September 24: Casino update | City tells 25K to file second-level tax appeal | Bike commuting on the rise | City Paper says SEPTA needs regional tax | Sign-makers liven up Brewerytown | Vote on Pa. artifacts

Hello Streeters! Here is what’s making news this sunny Tuesday. 

Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger will present the Nutter administration’s preference for a second casino at 11a.m. this morning. Yesterday, PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates reported on the new renderings for the proposed Market8 casino, which if approved will have a glass exterior revealing an interior “four-story, dynamic video feature.” Across town, Penn National Gaming announced plans for a direct westbound access ramp to I-76 if its casino wins the second casino license. 

There is such a backlog on property tax appeals that the city mailed 25,000 letters to residents and told them they should consider filing their second-level appeal even before the first one is considered, reports NewsWorks. The filing date for the second-level appeal is October 7, and only about half of the roughly 50,000 requests for review have been completed. Of those completed, 21,529 resulted in no market value change. In 3,103 reviews, the property value decreased, and 61 properties saw their market value increase. 

Many have suspected what new numbers now prove: between 2011 and 2012, bicycle commuting rates in Philadelphia increased from 1.8% of the population commuting on bicycles to 2.3% of the population commuting on bicycles. The numbers come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 One Year American Community Survey. Philadelphia has kept its title as the top bike commuting city in the country and increased its lead over Chicago, the number two bike commuting city. 

City Paper’s Daniel Denvir takes a look at SEPTA’s funding situation and reports on just how complex the transportation funding picture is on the national, state and regional levels. According to Denvir, the suburbs dominate SEPTA, but “Ultimately, suburbanites and city dwellers will need to pass something like a five-county transit tax to help fund the system fully.”

A sign-making collective, IcySigns, is working to bridge the divide between Fairmount and Brewerytown by creating eye catching signs for businesses on the Brewerytown section of Girard Avenue. Supporters of the project say the signs are meant to bring new life to the neighborhood without pushing out longtime residents. So far a taco shop, pet grooming store, chicken place and cafe have all received revamped signs. 

There are 37 days left to vote for Pennsylvania’s top 10 endangered artifacts. The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts is asking people to vote on their favorite prized Pennsylvanian artifact and to make a donation in support of preserving that artifact. At the end of the campaign, the donations each artifact receives will help the owner institutions support each of the 10 treasures. 

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