Panel OKs zoning change for SugarHouse parking

A City Council committee yesterday approved a zoning change to allow the SugarHouse Casino to add acres of surface parking for its interim slots parlor.

Terrence McKenna, development manager for the casino, told members of the Rules Committee that the surface parking was necessary for the interim parlor to open in a year, noting that a proposed 10-story parking garage would take longer to construct and delay the opening.

There's currently room for 1,070 parking spaces, but 290 more are needed to meet a city zoning requirement of four parking spaces for every five slot machines. The interim parlor is expected to feature 1,700 machines on 22 waterfront acres on Delaware Avenue on the Fishtown-Northern Liberties border. The extra surface parking spaces would likely be at Piers 49 and 50, adjacent to the casino site.

The zoning change would also allow the casino to use off-site parking while the parking garage is under construction, which would cause the loss of 350 on-site surface spaces. The off-site parking would be within one mile of the casino. Nobody spoke in opposition to the amended parking plan yesterday. The zoning change must still be approved by the full Council. - Marcia Gelbart