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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Supeme Court Sides With SugarHouse -- Again

A rendering of the proposed SugarHouse casino.

The state Supreme Court today rejected a request from the city to reconsider an August ruling that gave SugarHouse, a casino proposed for the Delaware riverfront in Fishtown, control of 11 acres of state-owned "riparian" land. Riparian land is the property along the banks of the riverfront -- some of it submerged, some marshy, some filled in with dirt. Half of SugarHouse's 22-acre site is riparian land.

Then-Mayor Street's administration gave SugarHouse a long-term lease on the 11 acres last year. Mayor Nutter overturned that lease after taking office in January. His administration, joined by several state legislators, argued that only the state had the power to lease or sell the land. The Supreme Court disagreed, saying a 101-year-old state law had "clear and unambiguous language" giving the city the power to lease riparian lands.

Nutter has pushed for SugarHouse and Foxwoods, another proposed riverfront casino in South Philly, to move to new locations. Foxwoods last month said it was considering a move to the Gallery at 11th and Market streets in Center City. But SugarHouse has refused to move. Instead, SugarHouse has suggested it will redesign its casino in Fishtown to better fit the city's vision for fixing up the riverfront. Nutter still wants SugarHouse to move but, after a meeting with casino executives last week, agreed to take a look at a redesigned casino. A meeting of city and state officials, to be called by Gov. Rendell, to discuss relocation with SugarHouse has been on hold while the Supreme Court pondered the city's request to reconsider its riparian ruling.

"We are extremely pleased with the Court’s decision," SugarHouse spokeswoman Leigh Whitaker said. "We anticipate that the City will abide by this decision and follow its legal obligations to facilitate our project."

Posted by Chris Brennan @ 4:25 PM Permalink | 16 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:04 PM, 10/07/2008

The SugarHouse site is in Fishtown and NORTHERN LIBERTIES. Why does the Daily News continue to misrepresent its location??? Oh, and it's a lousy ruling. SugarHouse paid $70 million for the non-riparian 11 acres (that's nearly $7 million an acre), but only paid $282,270 (or $25,660 an acre) to the City for the riverfront 11 acres. Nice deal. Where else in the world could you buy waterfront land for $25K an acre? And where exactly IS the line that divides the riparian and non-riparian lands? Inquiring minds would like to know!

— NorthernLibertine

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:42 PM, 10/07/2008

I hate Rendell for his part in shoving casinos down our throat.

— maude

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:19 PM, 10/07/2008

Please open this dang place. Us Walmart Moms and Hockey Dads need another diversion... WWJSD? What Would Joey Sweeney Do?

— TKone

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:49 PM, 10/07/2008

The fishtown location is the perfect spot....it will revitalize that end of town that is currently an abandoned stretch of riverfront....i live down that way and think it will be a good idea bcuz they will redo how 95 links up which will clear way for more ramps and additional access points for 95-this will provide for the clubs of del ave to make a comeback in addition to the creation of a smart urban center could really rejuvenate that end of town which is in all rights, the oldest part of the city

— phillyone

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:12 PM, 10/07/2008

Detroitadelphia. The Supreme Court wouldn't even let Philadelphians have a NON-BINDING vote on the 1500 foot buffer. Why the heck not? Amazing to watch the Supreme Court (and former SC judge Bill Lamb is a SugarHouse investor), lawmakers from rural areas of the Commonwealth, and the casino investors (aka Rendell's friends) shove these casinos down the throats of a riverfront that is ovewhelmingly against the casinos (from Fishtown to Northern Liberties to Pennsport).

— phillygoingtothedump

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:16 PM, 10/07/2008

Let's call our council men and propose a real estate sur-tax for gaming venues located on the waterfront. They can build it, but we should get extra taxes. A 2000% bump would be well within the range the casino could afford and it would be great for the city budget.

— mktstrfinancial

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:25 PM, 10/07/2008

Casinos on the waterfront = Detroit, New Orelans, St. Louis. Penn Praxis plan for the riverfront = SF, Boston, New York, Chicago. We can't re-do this...it's a one-time chance. Both options have jobs and tax revenue. One is cheesy. One is world-class.

— rbpeeple

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:51 PM, 10/07/2008

Every single owner of a casino in PA was childhood friends with Rendell. No corruption here.

— Zomboma

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:00 PM, 10/07/2008

come on, the Penn Praxis dream is way too expensive. it will never happen, it is a good "model," something to keep in mind when progress moves along. look at the river front now, what has changed in the last 20-30 years? oh yeah, the jewel at the end of market street--a cement monument to bureaucracy, filth, homeless and drugs...wake up, if sugerhouse doesn't go in, what will...NOTHING...the river front is a dump. could it be great, you bet, but not in our lifetime. i feel bad for those living in the new high rises down there, like a diamond in a turd...have the casino redesign their proposal and better align itself to the penn praxis ideas. philly needs to stop dreaming and start living in reality. we need the tax money. Mayor Ethics (a name i read in the paper today, great name!) will only stale the process...costing us more money in legal fees. start building the casino already.

— Notmyname

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:22 PM, 10/07/2008

These casinos have done more than I expected to accomadate this city after they got their land. It would be a shame if Philly got sued for continued delays in this project. Street/Rendell made the bed, Nutter/us must lay in it.

— objectivechristian

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:02 AM, 10/08/2008

How much money has the City of Philadelphia spent fighting jobs and economic development? DISGRACEFUL! Nutter should hang his head in shame the economy is falling apart, they City is running out of money and he is SPENDING money to stop a project that will create jobs and generate revenue--if that is forward thinking we are in BIG trouble. The FACT is SugarHouse has the support of the majority of the Fishtown community--we are not stupid we know jobs need to be created, we know revenue needs to be generated--we know Terry Gillen is pushing her own agenda--DISGRACEFUL

— FishtownMom

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:39 PM, 10/08/2008

As someone who was born and grew up in Fishtown and (lived there for 34 years) and still lives in the area, the corner of Delaware and Frankford avenue has always been Fishtown (not Northern Liberties). Since I was a kid and all of the businesses have left the waterfront (back in the 70's), the area has been an eyesore. The Penn Praxis plan is a nice idea but has no chance of becoming reality because of the costs associated with it. There have been dreams/plans for the waterfront for years and none have come to be. The Sugarhouse casino might not be the perfect solution for the waterfront but it has a better chance of success than the pie in the sky Penn Praxis plan. It will bring jobs to the area and sorely needed revenue for the city. Do we wait for some "yuppie" dream (aka the Penn Praxis Plan) or do we take what is right in front of us (Sugarhousee, the sure thing). I inclined to go for the sure thing!

— Fishtowner4Ever

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:10 AM, 10/22/2008

The FACT is SugarHouse has been OPPOSED of the majority of the Fishtown community (except for a vocal Sugarhouse sponsored minority). We must balance the promise of jobs with the negatives that a slot parlor in our neighborhood brings. The residents of Fishtown understand that the negatives far outweigh the positives and have opposed the plans to have the casino shoved down our throats (and yes it is DISGRACEFUL that we have people in our community willing to sell out their riverside neighbors for a few bucks)

— jlemm

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About The Philly Clout Team

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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