Jump to content

Station Square slots casino details unveiled

mjcatl2

By mjcatl2
in Pittsburgh

Recommended Posts

blueblackcat Whistle-Stop

blueblackcat

Posted
Posted

So at long last, there is an article in the PG voicing many of my concerns about the possible negative impact of a casino in the hill. Some of the people who are against the proposal are the same people who were originally fighting the urban renewal campaign that brought us the Mellon Arena which has maligned the hill for 50 years. But hey if no one listened to them before and they turned out to be right, why listen to them now?

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06319/738403-53.stm

If people don't start speaking up, said Dr. Glasco, the casino "could be a sad, scary parallel to what happened in 1956."
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 70
  • Created
  • Last Reply
TheGerbil Burg

TheGerbil

Posted
Posted

I understand people's concern. But the Isle of Capri plan for the casino would include rebuilding the lower Hill. It seems to me that could only be an improvement upon the sea of parking lots that is currently there.

As for traffic and crime... Well I guess only time will tell what sort of impact we will really see. People certainly have valid concerns, but my thinking right is that the casino is going to go somewhere and there will be complaints no matter what. No one wants these things in their back yard.

Is it unfair to push this on the Hill, which has already suffered because of urban renewal? That depends on whether this plan would actually cause more problems. Assuming IoC really does rebuild the lower Hill and reconnect it with downtown, it sounds like it could be a very good thing for the neighborhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bradsp Unincorporated Area

bradsp

Posted
Posted
It doesn't matter where you put the casino... somebody's gonna be angry. Mt. Washington residents will probably be angry about having a casino right below them at Station Square (they've complained about the Chevrolet Amphitheater).
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Evergrey Hamlet

Evergrey

Posted
Posted
In the Northside we will not be just angry if the casino sets up shop at our doorsteps it will be more of a bloodbath (figuratively). There are people in my neighborhood who will not tolerate this. The Vegas sprawl of this casino name brand would not come out unscathed after choosing our neighborhood and there will be bad blood between those in the community and the individual beotchs that put it here.

I hope that sounded visceral enough to capture the casino spirit of some folks on the Northside.

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bradsp Unincorporated Area

bradsp

Posted
Posted

Time after time seeing Pittsburghers grovelling on all fours for casino scraps is so pitiful.

Bars, pawn stores and casinos are not businesses that revitalize inner city neighborhoods. The casino for example brings in an ungodly amount of money from the local community and returns very little. Not just the tourists will be losing their money in the casino but tens of thousands of household earners in our community. The casino will build a stadium or a civic center or develop some other decorative trinket for Pittsburgh but the people of Pittsburgh will pay all of their lives.

One should look at what a casino provides and what a casino takes away in totality. If you are having difficulty understanding what I am saying then go to a casino and sit the tables. Chances are you will lose and statistically the Pittsburgh community as a whole will lose an obscene amount of money. The effect of making Pittsburghers more poor will affect us all.

I hear people in Shadyside and Squirrel hill have money to burn so maybe the casino should move there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheGerbil Burg

TheGerbil

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure how I feel about the casino itself. But I think this is a lot different than the Mellon Arena development, and part of the plan is to rebuild what the arena took away. If we are going to have a casino, and if it is going to be in one of the three proposed locations, I think the lower Hill location is the best one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mjcatl2 Hamlet

mjcatl2

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have mentioned this bofore, but again I think that Station Square is the only place that a casino makes sense - I am not talking about proposals, just location.

It's isolated, yet central, it's touristy already and won't ruin that complex in terms of design, nor would it impact the neighborhood, since there isn't one.

Additionally, if the crappy amphitheater has to go because of it, then even better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheGerbil Burg

TheGerbil

Posted
Posted

At this point I wouldn't even mind if it did wind up being Station Square, as long as the new arena gets built without any more public money.

Of course Forest City hasn't promised to rebuild the lower Hill as the other two groups have (at least not to my knowledge). So I guess there are three possible outcomes:

1. Casino at Station Square, new arena in lower Hill, no rebuilding around the new arena.

2. Casino in lower Hill as well as arena and new neighborhood/restored street grid.

3. Casino on North Shore, new arena in lower Hill with at least some restoration of the neighborhood.

No matter which one it ends up being, someone is going to be angry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bradsp Unincorporated Area

bradsp

Posted
Posted

This thread reminds me of the American and Indian war pictures I saw when in school. There are photos of some Indian chiefs wearing top hats and carrying other European modern trinkets while their land and people were being pillaged.

