The city is taking steps to ensure that any temporary slot machine casino built in Pittsburgh to get the cash rolling in as quickly as possible doesn't become permanent.

It won't allow the winner of the Pittsburgh slot machine license to open a temporary casino until construction is moving along on the permanent one.

"There will be substantial construction under way before we will give them a permit to occupy the temporary casino," city Zoning Administrator Jeremy Smith said.

His comments came during a planning commission public hearing yesterday on a master plan offered by Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. as part of its proposed casino development in Uptown and the lower Hill District.

Isle of Capri and PITG Gaming LLC, another of the bidders for the Pittsburgh slots license, want to open and operate temporary casinos while their permanent gambling halls are being built.

The third bidder, Forest City Enterprises, hasn't proposed a temporary casino.

As part of the master plan under consideration by the planning commission, Isle of Capri wants to build its temporary casino in the parking lot above Mellon Arena, near Crawford Square.

The Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force and several planning commission members expressed concerns yesterday about the temporary facility with 1,500 slot machines and an adjacent 350-space parking lot. They are trying to avoid a repeat of what happened in Detroit, where temporary casinos stayed in operation for years before construction started on permanent ones.

Mr. Smith described a temporary casino as a "tent" and said the city won't issue an occupancy permit for the one to be erected by Isle of Capri or any other casino operator until at least the foundation and perhaps more of the permanent gambling house has been completed.

Isle of Capri officials assured the commission that their intent is to complete the permanent casino as quickly as possible.

Yesterday's hearing covered familiar ground, with the casino operator presenting its plans for a $1 billion-plus development in Uptown and the lower Hill that would include a casino starting with 3,000 machines and expanding to 5,000, a new arena and a mixed-use commercial and residential development on the Mellon Arena site.

Over the past several months, Isle has tweaked its plan to try to create better connections between Centre and Fifth avenues and has added more ground-level retail and upper-floor residential on Fifth Avenue to create a better link to Downtown.

The commission is expected to vote on the plan in two weeks.

The two other applicants for the license also must submit master plans for approval before they can begin their proposed developments, contingent on winning the license.