The City Planning Commission voted on Tuesday to approve
a master plan for the proposed Live! Hotel and Casino planned for the sports
complex in South Philadelphia.
The Commission’s approval was a necessary step toward
getting the city’s second casino built. City Council will also have to approve
the project with a bill rezoning the site, at 10th and Packer, to a special
gaming district. The state has the power to grant gaming licenses in
Philadelphia, and zoning legislation is the city’s only leverage in siting a
second casino.
That zoning classification, SP-ENT, carries its own
requirements for open space and limits on signage. The developers, Cordish
Companies, have put forth a master plan that doesn’t conform to some of those
requirements, so Council will have to decide whether to enact additional changes
to the underlying zoning as well.
On Tuesday, members of the local chapter of the National
Action Network, an advocacy group started by Rev. Al Sharpton, asked the
Planning Commission to reject the casino proposal over concerns the group has
raised about discriminatory practices at other Cordish Companies properties.
The group presented a report last month detailing allegations
that Cordish casinos had actively sought to limit the numbers of black people
in their properties. The report was at odds with a previous investigation by
the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity which found no evidence of discriminatory practices at
Cordish properties.
Richard Hayden, a lawyer representing Cordish, said that
no court has ever found that the company engaged in discriminatory practices.
He said that the state gaming control board could have withheld the casino
license from Cordish if it believed the allegations had merit.
Alan Greenberger, the deputy mayor for economic
development and chairman of the Planning Commission, said that the planning
process isn’t the best arena for discussions about discrimination allegations
against Cordish. Greenberger acknowledged that the allegations are “serious,”
but said the Commission didn’t have the expertise or the wisdom to determine
which of the two conflicting reports is accurate. Those discussions should
happen in “the political process,” he said, meaning during City Council
hearings.
Greenberger said that Kenyatta Johnson, who represents
the area in City Council, had asked the Commission to weigh in on the planning
merits before he drafts a zoning bill. An aide to Johnson said after the
meeting that he didn’t know yet when a bill might be introduced.
Plans for the project include a 260,000-square-foot
casino, a 300-room hotel, more than 3,000 parking spaces, and a number of
restaurants. The Commission first reviewed the project in August. At that meeting,
Commission staff noted that some the proposal called for more signage than the
SP-ENT zoning allows. The developers have since reduced the total signage
proposed.
See materials from the company’s presentation to the
Planning Commission here.
The Commission voted unanimously to approve the master
plan, except for Commissioner Patrick Eiding, who abstained.
Source: PlanPhilly
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