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Calling upon the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to delay the awarding of Category 2 licenses for six months and to create a second public comment period.
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WHEREAS, The Horse Racing Development and Gaming Act of 2004 sets aside two Category 2 Slot Machine Licenses to be located within the City of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), which has authority to issue these two licenses, has under consideration five sites within the City of Philadelphia, four of which are located along the Delaware River. The PGCB has stated that they will announce who is awarded a gaming license on December 20, 2006; and
WHEREAS, The PGCB closed the public comment period on June 2, 2006, more than six months prior to the awarding of a Category 2 license. Since the close of the public comment period, each applicant’s proposal has changed dramatically, and the developers have had the opportunity to address the Board’s concerns. The public, on the other hand, has not had the opportunity to comment for the public record; and
WHEREAS, Every gaming applicant has submitted its own traffic study. However, there is a possibility that two casinos are located along the Delaware River and no one has had the opportunity to conduct a traffic study if such a scenario comes to fruition; and
WHEREAS, Mayor John F. Street recently announced the creation of the Central Delaware Advisory Group, led by PennPraxis, to create a Central Delaware Waterfront plan. If the gaming licenses are awarded prior to the completion of the plan, the development will drastically alter the waterfront and the planning process; and
WHEREAS, The lack of public input, the severe traffic concerns and the dismissal of the development of a Central Delaware Waterfront plan create a flawed process that will result in a flawed product. By delaying the award for six months and creating a second public comment period, the communities most impacted by these developments may have the ability to influence this process. The City, the State or the operators themselves may conduct a comprehensive traffic study that will investigate the impact of two gaming facilities in close proximity and discover whether such a scenario is feasible. Finally, by allowing the waterfront planning process to continue without interruption, the City will have the opportunity to truly investigate the most appropriate locations and make formal recommendations to the Board; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Calls upon the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to delay the awarding of Category 2 licenses for six months and to create a second public comment period.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to all members of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
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