Pa. Supremes nix challenges to casino locations

The state Supreme Court yesterday shot down legal challenges to the locations of two riverfront casinos filed by City Council, Casino-Free Philadelphia members and four neighborhood groups.

The court dismissed the three lawsuits against the state Gaming Control Board, ruling that the groups and individuals who filed them lacked legal standing.

Neighbors Allied for the Best Riverfront, the Bella Vista United Civic Association, the Friends of Penn Treaty Park and the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association oppose the board's December decision to locate casinos on the Delaware riverfront in Fishtown and South Philly.

Yesterday's decision follows a course set on June 4, when the court dismissed a similar lawsuit filed by neighborhood groups from Society Hill, Queen's Village, Pennsport and Whitman.

In that ruling, the court said casino opponents lacked standing because they had failed to intervene in the Gaming Control Board's selection of casino locations before they were chosen last December.

Councilman Frank DiCicco, who pushed for the city to sue the Gaming Control Board, and casino opponents were disappointed but not surprised by the rulings yesterday.

DiCicco said the court's action was consistent with the way the state has treated the city on gaming. DiCicco added that he does not know if Council had any more options with the lawsuit.

Jethro Heiko, of Casino-Free Philadelphia, called the rulings "not exactly shocking."

"If a homeowner or taxpayer who lives within a few hundred feet of a development doesn't have standing, I don't know who does," Heiko said. "It doesn't seem like the Supreme Court, as far as I can tell, even understands what standing means any more when it comes to casinos."

Neighbors Allied for the Best Riverfront contended the Gaming Control Board did not adequately consider the environmental impact of casinos on the river.

"The Delaware River is a real treasure and natural resource for the city," said spokesman Jeremy Beaudry. "We just wanted to ensure that the state was properly taking into account the environmental impact of such development on the riverfront."

Representatives from the proposed SugarHouse Casino in Fishtown and the proposed Foxwoods Casino in South Philly yesterday praised the rulings, saying their projects will provide thousands of jobs and millions in gaming-tax revenues for the city. *