by KYW'S Steve Tawa

A group of experts has concluded that two proposed riverfront casinos are not compatible with Philadelphia's new masterplan for the waterfront because they're too big.
 
Penn Praxis executive director Harris Steinberg says the firm brought together national experts in traffic, transportation and urban design to conduct a site plan review for a Foxwoods casino in South Philadelphia and the Sugarhouse casino proposed for the Fishtown-Northern Liberties area (model pictured above).

"The biggest challenge with the American slot machine business model is that they're very large, single use floorplates," Steinberg says.

Steinberg says the casinos would be the size of the current convention center.

Rather than the big-box approach, the experts believe the casino site plans should reduce the building footprints by creating vertical gaming floors and reducing by half the amount of parking on site.