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SugarHouse Casino has invoked a hundred year old law in an attempt to get from the City what it has been unable to get from the State: permission to build its slots parlor on state-owned riverfront land. The City Commerce Dept. held a hearing yesterday Thursday, November 15 on SugarHouse's request.
Please let Commerce Director Naidoff know that the City has no business giving publicly owned riverfront land to SugarHouse for a fraction of its real value. Members of the public have until 4 pm Friday, November 16, 2007 to submit their comments to Naidoff for inclusion in the official record.
According to this Daily News story, SugarHouse would pay $262,575 for land that Hallwatch estimates would bring in $30 million on the open market.
This is wrong.
About half of SugarHouse's project, 11 acres, would have to be built on state-owned land. With the help of the City SugarHouse is attempting to bypass the customary procedure for obtaining state riparian lands. Normally developers must ask the state legislature to pass a special law selling or leasing them the riverfront land they seek.
This is also wrong.
Mayor Street should respect the will of the people as expressed by their election of Michael Nutter to be their mayor starting January 9, 2008. Mayor Street should not be making important decisions the consequences of which Mayor Nutter will have to deal with for years to come.
The Daily News reported on November 6, 2007 that Mayor Nutter said "I would certainly hope that they would extend the same courtesy and respect that either one of them would have wanted upon their coming into office," Nutter said. "There should not be any long-term impactful decisions being made at this point by Mayor Street for which he will not have to deal with the consequences. It's only two months. What's the big rush at this point?"
This, too, is wrong.
No time? Here is a sample message you can copy and paste into your fax::
Dear Commerce Director Naidoff:
The City of Philadelphia has no business giving
publicly owned riverfront land to SugarHouse for a fraction of its real value. Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to build its facility on
state-owned riverfront lands.
Hallwatch estimates that the publicly owned land SugarHouse seeks to use for its slots parlor would go
for $30 million on the open market while the Daily News estimates SugarHouse will only pay slightly more than
a quarter of a million if you approve
their application.
Don't do it! State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected officials have provided you with compelling evidence that the City does not
have the authority to give away state land for a fraction of its real value. Please take their advice and say no to the
SugarHouse land grab.
Morgan Jones, Faxbank Manager
morgan @ morganjones.org
