Green seeks full taxes from casinos

City Councilman Bill Green plans to introduce legislation today that could erase development agreements struck by Mayor Street's staff with two proposed riverfront casinos.

Green opposes portions of the deals with SugarHouse in Fishtown and Foxwoods in South Philly that would allow the casinos to avoid paying some property taxes for a decade in return for millions of dollars of investments in services and infrastructure.

Green says forcing the casinos to pay their full property tax bills could add up to an additional $100 million for the city during that 10-year period.

If the city backs out of the agreements, casino developers could drop plans for improvements.

SugarHouse, citing some of those proposed projects, yesterday said it expects the city to live up to the agreement. Foxwoods, also citing proposed improvements, said it is entitled to a tax abatement "just like any other private developer has been."

Both casinos would be built on long-vacant weed-strewn lots.

Green's legislation would remove their designation as "deteriorated," making them ineligible for the tax abatement program.

Green says the properties are destined for development because the state Gaming Control Board approved valuable casino licenses for both locations.

"I can't see a public policy rationale for providing casinos a tax abatement," Green said.

The casinos are proposed for Councilman Frank DiCicco's riverfront district.

DiCicco plans to introduce a resolution calling for an investigation of the two development agreements, which were negotiated by former City Solicitor Romulo Diaz.

DiCicco's resolution notes that the deals "were signed by the Street administration immediately prior to leaving office" and could hamper Mayor Nutter's efforts on casino issues.

Nutter yesterday called Green's legislation "creative" and said he would study it.

He welcomed DiCicco's resolution, saying he has been concerned "about these last-minute, going-out-the-door agreements" Street made with casino developers.

DiCicco aide Brian Abernathy said his boss looked two years ago at ways to exclude potential casino locations from the city's tax abatement program but could not find one because of the state constitution's requirement for "uniformity" in tax matters.

"He's looking at this as a very black and white issue," Abernathy said of Green's legislation.

"Unfortunately there's a lot of shades of gray." *