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PHILLY LIVE! COMPLEX: INVITE THE PUBLIC

PLANNING SHOULD BEGIN WITH CITYWIDE DISCUSSION

SPORTS FANS will undoubtedly be thrilled at the news that Comcast-Spectacor wants to build a giant entertainment complex on the parking lot between the two South Philadelphia sports arenas.

Citizens, on the other hand, may want to reserve judgment.

Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Spectrum and Wachovia Centers, rolled out colorful renderings Tuesday of the proposed complex, called Philly Live! It's to include restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and maybe a hotel on the site of the old Spectrum. The Cordish Co., which developed similar complexes in Atlantic City, Baltimore and Tampa, is a partner.

Ed Snider, Comcast-Spectacor chairman, told the Daily News that for a long time, he has wanted to make South Philadelphia a true entertainment district.

The idea is still in the early stages, with many questions to answer. Early enough, anyway, that we hope the company commits itself to taking the New Day/New Way in Philadelphia route, rather than the old way - known for a small handful of insiders getting to shape the city, backroom deals with officials, a crazy planning/zoning process, and little conversation with the city as a whole.

Especially since the phrase "entertainment complex" doesn't have a good history in this town- witness the debacles at 8th and Market streets, and Penn's Landing, both proposed for entertainment complexes.

This one is different, of course: Comcast-Spectator is an established company that has the development rights to the lot on which it'll build.

But we urge it to consider the battle over casinos farther north. (Snider, a partner in Foxwoods, knows it well.)

The limits on public input on siting of casinos became an exploding cigar, and construction delays still haunt both Philadelphia casino sites.

Meanwhile, the Central Delaware Riverfront Planning Process, organized by Penn Praxis and engaging thousands of citizens in discussions about how our waterfront should be developed, provided a valuable exercise- not just for the river wards but the city as a whole. That process underscored the idea that a great city is planned with a guiding intelligence, and is not just a collection of individual developments and deals.

This entertainment proposal is an opportunity to carry on this converstion with the whole city, not just a limited number of adjacent constituents.

After all, even though the company intends to use private money to build the complex, a significant public investment already exists in that site. The sports stadiums sit on city land, as does the parking lot. The stadiums were built with significant public contributions -nearly $400 million just in city money. The company doesn't pay occupany and use taxes on the site, but pays the city a fee in lieu of taxes.

In fact, given that investment, the public already is a partner in this deal.

We hope the company takes that seriously, and invites them to the table. *