The Philadelphia Planning Commission approved on Tuesday the plan for the construction of the so-called Live! Hotel & Casino, which is to be located in South Philadelphia and will be the city’s second full-scale casino.
Commissioners left it to the Philadelphia City Council to address pending concerns about the size of the future hotel and casino resort as well as the use of more outdoor signs than local regulations allow.
Stadium Casino L.L.C., a joint venture between Baltimore’s Cordish Cos and Greenwood Racing Inc., is to build a $400-million venue in the city’s stadium district. The developer revealed recently that the complex is to feature a nineteen-story hotel tower, a seven-story parking facility with up to 3,000 parking spots, as well as a number of gambling, live entertainment, dining, and other options. The parking building would have a landscaped roof that would be open to visitors. As for the casino, it would offer 125 table games and more than 2,000 slot machines.
The Philadelphia Planning Commission held its first public hearing on the proposed hotel and casino complex in August. Back then, officials pointed to the fact that the use of too much digital signs may prevent the property from meeting certain zoning requirements. In turn, developers removed two of those signs.
However, officials said during the Tuesday hearing that the project is not likely to be approved by the City Council as it has to meet a number of requirements under the special purpose entertainment zoning classification. Martin Gregorski, Director of the Development Division of the Planning Commission, explained that the casino plan does not feature enough open spaces and its floor space is way too large.
The official also pointed out that it will be up to the City Council to decide whether the special purpose entertainment zoning classification requirements would be relaxed.
Developers did not reveal a completion date for the project. However, they said on Tuesday that the construction of the complex would take approximately 15 months and it would commence once they get all the necessary permits and approvals.
The facility is planned to occupy 2 million square feet of land and to generate more than $400 million in various economic benefits during construction. Once fully operational, it is expected to annually attract more than 8 million visitors.
