sales just down the street.
"The Location is fine. I'm just concerned about it affecting my business, and that's the only thing. I'm sure we can work around it," says Reisdorph.
His main concerns are parking and traffic, which seem to be a common thread among other Water Street business owners. But, all in all, most of them give the project a thumbs up.
"I'm really excited about the possibilities. I think that it would be a good thing for this end of downtown. It will be a little disruptive to business for a while, but I think it the long run, it will make it a better town," says Tim Engle, owner of A1 Auto Service.
The Battery Building has been a Sioux City staple for more than 100 years and Hard Rock hopes that will drive the proposal home.
"Hopefully we can take it and kind of create a new version of an icon, for the city with the Hard Rock tying into it," says Warner.
We've already started a Facebook conversation, we want to know, what do you think about the old Battery Building, and do you think a casino in this area would be good for economic growth. Just head to our Facebook page and let us know what you think.
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