Heard in the Hall

I applaud the opponents of casinos for fighting "on principle" against them, given the closed, nontransparent process -- one that differs little from most of how public business is conducted in Philly or Harrisburg.

However, the zoning issues are in negotiations, such as traffic management, environmental issues, et al. The casinos pushed hard to get good sites, having as little faith in the local government to have an open, transparent, fair process as the resident on the west side of Columbus Blvd.

With this snapshot in mind, casino opponents have to realize that their grounds for a federal suit have to be those grounds in fact. The suit has to have on its face merit, with real likelihood of outcome on behalf of those making the complaint. If not, the casinos can legitimately claim that the courts are being used to create tangential claims that will lose, that casino opponents even admit will likely lose, just to cause delay.

That's not a fair use of process either. Even if casino opponents are right about how we got here, we are here now, and we should be clear that future unplanned development has to go through a fully vetted process from criminal background checks, state police information release of ongoing investigation to limited parties that are restricted from letting this information out, to a real zoning and planning process that works for everyone.

I hope opponents work in the reforming of the zoning code, rather than try to use court delays to gain concessions. The latter is a messy process that is ad hoc, unofficial, and limited in scope. Neither side is happy with the result, typically.

Should this mean that "casinos declare victory?" No, the casinos have made and will have to make further concessions. Should this mean that casino critics get out of zoning and planning? Quite the contrary, casino critics now belong in the reform of zoning law that will protect them from during the coming explosion of waterfront development.

I look forward to the Civic Associations' involvement in the coming waterfront development that the sited casinos will unleash. Finally, with citizen input, Philly will have a zoning code, a zoning board, a zoning and planning process that serves neighborhood associations and residents as well as private interests who are also critical to a rich waterfront that rivals Chicago, NYC, London, and Baltimore.

I didn't get the impression that the casino spokesperson was framing resiting as a win or lose, but that resiting would require a substantive burden in a federal case. That burden may still be arguable, but not under the scope of the dropped case.

There is no "loser" or "winner." We all win together, or lose together.

Nutter is trying to build the process back in after the fact, which is noble, but likely merely going to set a precedent that also comes to the same conclusion. There is just too much state level process and other findings for those sites that would have to be completely redone, just as the failed process of John Street, and his waterfront major domo now doing time, Leonard Ross.

The whole Street waterfront process was discarded in corruption and dissimulation, leading to the state interest in casino vetting and siting.

Rather than Nutter causing the whole baby to be thrown out, the new mayor appears to be trying to make sure that we can agree as much as possible as to where the baby stops and the bathwater begins.

We should be looking at the legislative and administrative law language of other casino regulatory agencies, and other city zoning codes covering large scale public-private development of waterfronts, and using "best of" practices in our own city, not just winging it, as appears to be the case.

Good planning should not be proprietary information.

Leaders are supposed to lead, not follow the narrowminded NIMBY's who do not have Philadelphia's best interest at heart but in their own little part of town. Say goodbye to all the money and tax breaks and JOBS that not one of those NIMBY's could ever contribute to the city.
They have the right to have their say in the process, but NOT the right to keep hammering away until they get what they want even at the cost of the better good. Enjoy your yards folks. you woun't be able to afford it in a few years anyway, because this sends a signal to ALL business...

DON'T COME TO PHILLY

when was the last time ANY industry of this MAGNITUDE came to town and wanted to build here?

Sorry but the logic these people are using is FAR worse then any special interest group.

NIMBY? Why does nearly every argument for casinos have to rely on this intellectually-lazy acronym?

this is a term that people use when the issue doesn't affect them.

the casinos don't have to be in your 'backyard' for you to be affected.

all you need to be is one of the 175,000 people who drive by the casinos sites each day on I-95. When the Girard Avenue Interchange re-construction is underway (2009-2017) and simultaneously there are 40,000-60,000 additional cars exiting I-95 onto Delaware Avenue - you're going to hear a lot more moaning - and not just from people from Fishtown and Pennsport.

Philly is a third-tier city. Premier cities like NYC, Boston, and SF would never put windowless casinos along their undeveloped downtown waterfront. This is a best land-use issue more than anything.

The populace and leaders of Philadelphia have no vision and no expectations for itself.

Philly will get what it deserves and demands.

I don't live near the casinos and I don't want them. Why do they have to be in neighborhoods? There are plenty of places to put them where they won't be in neighborhoods, but of course that may not benefit the politically connected. We can do better with our waterfront.

