SugarHouse Asks State Supreme Court To Force City Cooperation

SugarHouse, the state-approved casino proposed for the banks of the Delaware River in Fishtown, today asked the state Supreme Court to appoint a "special master" to help it deal with the city.  That court in December 2007 ordered the city to approve zoning changes needed to gain permits to start construction.

In a statement released this afternoon, the project's investors said: "More than two years after SugarHouse Casino was selected to receive a gaming license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and more than a year after the Supreme Court ordered the City to process permit applications and issue necessary permits and approvals, SugarHouse has not received its foundation permit from the City, notwithstanding that it was applied for over thirteen months ago and all requirements for the issuance of the permit have been met. The failure to issue the foundation permit is one example of a pattern of behavior by the City intended to interfere with and stall the development of the SugarHouse Casino."

SugarHouse, which has faced heated opposition from city and state officials and neighborhood groups who don't like it proposed location at Delaware Avenue and Shackamaxon Street, recently asked the state Gaming Control Board for an extension on its alloted time to build and open the casino.  Many of the officials and groups that have fought with SugarHouse have asked the board to deny that request, complaining that SugarHouse has been slow to open.

You can read the SugarHouse statement here and its request to the Supreme Court here.