The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has cleared the way for casino construction to begin in Philadelphia.
In a ruling Monday, the court found "deliberate inaction" in City Council's failure to vote on zoning and land-use requests from the SugarHouse casino, set to be built in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, and issued the go-ahead itself.
The city "ultimately has no discretion to preclude gaming," the opinion stated.
Councilman Frank DiCicco has long opposed the construction of both SugarHouse and Foxwoods, another planned casino, in his district. Other activist groups have also opposed the casinos.
The court ordered that SugarHouse's site be zoned as a commercial-entertainment district, a requisite for casino construction.
It also demanded that SugarHouse's development plan, which the city's Planning Commission approved in May, receive final approval without further input from City Council.
SugarHouse construction is expected to start in a few weeks.
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