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Thursday, November 20, 2008

SugarHouse Inks Deal With Two Community Groups
The SugarHouse Casino site on Delaware Ave.

SugarHouse, a casino proposed for the Delaware riverfront in Fishtown, announced today that it has signed a community benefit agreement with two local community groups -- Fishtown Action and the New Kensington Community Development Corp.  SugarHouse has agreed to pay $1 million per year to fund a special services district created by the community groups, once the casino is open.  The casino's developers also promised to hire local residents and vendors, create internships and job training programs and create a program that encourages customers to patronize local businesses.

You can read the SugarHouse press release on the agreement here.

Richard Levins, Chairman of the New Kensington Community Development Corp., released a statement praising SugarHouse for promising an ongoing dialogue with the community about the impact of the casino. He added the agreement "ensures that residents in the community will have opportunities for permanent full-time jobs with health benefits; construction jobs; student and non-student casino internships and payment by SugarHouse of employment licensing fees charged by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The CBA also provides neighborhood businesses with the opportunity to have direct vendor relationships with SugarHouse and the ability to participate in casino 'comp' programs."

Other neighborhood groups, such as the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association and the Fishtown Neighbors Association, did not negotiate with SugarHouse.  Some residents oppose the casino's location on Delaware Avenue as Shackamaxon Street and have pushed city and state officials to relocate it to another area.  Mayor Nutter has called on SugarHouse to consider moving the project.
Posted by Chris Brennan @ 5:14 PM  Permalink | 11 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:22 PM, 11/20/2008
    I commend these two groups for their leadership roles in trying to maximize the benefits to their community. Since when is it cool for groups to refuse to have open dialogue with a major developer.
    — equalityman
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:27 PM, 11/20/2008
    Doesn't it make you wonder why and how Sugarhouse can be so "generous" with their, I mean, the public's money. They're licking their chops like the hungry dogs that they are preying on communitites. Imagine a ten year tax abatement. Really what is the cost for these goods sold?...MCaesar, it's "development" like a malignant tumor on the brain...equalityman, How ironic that you use the words "open dialogue" and "benefits" in reference to gaming in PA, particulary in an area that does not need any help in feeding the dysfunction and addictive habits of a good bit of the population. Just imagine, maybe they'll open up a charter school to train the next generation of rug-sweepers, coin-counters and 3 executive positions. With the closing of libraries in Philadelphia the next generation and seniors will have a "healthy" alternative to spend there time sitting on their butts and literally giving back to the community. Were you raised to have such high aspirations for your community? Ii'm impressed.
    — ptahan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:41 PM, 11/20/2008
    Philadelphia needs to get these built so we can stand on equal footing with the other great cities of the country: Detroit, Gary, IN, Reno, Atlantic City. Those are great metropolises. Cities like Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston are definitely missing the boat. Plus these are the kinds of jobs all of those cities really hope for.
    — mktstrfinancial
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:36 PM, 11/20/2008
    i agree. it is a city, and if you have problems go to the burbs. you can't put up a fence or anything without a permit. so, maybe that's where you should go including south philly residents. built it already it is slots. did anyone in south philly go to atlantic city or gamble or play number ... how about the gentlemens club all lit up in neaon for the little ones to see and teens. SHOW AND TELL. DID ANYONE IN SOUTH PHILLY PICKET ..... PLEASE BUILD IT AND HAVE FUN.
    — SPIRITED
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:05 PM, 11/20/2008
    It would be helpful if this article included a link to the Agreement. Everyone knows that the specific terms of an Agreement are critical to understanding what the agreement is all about. So, we really don't know what the agreement provides. Instead, the slots parlor puts out only a Press Release. Gee, thanks. However, even in the Press Release we can see that no money is going to the community, it is all going to a Special Services District, which doesn't even exist yet!! For a District to exist, the state legislators first have to pass state legislation to create it. So let's see if state Representative Mike O'Brien and incoming state Senator Larry Farnese follow the will of the community. Will they listen to established community groups like Fishtown Neighbors Association and Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, which have elected leaders who represent the residents? Or will these politicians listen to FACT and NKCDC, neither of which have the credibility to enter into this "agreement", but who are quick to have their names listed on SugarHouse letterhead? Really, though, please post a copy of the Agreement so we can see what it says.
