'Cash For Gold' Store Near SugarHouse Angers Both Pro And Anti Casino Activists
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Pro and Anti Casino forces in Philadelphia finally have something they agreed on. Both are against a 'Cash for Gold' store about to open on Delaware Avenue across from SugarHouse Casino.
Nearby residents, including Casino-Free Philadelphia members, complained when the neon green "Cash For Gold" sign lit up at the row-house sized building, zoned to be a jewelry store.
The city's Department of Licenses and Inspections checked it out, and slapped a "stop work" order on the window. The owner either needs to get a permit, or take the sign down, before it opens for business.
Councilman Darrell Clarke has introduced a bill to expand the definition of pawn shops, which are not permitted near SugarHouse.
"Because of the concern about individuals gambling, and then taking jewelry or other personal items in exchange for cash, and going to the casino."
Neighborhood groups like Fishtown Action or FACT, which supports the casino, say the store owner may try to skirt the law, by moving the neon sign back from the window. FACT's Maggie O'Brien says they're ready to hire a lawyer to take legal action, funded by the Penn Treaty Special Services District.
Reported by Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio
