As many of you know, Pennsylvania is in the process of selecting a second casino site in Philadelphia.  A state agency, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, will decide late this year or early next year to award the second license to one of the six applicants seeking it.  In addition to whatever feelings we each may have about the increase of legalized gambling, this process is of particular interest to the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) because one proposed casino would be located at the Inquirer building which is within our boundaries.

In light of this interest, LSNA has been part of organizing the North Broad Community Coalition, which is composed of more than a dozen other neighborhoods, religious, educational, businesses and civic institutions located along the North Broad corridor. These institutions include, among others, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Callowhill Neighborhood Association, Friends Select School, the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School, Masterman Home and School Association, Greater Exodus Baptist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Congregation Rodeph Shalom, West Poplar CDC, Viaduct Green, and The Vetri Restaurant Family.

The Coalition is carefully monitoring the application process and considering what options are available to it to participate in the process.

Your chance to directly share your opinion with the Gaming Control Board comes on either April 11 and 12 in all day hearings at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, or May 8 at Lincoln Financial Field. It is important that our community's voice is heard - so if you have a strong opinion about a casino proposal, or issues related to a proposal such as traffic, crime and security or consistency with a community, please share your brief thoughts with the Board. You can sign up beginning on March 4, 2013, at http://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov
 (see link on right of page labeled "Category 2 Applicant Hearing Registration/Comment Form"). If you cannot make it in person, you can present your opinion in writing as well.

There are many articles about this process on the philly.com website.  An overview of the six applicants is here.

If you are interested in discussing this process further, contact the LSNA Zoning Committee Chairman, Ed Panek at edpanek@comcast.net.