Nutter: City won't stand in casinos' way

Mayor Nutter brought two props to a news conference yesterday to prove the city is not trying to slow progress on two casino projects.

One was Joe Coradino, president of the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which is negotiating a deal for the Foxwoods casino to open in the former Strawbridge & Clothier store at 8th and Market streets.

The other was a giant, blown-up copy of a permit Nutter said is available anytime to SugarHouse, a casino proposed for the Delaware riverfront in Fishtown. The "foundation" permit is the first step in building any major project.

"We will move the city of Philadelphia as quickly as possible to get the two casinos up and running as soon as we can," Nutter said. "The city of Philadelphia has not and does not stand in the way of the construction of the two casinos in our city."

Coradino said the trust was making a "lot of progress" with Foxwoods, when asked how long it would take to reach a deal. Conversion of Strawbridge's former flagship store would take six to nine months. Coradino praised the city for its efforts to help the project.

SugarHouse's chief executive officer, Greg Carlin, released a statement yesterday saying he was "delighted to hear that Mayor Nutter will not impede our development." But the project's investors will continue to seek a "special master" appointed by the state Supreme Court to mediate development disputes with the city, he said.

A SugarHouse spokeswoman confirmed that the project's foundation permit is available but added that there were "nearly a dozen" other outstanding construction issues with the city listed in the request for a special master. SugarHouse submitted an affidavit this week to the Supreme Court laying out its frustrations with the city.

Nutter said he sought to "set the record straight" on casinos because many people have approached him asking why the projects have been delayed.

Nutter's comments came at the end of a week that began with Gov. Rendell complaining about slow progress in Philadelphia and warning that he would "weigh very heavily" any legislation that stripped the city of benefits from gaming taxes. Philadelphia has so far received $86.6 million in wage tax relief from gaming taxes collected from seven casinos opened around the state.

Nutter said he had a conversation Thursday with state Rep. Jim Wansacz, a Democrat from Old Forge who has been circulating legislation to take away the city's tax benefit. Nutter said Wansacz was "delightfully better informed" after that talk.

Wansacz did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

The state Gaming Control Board approved casino licenses for Foxwoods and SugarHouse in December 2006. *