TrumpStreet Casino (on the former Budd plant site in Nicetown); Riverwalk Casino (at Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden), and Pinnacle Entertainment (in Fishtown, at Beach Street and Schirra Ave).
Only two licenses could be awarded in Philadelphia, and they went to Foxwoods and SugarHouse.
More to come...
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29 comments:
The losers are actually people live near these places that were "chosen".
Ahh but the real losers will be the people living near or around the vicinity of these casinos unless something is done to make sure the area is nice and safe and prosperous....
This was a vote for cleaner Philly politics. They are voting for slots investors that are:
1. local
2. clean no pay to play with Street
and traffic etc is what they are going to deal with later.
Rendell is trying to reshape Philly politics.
I think he just did.
Bluhm and Sugarhouse will be good, because Bluhm was part of the redesign of the parks and access in Chicago to their lake.
He did a brilliant job there. He did well and he did good.
If the Sugarhouse neighbors are nervous, take a trip to Chi-town's waterfront, and be reassured.
Bluhm gets it.
As glad as I am that I won't have casino traffic going through my bedroom to East Falls, the REAL losers are every citizen in Philly who had NO real say in this process. Especially those in Fishtown and SP.
Shame on Rendell--who clearly sold us out people!--Fumo, and the state.
Shame on Street and City Council, who should have fought this tooth and nail. Did they know all along that one site would be on city-owned land? Anyone else think it's curious that the site with most opposition was picked, and that it was city-owned, and that Street made that lame announcement of his "pick" a couple days ago?
And Shame on the Inquirer for endorsing the TrumpStreet proposal when their publisher Tierney had a stake in it. Hypocritical and despicable.
We won't forget.
And we'll remember this for the next time--because this isn't the last chapter, to be sure.
PS: Billy King's had two good days in a row!
If any waterfront needs a casino, it's south philly, provided that the neighbors are included from now on, and get access to the info they need to have their concerns addressed.
Maybe the USS United States can be preserved and refurbished as a river luxury liner casino. It needs an investor with an entertainment vision and deep pockets.
The longshoremen are going nuts though.
How is this a clear message against Pay to Play? The South Philly site is the only one that the city could directly benefit from!
Don't you think it's curious that Street and City Council's opposition became muted as time went on?
I think a deal was brokered a long time ago so that they would shut up.
The Ink didn't endorse TrumpStreet.
They endorsed Sugar and Pinnacle (based on Inga's design evaluations).
The FoxWoods Casino investors clean? Are you joking me... do you ever read the news? Philadlephians need to join together to fight this.
I know Street really wanted Riverwalk.
He didn't get it.
That's how this is a victory against pay to play #1.
#2 is Kobie West of West Insurance, a no bid city contract/Street donator didn't get his slot license either (Pinnacle) in spite of a really good design and traffic planning.
That's a strong vote against ANY associations with Street/Brady/Fattah type politics (raise money ask no questions).
Compared to the rest, yes, Foxwoods investors are the cleaner type with strong civic associations to Philly.
Trump lacked that history here.
Fumo loves his SP and loves its layout, even breaking the rules to raise money to funnel to the Citizens Alliance to fix up commercial corridors, and preserve the old South Philly.
Don't panic. Just get good data first, like Ed Goppelt's stupendous
www.hallwatch.org/casinos
and really study that for the next community meeting/lawsuit meeting.
It will get addressed by the investors. They are so South Philly themselves, quite a few of them.
Wrong, the Inky endorsed Trump in their editorial section I believe two sundays ago, 12/10.
Not Inga's design endorsement, but an overall package endorsement.
Yes, Billy King is a two time winner alright.
He kicked Iverson in the pants and he kicked the mayor in the pants. Street may as well follow Iverson to Denver.
yes, but Reed to Tasker is city-owned land, correct? So couldn't Street have brokered that deal?
Cleaner than Trumpstreet, at least vis-a-vis Rendell, as Trump gave Rendell $32,000 in last 5 years, the legal limit each year. Who knows what was behind the scenes.
and yes, Inky endorsed Trumpstreet on its editorial page, calling it "the best" and then "the rest", and then just to stick it to North Philly and East falls, did ANOTHER reminder editorial yesterday that they recommend Trump. OK Tierney, whatever you say.
D'OH! So they did. Sorry! The Ink endorsed Trump Street. It all has happened so precipitously.
You are right:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/slots/
They said Pinn and Trump were the best at the Ink.
So much for the Ink's endorsement.
I'm not Tierney, but I think he would have been a good local investor.
Compared to some of the rest, who would literally be banned from even applying in NJ or NV for gambling licenses.
I felt that South Philly was too uninvolved in the process, and the few who made it their business to ask questions didn't have enough support from the impacted neighbors to hash it through, either pro or con.
I think the South Philly anti-casino folks will now have to work with the OK with-casino folks impacted by Foxwoods to agree on their demands from the licensee.
Good can come from this. This is exactly how the Baltimore baseball stadium was done. It reminds me of it so much.
Thank you for ruining my neighborhood.
Sorry for those whose nabes will be adversely affected. At least Del Ave is a major thoroughfare, with 95 right adjacent. For those of us living within a mile of TrumpS**t, our only major highway is the Roosevelt Expy, which gets jammed up when the humidity goes up. Major new ramps to the casino would have had to be built, but there was no thought to ramps leading away from it. There were several potential jam points along Hunting Park Ave and Midvale Ave leading from Kelly Dr to Fox St. Imagine an attraction like that on the edge of a residential community with several schools close by.
I feel bad for the residents of South Philly and Fishtown. The city fathers blew riverfront development when they refused to build two new stadiums on the waterfront because no one greased them. Now Camden has a family oriented waterfront while Philly will have prostitutes, more drug dealers, litter, and traffic to offer.
Ahhh...Philadelphia!
trump trumped!
I can guarantee that all the charitable "promises" made with regards to the trumpstreet site by will never come to fruition now.
Speaking of decided a long time ago, the Sugarhouse site went as far as having an employment fair back in October or November. Well before any decisions were made in Harrisburg. I live about half a block away and knew our time was up when we got a voicemessage asking if we were interested in attending the employment fair. Thanks for bringing crime and filth into a neighborhood that was on the upswing!
Trumpstreet had a basic job fair earlier also, so I don't think that fixed it.
Sugarhouse is a HIDEOUS design. Retro 50s schlock. It belongs in Wildwood, not Philadelphia.
Pinnacle was by far the best design and great amenities that payed attention to the historical character of Philadelphia and street-side landscaping.
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