CDAG Sends Letter To Gaming Board On Wynn Casino

The Central Delaware Advocacy Group recently sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week, reports PlanPhilly.  The letter states that the Wynn Philadelphia Casino proposal  wkould be a better Central Delaware fit if river access was improved, the parking garage took up less space, its roof was open for river-viewing and the entire design was more "contextually compatible" with the region.  The letter also states that CDAG "represents no particular disposition toward gaming and does not oppose, nor does it support, the Wynn Philadelphia Resort Proposal."

Wynn would not be bound by the Central Delaware Master Plan should he be granted the license.  If that happens, the city would place special casino zoning on the Richmond Street and Delaware Avenue parcel, which overrides underlying zoning, including the overlay.

Wynn Casinos Surprising Community Support

Members of the Olde Richmond Civic Association overwhelmingly in a 191-20 voted voiced their support for the proposed Wynn Resorts riverfront casino at 2055 Richmond Street.  Wynn likely appealed to the desire of the neighborhood to create a brand for itsELf while also offering beautiful public space, and unadulterated views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

In addition to 2,500 slot machines and 100 game tables, the resort will contain luxurious hotel suites, spa, restaurants, a 30,000-square foot nightclub, green space that includes a dog park, ice cream stand, skating rink and other features.  The $900 million Wynn Philadelphia casino would be the largest private development min the history of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Wins EPA Grant To Plan for the Reuse of Brownfield Properties Along Frankford Creek

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Philadelphia as one of 20 communities to receive a grant to conduct a planning study to guide the cleanup and reactivation of brownfield land.  A $200,000 grant to Philadelphia will fund a study for a four- square- mile- area of the Frankford Creek, including sections of the Bridesburg, Frankford, Port Richmond and Juniata Park neighborhoods.  The Philadelphia City Planning Commission applied for the grant, which was announced April 25th, and will manage the planning process.

The grant is the first step  toward reusing formerly industrial properties along Frankford Creek in new and exciting ways, says Gary Jastrzab, Executive Director of the City Planning Commission.  the revitalization of the area was the focus of the recently adopted Philadelphia 2035: Lower Northeast District plan.

The former Coke and Rohm and Haas site, totaling 126 riverfront acres in the Bridesburg neighborhood, present economic development opportunities for waterfront redevelopment and community revitalization.  Similarly, the former site of Edgewater Dyeing and Finishing presents a unique opportunity for creek-side redevelopment in Frankford.  The rehabilitation of brownfield sites will also enable the development of the Frankford Creek Greenway, a greenway that would connect Tacony Creek Park to the North Delaware Riverfront.

Proposed I-95 Condemnation Corridor

Zoning bill No. 100553 allows owners of buildings, parking lots, and other existing uses to rebuild anywhere that is within 350 feet of their former location and 200 feet from either side of the expanded highway right of way without going through the usual zoning permitting process.  This legislation stands regardless of the zoning that exist in the area the displaced property owner chooses to relocate to, unless the new site is in a residential district.

The Goal of the bill is to preserve jobs and tax revenue.  The widening of I-95 will result in the condemnation of many properties abutting the Interstate, this would mean the lost of hundreds of jobs and taxes, therefore the bill is proposed to encourage and aid in the continuation of business with minimal dislocation and interruption.  If this bill is adopted, it would create an I-95 Condemnation Corridor that would stretch the entire length of I-95 in the city and also include all arterial streets, collector streets, and ramps within the area.  Its width would be set at 200 feet from both of Penn DOT's rights of way.

The bill basically allows anyone who is condemned by I-95 to relocate within that 400 foot corridor without going through all the normal zoning notions.  The new, relocated use or structure cannot exceed the size, height or square footage of the one it is replacing.  There are a lot of questions the Planning Commission still needs to address such as the distance of the billboards, industrial, and parking structure in relation to existing and displaced residential properties and how the relocation will effect existing communities that will consume the displaced tenants.