All told our city is under siege, and this has been the pending case for some time now, and most certainly the two proposed slots parlors are part of this. And resolving the controversial casino issue the right way is of absolute importance. But regarding massive attacks on the city of Philadelphia of late, the two proposed casinos are hardly the biggest. For enemies don't work that way; they don't strike the city where it's the least vulnerable. In this case, anywhere close to the Center City area. Rather, they look for where it's weakest, the least defended, and strike their hardest there. And that's what's in the process of happening right now as all focus is on the pending casino proposals.

But trurth be said, we have a much bigger assault on our city right now, folks, and it's the type of assault -- unlike the two proposed casinos -- that after it happens we CAN'T say, "Oh that's all water over the dam, let's move on now." We can say that of the demolition of those two historic buildings on north Broad Street, the not-so-long-ago tearing down of historic Eden Hall up in Torresdale and so on. The city's now poorer for it; but it can go on from here. And the same if the two casinos rise up at their chosen locations.

But the one big assault that NOBODY is paying attention to right now is the one that shall prove to be the most formidable of all. And it's one that none of us will be able to shrug off and walk away from after it happens. We're doing that now when we hear of it; but that's only before the fact. And that's what makes the assault I'm referring to so very very dangerous. If this assault comes to pass, the other assaults so many of you find so critical right now won't matter one iota. And check this out: The assault I'm referring to is headed up by a man who's calling himself "chancellor" on the 75th anniversary of when Adolf Hitler rose up to become Germany's chancellor. Furthermore, this assault you're not noticing has the full support of every neo-Nazi type and thug in the Philadelphia area. And it's an assault that Mayor Nutter last week -- plus the Philadelphia Inquirer -- has given a full blessing to, while NONE of you were paying attention -- adding all the more to its great danger.

It's an assault that, if it comes to pass, will render the U.S. Constitution completely null and void, will obliterate whatever power our politicians and courts currently hold to nothing, will make whatever rights and freedoms we know now a quickly fading memory. Sound a bit like War of the Worlds? You're not too far off.

Sooooo......give up which assault I'm referring to? I'm talking about the Fox Chase Cancer Center's quest to expand onto neighboring Burholme Park. It all looks so "innocent" and limited to a specific small area right now. But just wait. This is real scary stuff we're talking about here, folks. And so many of you don't even seem to know about it -- at least before the fact. And how to stop it? Given that current climate, you tell me. To give credit where it's due, this enemy knows what they're doing. And all of you -- including you, Jeff Shields -- are holding the door open as they're doing it.

Has anyone in Philadelphia ever been out west? there are casinos everywhere and they do not bring drug addicts and crime, sorry but penn treaty park is a hangout for whores and crack heads. Philadelphia is poor - look at all of the buildings run down, i wish someone would put money into philly- yes noone will want to come to phila with business because they are up against too much let alone the tax structure.
In the best areas out west there are casinos,, guns, gun crime is listed as a problem on casino free - everyone wants a scapegoat i suppose, sorry gun crime is already bad in Phila. blame someone else, at least the casino is offering the neighborhood 1 million per year but that goes unmentioned because noone wants to focus on anything positive. The reason areas out west have money for development is the casinos give them money for it. what do you want. everyone prostitutes themself in some way or another for money. you may be surprised to find it more safe and clean down there when all you could find are some dirty needles and used condoms.

Has anyone in Philadelphia ever been out west? there are casinos everywhere and they do not bring drug addicts and crime, sorry but penn treaty park is a hangout for whores and crack heads. Philadelphia is poor - look at all of the buildings run down, i wish someone would put money into philly- yes noone will want to come to phila with business because they are up against too much let alone the tax structure.
In the best areas out west there are casinos,, guns, gun crime is listed as a problem on casino free - everyone wants a scapegoat i suppose, sorry gun crime is already bad in Phila. blame someone else, at least the casino is offering the neighborhood 1 million per year but that goes unmentioned because noone wants to focus on anything positive. The reason areas out west have money for development is the casinos give them money for it. what do you want. everyone prostitutes themself in some way or another for money. you may be surprised to find it more safe and clean down there when all you could find are some dirty needles and used condoms.

Has anyone in Philadelphia ever been out west? there are casinos everywhere and they do not bring drug addicts and crime, sorry but penn treaty park is a hangout for whores and crack heads. Philadelphia is poor - look at all of the buildings run down, i wish someone would put money into philly- yes noone will want to come to phila with business because they are up against too much let alone the tax structure.
In the best areas out west there are casinos,, guns, gun crime is listed as a problem on casino free - everyone wants a scapegoat i suppose, sorry gun crime is already bad in Phila. blame someone else, at least the casino is offering the neighborhood 1 million per year but that goes unmentioned because noone wants to focus on anything positive. The reason areas out west have money for development is the casinos give them money for it. what do you want. everyone prostitutes themself in some way or another for money. you may be surprised to find it more safe and clean down there when all you could find are some dirty needles and used condoms.