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Authorizing Philadelphia City Council to retain an independent traffic consultant to study the impact of the construction and operation of two gaming facilities on Christopher Columbus Boulevard/Delaware Avenue and authorizing City Council’s Streets and Services Committee to hold public hearings concerning the results of said study and further authorizing the Committee to issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents and other evidence.
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WHEREAS, On December 20, 2006, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) awarded gaming licenses to Foxwoods Casino, located at Columbus Boulevard and Reed Street, and to SugarHouse Casino, located at Delaware and Frankford Avenues; and,
WHEREAS, As part of the PGCB application process, each applicant was mandated to submit a traffic study for its individual site. However, at no time did the City, State or applicants study the traffic impact of two gaming facilities in close proximity; and,
WHEREAS, The SugarHouse Casino’s proposal is heavily dependent on the completion of Interstate 95’s Girard Avenue Interchange. However, it is unclear when construction of the interchange will begin, how it will proceed or when it will be completed. Further, when this interchange was initially designed, engineers did not consider the potential gaming industry and the traffic it creates. It is also rumored that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has proposed an access road to the Casino site, but the access road proposal has not been presented to the City or to the community; and,
WHEREAS, The Foxwoods Casino’s proposal requires extensive reconfigurations of the roadways in immediate and close proximity to the site. In addition, it is rumored that the developer has proposed an additional off-ramp from I-95; however, at the time the interstate was constructed, a consent decree was signed by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) that would not permit construction of an additional off-ramp unless the surrounding communities agreed to said off-ramp. To date, the developer, PennDOT and USDOT have not approached the signatories for approval; and,
WHEREAS, In order to develop an adequate plan to address the large influx of vehicular traffic, the developer, the City, the State and the US Government must work in conjunction with one another and better communicate with the surrounding neighborhoods; now, therefore,
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,
THAT the Council is authorized to retain an independent traffic consultant to study the impact of the construction and operation of two gaming facilities on Christopher Columbus Boulevard/Delaware Avenue. The Chair of the Committee on Streets and Services is authorized to act for Council in connection with all actions Council must take to select such consultant in compliance with the provisions of Chapter 17-1400 of The Philadelphia Code (“Non-Competitively Bid Contracts”), except that Council’s contract with the consultant shall be executed by and at the discretion of the Council President.
RESOLVED FURTHER, THAT the Committee on Streets and Services is authorized to hold public hearings concerning the results of said study, and the Chair of the Committee is authorized to issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents and other evidence, to the full extent authorized under Section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter, in connection with such hearings.
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