Why a casino does nor belong in an economically depressed neighborhood like the hill or a city like Pittsburgh:

The casino is very interested in low income blue collar workers. The casino may look high end but these places are filled with the poor and lower middle class. In quantity the poor will drop vast sums of money.

The next thing may offend some but I think it needs to be said in order to further our thinking. The casino hires foreign help from Eastern Europe and Mexico. The reason for this is because they work much harder at menial labor tasks and are much more consistent. No offence to US blue collar help, I am only pointing out the types of workers I see in US casinos.

Casinos do not provide entertainment for entertainments sake. They use entertainment to give people an excuse to come through the doors. These people will drop money at the slots or tables. The entertainment will be comped in order to attract the lower and lower middle class worker. 1.99 steak and eggs will be subsidized for the same reasons.

Placing a big roof development on the hill is very poor urban design and will be more damaging to the hill. If low cost entertainment and restaurants and bars are all under one roof at a casino people will not visit a revitalizing business district on the hill. A casino on the hill will be the coup de grace of a slow beheading that started in the 50s or 60s.

I have to admit that I do not have a solution for the hill and at the same time I am not so desperate for a solution that I leave reason at the door and allow myself to lured by false hopes. A casino in the hill is something the rest of Pittsburgh should be ashamed of if the rest of Pittsburgh does secure a new arena for the Penguins.

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
UrbaniDesDev Whistle-Stop

UrbaniDesDev

Posted
Posted

I agree with you Brad. This should have never happened at all. I believe it reflects Pennsylvania as a desperate state lead by greedy politicians. This being said, the fact remains that a casino seems to inevitable.What I see is, the plan for the Hill, as originally planned, will at least replace Mellon Arena's vast parking lot with housing. It does remain to be seen that this will happen. Station Square area would have been developed with or with out a casino. In fact this entire casino plan has probably delayed any plans that might have developed naturally there. Either way this is a mistake but I don't think it will be the great sucking hole that some declare, anymore than it will be the great panacea for the city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bradsp Unincorporated Area

bradsp

Posted
Posted
I agree with you Brad. This should have never happened at all. I believe it reflects Pennsylvania as a desperate state lead by greedy politicians. This being said, the fact remains that a casino seems to inevitable.What I see is, the plan for the Hill, as originally planned, will at least replace Mellon Arena's vast parking lot with housing. It does remain to be seen that this will happen. Station Square area would have been developed with or with out a casino. In fact this entire casino plan has probably delayed any plans that might have developed naturally there. Either way this is a mistake but I don't think it will be the great sucking hole that some declare, anymore than it will be the great panacea for the city.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheGerbil Burg

TheGerbil

Posted
Posted
I agree with you Brad. This should have never happened at all. I believe it reflects Pennsylvania as a desperate state lead by greedy politicians. This being said, the fact remains that a casino seems to inevitable.What I see is, the plan for the Hill, as originally planned, will at least replace Mellon Arena's vast parking lot with housing. It does remain to be seen that this will happen. Station Square area would have been developed with or with out a casino. In fact this entire casino plan has probably delayed any plans that might have developed naturally there. Either way this is a mistake but I don't think it will be the great sucking hole that some declare, anymore than it will be the great panacea for the city.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
haimon Crossroads

haimon

Posted
Posted

While i'm not very happy about the inevidable casino in pittsburgh, I don't understand what is the point to limit the venue to only slot machines. The common argument seems that they want to take it slowly and see the impact of slot machines, however I don't see much difference. (start bias)Personally, I would much rather go sit at a poker table than throw my money in one of those waste of money machines.(/end bias).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheGerbil Burg

TheGerbil

Posted
Posted

Interesting editorial today about the Hill and the casino: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06352/746928-109.stm

According to this, 4,000 Hill residents were polled, and about 80% of them were in favor of the Isle of Capri plan. This leads me to think that the opposition to it isn't as strong as it seems, but is just a vocal handful of people. Of course we don't know exactly how the poll was worded.

As for table games, I doubt they would have been able to pass gambling legislation if it allowed for table games. Starting out with slots - and then possibly allowing table games later - seems like a reasonable plan to me. That's what they did in WV. They have had slots for years, and are only now talking about table games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.