MAYOR’S OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Monday January 19, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT OF THE PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE PROPOSED FOXWOODS CASINO IN THE GALLERY AT MARKET EAST

Philadelphia, January 19 – The developers of the proposed Foxwoods Casino have initiated with the City of Philadelphia the Plan of Development process for the proposed casino in the Gallery at Market East. The Plan of Development is the documentation of the project required by the Philadelphia Code for City Planning Commission approval. An inter-agency group that includes the Planning Commission, Commerce Department, Law Department, Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, and the Redevelopment Authority will participate in the review process.
The process is anticipated to take several months to complete. During that time, the City will convene public meetings so that interested community members and stakeholders can see the evolution of the plans and comment on them at various stages of development. Public meetings will include:

Community meetings in both Chinatown and WashWest to review plans, traffic analysis and mitigation measures.
Two Planning Commission meetings – one for information only (no action sought from Commission) and a second for consideration for approval, based on the Plan of Development requirements outlined below.
Council hearings on any proposed legislation subsequent to Planning Commission action on the Plan of Development.

Wow, it’s on. Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. The rest after the jump.

Specific dates and venues for each public event are being developed and will be advertised sufficiently in advance to facilitate public participation.

The casino development team has agreed with the City to a set of rigorous requirements that will be included in the Plan of Development. These include:

Drawings that show the proposed development in the context of the city and of Market Street, including proposed modifications both inside and outside of the existing building that is being proposed for casino use.
Renderings that show the anticipated character of the proposed development from the major streets.
Phasing plans that show anticipated and/or possible future developments.
A detailed transportation management plan that includes pedestrian, vehicular and transit traffic flows.
A parking management plan describing resources for patrons as well as employees.
Anticipated landscape improvements, streetscape improvements, building signage and graphics, incorporation of public art and green building strategies.
Project schedule that shows anticipated construction durations and commencement of operations.

As part of the development process and regulatory review, issues of security, public safety and gambling addiction will be evaluated. The Police Department and the Department of Behavioral Health will be available at public meetings to listen to community concerns and discuss proposed mitigation measures.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 12:20 pm.