All bets are off

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Jude Flannery and Alex Golden recently bought a home near Seventh and Reed streets, excited to be living in an up-and-coming area with plenty to offer. But a casino in their backyard was not in the cards when the young couple decided to relocate from Brooklyn, Golden said.

So, the New Yorkers joined about 300 to 500 of their neighbors Saturday in protesting Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia’s proposal to build a slots parlor on a waterfront parcel of land on Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street.

People of all ages and walks of life took to the streets for the hour-long protest, beginning at noon. Most carried signs, displaying such statements as ‘Death Trap" or ‘CasinNO!" A young man with a megaphone fired up the crowd by chanting ‘no casinos in South Philadelphia."

DESPITE THE THRONGS of people who attended the rally, Foxwoods spokesperson Maureen Garrity of Philadelphia-based Tierney Communications said the protesters are in the minority in opposing the casino.

‘We’ve been meeting with community groups in South Philadelphia over several months and have had an extremely positive reception from many, many residents who are interested in job opportunities, the benefits the Special Services District will offer, as well as the restaurant and entertainment options Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia will bring," she said.

But Riverfront Communities United Co-Chairs Rene Goodwin and Colleen Puckett, who organized the protest, said they don’t know who these pro-casino community groups are.

Comprised of seven neighborhood associations and one business group, Riverfront is an ad-hoc coalition formed in response to Foxwoods’ application to build in South Philly. All eight unilaterally oppose the casino, Puckett said.

‘They [Foxwoods] are already aware that we already have a unified front in this opposition," Goodwin said.

Seven of the organizations are South Philly-based – Queen Village Neighbors Association; Pennsport Civic Association; Passyunk Square Civic Association; Bella Vista United Civic Association; Whitman Council; Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition; and Headhouse Square Special Services District. The eighth entity is Society Hill Civic Association.

The associations represent areas that would be most affected with traffic, noise and other quality-of-life issues if the state approved Foxwoods’ application for a license to operate a casino.

Puckett, a former president of the Queen Village Neighbors Association, said Saturday’s rally was just a glimpse of their combined efforts.

‘It’s a small taste of the fight. We are not going away. We will continue to fight this," she said.

Vehicle congestion tops the list of reasons residents do not want a casino in South Philly, and Saturday’s protest took place during one of the busiest times on Columbus. Officers from the police department’s Civil Affairs and Traffic divisions joined 3rd District cops in shutting down the boulevard from Reed to Tasker streets for more than an hour, detouring motorists to surrounding streets.

One angry driver pointed out her car window at the protestors and screamed obscenities. A female protestor shouted back, ‘See the traffic? And you want a casino?"

FOXWOODS PLANS TO build an entertainment complex with slot parlors, restaurants, shops, a hotel, a condominium tower and a parking garage for 6,000 cars. Construction would take place over three phases.

The company expects to serve 25,000 people a day, based on market studies, Garrity said. By the end of Phase 3, Foxwoods will serve nine million people and pump an estimated $2.35 billion into city revenue and $3.44 billion statewide.

April 14, the project hit a roadblock when Gov. Ed Rendell announced a moratorium on riverfront development. Rendell agreed to let some projects start after meeting last week with state Sen. Vince Fumo, Mayor John Street and 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco to discuss the moratorium and work on developing a comprehensive plan for the riverfront.

‘His main concern is traffic and how it will impact the area – and getting a fair market value for riparian rights," Kate Phillips, the governor’s press secretary, said last Friday.

Rendell’s concerns run parallel to many residing around the proposed site. Resident David Jewell, who lives in a senior apartment complex on the 400 block of Reed Street, said he has no problem with a casino coming to Philadelphia and the revenue it will generate is a positive thing. But Reed and Columbus is not the right location because it’s already too congested.

Golden agreed: ‘It already takes 15 minutes on a Saturday afternoon to get from Christian to Reed Street," she said.

Jewell also said Foxwoods is not supplying enough parking for its estimated 25,000 daily guests.

‘It’s madness, just madness," he said, adding spillover from the garage will go to local neighborhoods.

‘For the rest of us, where in the name of God are we going to park? They should be forced to provide parking," he said of Foxwoods. But Garrity said the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

‘You’re not having 25,000 people at the casino all at one time. People generally spend about four hours there at a time, so you’re not having 25,000 there at the same time. There are staggered arrivals and departures. So based on those projections, we feel the 6,000 spaces are more than adequate. Plus, many of those 25,000 will not be coming by car, they will be coming by SEPTA buses, water taxis or casino buses," the spokesperson said.

This, however, hasn’t settled the disquiet. Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition President Pat Bullard is another who’s worried about traffic and parking issues, despite being more removed than the other Riverfront Communities United neighborhoods.

Hawthorne borders the west side of 11th Street to the east side of Broad Street and the south side of South Street to the north side of Washington Avenue.

‘Even though our area’s further away, traffic is still going to come through our neighborhood," Bullard said, adding Broad and Christian are two main thoroughfares.

Foxwoods remains sensitive to traffic and congestion concerns and has taken steps to address these issues, Garrity said.

The company has met with community groups – and will continue to do so – as well as having previously conducted numerous traffic studies, the spokesperson said. Plans to curtail congestion include updating and repairing existing traffic lights; constructing a northbound double left turn lane at the I-676 and I-95 ramps to eliminate back-up onto northbound lanes on Columbus; widening westbound Tasker to provide two approach lanes to Columbus; and erecting a new signalized intersection at the Morris Street I-95 on ramp to intercept the northbound Columbus traffic that U-turns at Dickinson Street.

Other ‘mitigation measures," according to Foxwoods representatives, are implementing directional signage to route motorists to the least congested ways to the site; extra queuing areas to eliminate any chance of traffic spilling back onto Columbus; a water taxi to the Camden side of the river to reduce bridge traffic; off-site parking and shuttles for employees; and coordinating with SEPTA and tour bus operators.

These plans didn’t stop the hundreds who flooded the streets last weekend, however, and the protesters have made it clear they’re not going anywhere. At its close, Goodwin addressed the residents with a towering inflatable slot machine in the foreground.

‘We’re hoping to show members of the Gaming Commission Control Board, Foxwoods and our elected officials that if one really looks at all the facts concerning what exists now in the way of the waterfront community, the development that has occurred, the economic vitality of this community, one has to come to the conclusion that this is not the best site to operate a casino."

A look at Foxwoods

Foxwoods Development Co. is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, a federally recognized 800-member Native-American tribe.

Foxwoods owns 30 percent of the Columbus Boulevard and Reed Street site. The remaining 70 belongs to Washington Partners Community Charities L.P., which is comprised of more than a dozen investors including Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider; real estate developers Ron Rubin and Peter DePaul; 76ers President/Manager Billy King; former Phillies centerfielder Garry Maddox; and music mogul Quincy Jones.

The casino project as a whole at the South Philly site is referred to as Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia.