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While it's safe to assume Philadelphia won't be getting another casino anytime soon, it's also safe to assume that the most promising proposal to save the S.S. United States is just as dead.
Philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest has pledged the cost of the ship, and once the EPA approves the sale, it will be donated to the S.S. United States Conservancy, along with the money to store the ship for twenty months.
Stephen Varenhorst Architects released a number of renderings and a model showcasing the retired cruise ship as the crown in a waterfront redevelopment plan between Reed and Tasker. And although Foxwoods or any unnamed casino was not officially part of the study, it was obvious that any possible movement on such an endeavor would be heavily funded by a gaming house.
As if it should come as a shock, the Pennsport Civic Association, another economically clueless NIMBY, supported the proposal but opposed any casino involvement.
With little interest in retail or residential development on the river, particularly south of the city, it's unfortunately doubtful that we will ever see Stephen Varenhorst's grand design on the banks of the Delaware.
It looks as though the S.S. United States Conservancy and Gerry Lenfest will ultimately save the ship from being scrapped - which is good - but as the organization entertains offers from cities with more capital on their shores, it may end up on the banks of the Hudson instead of Philadelphia.
In seemingly effortless contrast to the train wreck at South Philly's Foxwoods site, Sugarhouse Casino continued to thrive in the face of protest and economic hardship. Although it was ultimately scaled back to little more than a big box slot barn by community opposition, management and developers produced satisfying renderings, budget proposals, and above all, continued to meet deadlines in the face of chaotic adversity.
Under considerably less public scrutiny, Foxwoods has been allowed to rewrite their proposals to the point that they are no longer recognizable as the casino approved by the state years ago, and they have routinely ignored deadlines. They've proposed new locations, new investors, new names, new renderings, and spent the last four years passing the buck. The corporation has behaved like a child that tests his teachers and parents to see just how far they can be pushed. Well, finally the state has spoken. Fed up with four years of excuses, the state voted to revoke Foxwoods gaming license.
It is unclear what will happen with the available gaming license. Perhaps Gerry Lenfest can work his magic and get someone to back a casino project on the SS United States.
One big reason for the state's decision was in the way the 42% of charitable profit would be handled. Originally exclusive to local charities, Foxwoods had redirected the money to the Pequot Museum in Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, both organizations affiliated with Foxwoods Casinos. How do you say "shady" in Pequot?
I'm indifferent when it comes to casino gaming in Philadelphia. Personally, I kind of see them in the same light as strip clubs, or even your neighborhood tavern. They are simply a den of vice, and therefore will always be an easy target for an angry mob of naysayers. Often surrounded by a lot of "Please think of the children!" type of hype (by some of the least informed activists), casinos rarely cause the problems these fear mongers would like you to believe. The blue-haired casino junkies that pack slot barns across the country bring money to undervalued locations. Thugs don't go to slot barns, they go to Vegas, and not one major city that has gone casino has managed to bring the skank factor with their casinos. Not Detroit, not New Orleans, not London, casino gambling doesn't destroy established cities, it destroys Indian Reservations and small towns with nothing better to offer, which is exactly what Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City were when gaming came to town. So unless you're setting up a casino in Terre Haute, IN, chances are nothing is going to change. Sorry Chinatown. Sorry Northern Liberties. You're just plain wrong.
What I do take issue with is bad business, a lack of basic common sense, and the "progressives" who halt progress. Foxwoods has been yanked again, this time back to the original location. No wonder they weren't too pressed to issue a rendering for the potential Strawbridges or Gallery locations, the state and the NIMBYs have been jerking them around for the past several years while everyone, not just the casinos, pisses away money. Renderings and planning cost money and the transparent plan on the part of the NIMBYs (as it always is) is to nag the target until they get frustrated and leave or simply run out of money. Unfortunately in this case, they got it seriously wrong. Market East needs something, anything, and Foxwoods wanted to be it, was willing to be it, and was an ideal client for the decaying corridor between the Convention Center and the historic district. What better way to tie two family oriented destinations together than by sticking a place to drop off granny right in the middle? In a mall of all things! What do tourists like better than cheesesteaks and the Betsy Ross House? They like seeing what the other Gaps are like. It was a dream location and a dream opportunity. And in a delicious slice of irony, this is a lose-lose for the NIMBYs. We're still getting a casino people. But now we're getting a big ugly sprawling stip mall completely inaccessible by public transportation, which means no Market East transit improvements and another huge surface parking lot lining the South Philly waterfront. YOU IDIOTS!
The Idiots
Cool idea. Weak execution. It's great to see the vast sea of parking lots being redeveloped into something more...urban? This venue could introduce the commercial competition the stadium district needs, or it could just end up being a really fancy strip mall in the middle of a giant parking lot. An ideal location for Sugar House and Foxwoods - creating an Entertainment District - it's a shame that Pennsylvania restricts the distance between casinos. Encouraging destination specific business in a district already primed for it could potentially bring more hotels, restaurants, theaters, and shopping. And being in the middle of a parking lot, no NIMBYs!
While it's safe to assume Philadelphia won't be getting another casino anytime soon, it's also safe to assume that the most promising proposal to save the S.S. United States is just as dead.
