INQUIRER: Foxwoods Casino has agreed to work with state and city leaders to move its long-delayed slots parlor planned for the South Philadelphia waterfront to the Gallery at Market East, The Inquirer has learned. Two sources familiar with the agreement, struck between Foxwoods and Gov. Rendell and Mayor Nutter this week, said the plan was to revive a vision for a downtown casino built over the Gallery. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity before Rendell and Nutter were scheduled to announce the plan at a 1 p.m. news conference today at City Hall. Although the Gallery was once considered a prime site for a downtown casino, the latest plan would still face a variety of obstacles, including potential neighborhood opposition. MORE
INQUIRER: Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter, and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation chairman Michael Thomas met with editorial boards of The Inquirer and Daily News this morning to spell out their proposal to break the stalemate Foxwoods has encountered in trying to build against the wishes of its neighbors in South Philadelphia. The plan – convince neighbors in Chinatown and elsewhere that a public-transit friendly casino that is part of a broader retail redevelopment of Market Street would improve their neighborhoods and businesses by drawing people to the commercial corridor. Rendell specifically pointed out surrounding, underutilized parcels along Market Street. MORE