Last week, developer Bart Blatstein announced his and Joseph Volpe's purchase of PECO's Delaware Station with two boutique hotels dreamed up for the space. But there was no sugar coating his displeasure yesterday as he withdrew his appeal of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's decision in November to license the proposed Live! Hotel and Casino at 10th and Packer. Blatstein had claimed that "the ownership overlap between the Parx Casino and the Live! Hotel & Casino violated state rules and was the basis last month for challenging the gaming board's decision at the state Supreme Court."
In his statement, Blatstein concluded, "It's unfortunate that the Gaming Board passed on a transformational, game-changing development in The Provence and instead settled for another dumbed-down, slots-in-a-box project in a land-locked, congested location with zero potential for economic development spin-off."
· Blatstein and Volpe buy Delaware Station, Hotels Planned [Curbed Philly]
· Blatstein plans soaring 33-story complex on South Broad [Curbed Philly]
· Blatstein withdraws appeal of Gaming Board's decision [Philly.com]