Chinatown Ready To Fight Casino Relocation

Mayor Nutter, City Councilman Frank DiCicco and state Rep. Mike O'Brien have a meeting scheduled next week with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. to discuss the proposal to move the Foxwoods casino from the Delaware Riverfront in South Philly to the Gallery in Center City.  From the talk at a PCDC meeting tonight, the community is very much opposed to the idea.

John Chin, PCDC's executive director, called the proposed casino a "very, very bad idea" for Chinatown.  Chin is concerned that the casino's investors have not shown any plans for what they hope to do at 11th and Market streets.  "Time is on our side," Chin told about 60 people gathered at Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church. "We can fight this and drag it out for a long time."

George Yep, owner of the East Asia Noodle Co., said traffic is already a problem for his business.  He offered up $500 on the spot to help PCDC hire an attorney.  "Fight this all the way," Yep said.  His wife, Cecelia Moy Yep, recounted the many fights Chinatown has faced for survival, from the expansion of the Vine Street Expressway to the construction of the Federal Detention Center.  The community stood up to then-Mayor Street in her first term and defeated a proposed baseball stadium in the neighborhood.  "It seems like very 10 years we have another battle," Moy Yep said. "And it's because Chinatown is adjacent to the central business district.  That works for us and it works against us."

The meeting will be on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church at 915 Vine streets.

UPDATE:  Mayor Nutter will not be attending this meeting, according to his administration. Instead, senior staffers to the mayor who deal with casino issues and city planning will attend.