    — NotADoneDeal
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:21 AM, 11/21/2008
    Didn't this so-called "news" happen weeks ago? The vote took place November 3rd at an unpublicized meeting that was attended by only 10-15 people. What a shameless sham. Where's the "community"? The SugarHouse site lies half in Fishtown and half in Northern Liberties, and neither of the long-standing civic organizations that truly represent the affected communities -- FNA and NLNA -- recognize this as a legitimate agreement.
    — NorthernLibertine
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:36 PM, 11/21/2008
    This so called news did not happen weeks ago. What did happen a few weeks ago was that members of the Fishtown community (FACT) who feel that the community will benefit from the SUGARHOUSE being built approved the signing of the CBA. If members of FNA and NLNA would have participated in the negotiations they would know what is in the agreement. Instead, they decided to fight the only real economic development opportunity that this community has seen in decades. One other thing, just because the FNA and NLNA have been around longer than FACT and NKCDC does not mean that they represent the majority of the resident's in the area or that because they have been around longer that their voice's opinion's count more than the new organizations. Many people in Fishtown who never spoke up before have decided to stand up, speak and be heard. Like in the recent election, a young/new voter's vote count's just as much as and old voter's vote. Many Fishtowner's have decided to stand up, speak and be heard and what they are saying is "we want the Sugarhouse" and just like in the recent election, there are more of us new voter's!
    — Fishtowner4Ever
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:19 PM, 12/11/2008
    The history behind this is: first Sugarhouse funded the establishment of a fake grassroots organization called FACT (Facts According to Casino Topdogs) in Fishtown. They successfully split the Fishtown community and had a cheap outlet to spread lies like the ones you see in Fishtowner4Ever's post ("there are more of us", etc). They paid for their posters, and bused them to City Council meetings. After a while, when they thought the lies had gotten some traction, they "neotiated" a deal with this organization. By this time the people in this organziation had gotten to believe their own lies and that they represent Fishtown. So in effect Sugarhouse negotiated a deal with itself. The deal has many promises in it, but there is no way to enforce it if SH reneges on any of them. But who cares? By that time SH would be built, loyal FACT members would be rewarded and the rest of the community will be left to pick up the pieces.
    — jlemm
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:24 AM, 12/17/2008
    Wow Jlame: a FAKE grassroutes organization? Proof please? Come on brave one: One ounce of proof? (How sad that 600 of us know how fabricated ur are.) As I told Jlame many times, I paid for my own posters. She is oblivious to truth. She simply cannot believe that life-long Fishtown folks like me could invest our own money to see thi8s project through. Jlame: ONE, (I am asking for just ONE ounce of proof u are reporting facts.) Truly? Fishtown folks are life-long residents and, OH Jlame, I hope they do get jobs with SugarHouse. That is our whole hope: that Fishtown folks will find jobs with SugarHouse. You claim to be a Fishtown Resident? Have you filled out an application yet? If so, we hope u get a job.
    — FishTownForever
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:27 AM, 03/17/2009
    More than 600 residents of Fishtown are FACT members. NUMEROUS (and I would venture to say the MAJORITY) of others support development of the casino. The area is zoned industrial so they could put a chemical factory or any other factory there. To say that Sugarhouse negotiated a deal with itself is a slap in the face to the numerous residents who attended meetings and to the lawyers who worked for the Fishtown residents to make sure that everything was covered. During the same time CasiNO held meetings and posted messages asking for pencil donations (??)...sounds like a HUGE group!! Sorry but you need to focus on other things, the SugarHouse casino is getting built. Why don't you fight the pharmacutical companies who are supplying the drugs that are killing everyone? I doubt that would ever happen since they employee mostly white collar suburbans. That's a good place to start instead of going after the blue collar jobs.
    — workingmom


11 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
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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.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics ­– which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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