September 18, 2008

     City Councilman Frank DiCicco's staff and city planning officials have begun examining the zoning changes that would be needed should Foxwoods Casino be built at The Gallery at Market East.
     The city already has a Commercial Entertainment District zoning classification that was created to allow casinos to operate in Philadelphia. But DiCicco spokesman Brian Abernathy said the current CED designation was created without a location like the Gallery in mind.
     "The parking requirements don't fit a Center City location," Abernathy said. While more work must be done to know for sure "our gut tells us" that the Gallery location would not require as many parking spaces, he said.  Landscaping, set-back, and open space provisions may also need to be tweaked for the current proposed site, he said.
     It might be possible to add a new chapter to the existing CED legislation or otherwise amend it, Abernathy said, or it might make more sense to create a new CED designation.  It's just too early to tell what shape the legislation will take, or when it would be introduced, Abernathy said.
     Foxwoods still owns its originally intended site along the Delaware, and could still move forward with building there if things don't work out for the casino at The Gallery.
 

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     A zoning change could be in store for that Columbus Boulevard site and the entire waterfront.
     "We've worked through the summer with the Planning Commission" on a zoning overlay, Abernathy said. The overlay - zoning which would literally be superimposed over the current zoning along the waterfront -  is "an effort to provide some interim zoning guidelines" while the city goes through the long, arduous process of revamping its zoning code, he said. "It's not perfect by any means, but it's an effort to do no harm as we move forward."
     Abernathy said drafts have been written, and they are being discussed with landowners, developers, attorneys and community groups.
     He would not disclose anything about the draft documents, nor detail what conditions the overlay would aim to protect.
     The documents will be made public when they are ready for introduction in City Council, he said. Until then, he did not want to stir up any unease by discussing something so preliminary, he said. Abernathy did not know how long it would take to finish drafting the legislation.

     Posted by Kellie Patrick Gates. Contact the reporter at kelliespatrick@gmail.com