Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH
share
email
font size
options
 
Monday, January 19, 2009
Foxwoods Plan For Gallery Moves Forward

The city just announced that the investors planning on a casino at the Gallery in Center City have started the process of getting a "plan of development" approved by the City Planning Commission.  That will include documentation on what Foxwoods, which was originally approved by the state for a South Philly location, will look like at 11th and Market streets, how it will impact traffic and what "mitigation measures" will be put in place to deal with any problems the casino causes.  Mayor Nutter's staff says community meetings in nearby Chinatown and Washington Square West will be followed by two Planning Commission meetings on the matter.  The dates and venues for those meetings are still being worked out.

You can read the city's news release after the jump.

MAYOR'S OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Monday January 19, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT OF THE PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE PROPOSED FOXWOODS CASINO IN THE GALLERY AT MARKET EAST

Philadelphia, January 19 – The developers of the proposed Foxwoods Casino have initiated with the City of Philadelphia the Plan of Development process for the proposed casino in the Gallery at Market East. The Plan of Development is the documentation of the project required by the Philadelphia Code for City Planning Commission approval. An inter-agency group that includes the Planning Commission, Commerce Department, Law Department, Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities, and the Redevelopment Authority will participate in the review process.
The process is anticipated to take several months to complete. During that time, the City will convene public meetings so that interested community members and stakeholders can see the evolution of the plans and comment on them at various stages of development. Public meetings will include:

Community meetings in both Chinatown and WashWest to review plans, traffic analysis and mitigation measures.
Two Planning Commission meetings – one for information only (no action sought from Commission) and a second for consideration for approval, based on the Plan of Development requirements outlined below.
Council hearings on any proposed legislation subsequent to Planning Commission action on the Plan of Development

Specific dates and venues for each public event are being developed and will be advertised sufficiently in advance to facilitate public participation.

The casino development team has agreed with the City to a set of rigorous requirements that will be included in the Plan of Development. These include:

Drawings that show the proposed development in the context of the city and of Market Street, including proposed modifications both inside and outside of the existing building that is being proposed for casino use.
Renderings that show the anticipated character of the proposed development from the major streets.
Phasing plans that show anticipated and/or possible future developments.
A detailed transportation management plan that includes pedestrian, vehicular and transit traffic flows.
A parking management plan describing resources for patrons as well as employees.
Anticipated landscape improvements, streetscape improvements, building signage and graphics, incorporation of public art and green building strategies.
Project schedule that shows anticipated construction durations and commencement of operations.

As part of the development process and regulatory review, issues of security, public safety and gambling addiction will be evaluated. The Police Department and the Department of Behavioral Health will be available at public meetings to listen to community concerns and discuss proposed mitigation measures.

For more information on the Plan of Development process, please contact Alan Greenberger, Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, at 215 683 4600 or at alan.greenberger@phila.gov.

Posted by Chris Brennan @ 11:30 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
Comments   
Comment removed.
1 comments
About Chris Brennan and Catherine Lucey
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002. Since then she has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. For the past two years, she covered the 2007 mayoral election. Now that the battle is over, she has moved down to the City Hall bureau where she will report on the Nutter administration.
Follow on Twitter

Share your tips

Catherine Lucey
luceyc@phillynews.com 		Chris Brennan
brennac@phillynews.com
Advertise Here