Synagogue, Schools File Petition Against Applicant For Philadelphia's Second Casino License
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- One of the remaining applicants for Philadelphia's second casino license is the target of a petition to intervene filed with the Gaming Control Board.
A gaming board spokesman says Congregation Rodeph Shalom and two schools near the casino proposed for Broad and Callowhill Streets have filed a petition with the board seeking to intervene in opposition to the project, to be developed by Bart Blatstein.
The spokesman says the petition contends that the casino, on the site of the former headquarters of Philadelphia's daily newspapers, would be "incompatible" with the synagogue and the schools.
The Gaming Control Board has scheduled hearings for late January to determine the suitability of the applicants for the license, and the board's chairman has said he's hopeful for a decision within 60 days of those hearings.
The board's spokesman says the panel will receive arguments before deciding whether to grant the petition to intervene in the Blatstein project.
