The developers of a casino and hotel complex in South Philadelphia’s sports stadium district have been granted permission to raze the Holiday Inn at the planned nine-acre construction site and start work on their project.

The partnership between Cordish Cos. and businessman Watche “Bob” Manoukian’s Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment Inc. received a permit Friday to build a complex with five restaurant spaces, nightclubs, and a parking garage at the 900 Packer Ave. site, according to the website of the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections.

The permit was issued a little more than two months after the operator of a rival venue, SugarHouse Casino, dropped an appeal of the gaming license granted to Cordish and Greenwood’s group following the enactment of a new state law that undercut the challenge. SugarHouse, in Philadelphia’s Fishtown section, is currently the city’s only licensed casino operator.