September 11, 2024
Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker addresses the crowd at the Pennsylvania Convention Center during Wednesday night's town hall for the proposed 76ers arena on East Market Street in Center City.
Hundreds of people packed the Convention Center on Wednesday night for a town hall meeting Mayor Cherelle Parker organized to hear perspectives on the proposed 76ers arena in Center City. Attendance was so high that two overflow rooms were fitted with monitors to allow more people to be a part of the event, which took place as the city nears a decision on the contentious project.
Parker set the tone for the night by insisting on a respectful forum for supporters and opponents alike to express their views on the $1.5 billion plan. The Sixers aim to build their arena on East Market Street just south of Chinatown.
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Before introducing a series of leaders and experts consulted to study the impact of the arena, Parker reflected on her own upbringing in Northwest Philadelphia and how it relates to the concerns dominating discussion about the proposal. She said she's observed the painful loss of generational wealth in city neighborhoods, the disruptive effects of construction projects and the consequences of community displacement that often follow large-scale development projects.
"When you question whether or not the potential impacts on Chinatown and the surrounding communities matter to me, yes they matter to me because I'm the mayor," Parker said. "But they matter to me because my real life, lived experience says that before you make large decisions like this, it is very important that all stakeholders and people impacted have an opportunity to have their voices heard — because you will impact generations."
More than a dozen speakers were given the floor to talk about how building an arena in Center City will affect traffic, parking, surrounding businesses and the broader economy of Philadelphia.
Critics of the team's proposal described the site between 10th and 11th streets — currently part of the Fashion District Philadelphia mall — as a "tight fit" for an arena that would regularly draw more than 18,000 fans to the vicinity. They argued major intersections could be pushed to a "breaking point" if droves of fans insist on driving to games instead of taking public transportation, one of the key points raised in the traffic impact study released last month.
But while day-to-day concerns about traffic and parking rank high among the fears of Chinatown residents and visitors, it's the long-term question of the neighborhood's survival that most preoccupies skeptics of the proposal. As many as half of Chinatown's small businesses face negative impacts from an arena, according to the city's community impact study.
"If those businesses start to not do well, then they start to fall behind on their rents — and then the banks become a little concerned," said James Wang, president and CEO of Asian Bank in Center City. "If you look at some of the challenges Chinatown is facing, that would actually exacerbate and perhaps speed up the decline of a very vibrant and long-lasting community."
For the arena to be a success that doesn't come at Chinatown's expense, Wang said it would need to be planned in a way that promotes the growth of the small business community and serves as a catalyst for entrepreneurship.
"If that's not achievable, then it's probably not a good idea," he said.
Representatives from Philadelphia's labor unions spoke strongly in favor of the project. They argued it will create thousands of construction jobs and permanent positions offering union wages to people of color who lack opportunities to work in Center City. Some said East Market Street needs "a shot in the arm" to emerge from a decades-long rut and regain its historic role as one of the city's thriving commercial districts — one that would get enhanced public safety and a favorable climate for investment.
"While we want the arena to be built, we also want to do everything that we can to protect Chinatown," said Daisy Cruz, a district leader for 32BJ SEIU, which represents cleaners, property maintenance workers and building security staff. "Not only is it a neighborhood, but it is another economic hub that brings people to Center City. ... We believe that there is a path forward that will protect the residents and small businesses of Chinatown, and improve the long-term success and stability of the community."
Members of the Save Chinatown Coalition showed up in large numbers at Wednesday's town hall, many of them carrying signs and wearing shirts opposing the 76ers arena. The team didn't participate in the event and declined to comment about it in advance of the meeting.
Margaret Chin, a longtime teacher and leader at Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., said the arena proposal jeopardizes the chance for future generations to experience a thriving Chinatown. The proposal leaves many residents and visitors both torn and frustrated.
"My family are 76ers fans. We love the games. And we want to see the Sixers play and win in this City of Brotherly Love," Chin said. "But we must ask the 76ers, why do you put our city and our Chinatown community in this position with no process to vet where the 76ers build?"
Toward the end of the town hall, community members were given an opportunity to make public remarks and submit written comments that Parker said will be factored into her administration's evaluation of the arena proposal. The Sixers hope to gain approval from City Council and the mayor by the end of the year and start construction in 2026, with a timeline to complete the arena in 2031.
One commenter said she moved to Philadelphia from Brooklyn, where she had experienced the changes brought about by the construction of the Barclays Center. A similar debate took place around that arena before it was completed in 2012. The commenter lamented the routine traffic congestion and smell of car exhaust filling the neighborhood air around the Barclays Center.
"I don't want this for Philadelphia and my neighbors," she said.
Another commenter said the arena would help deter crime in a run-down part of Center City that once felt like a welcoming, fun place to spend time when she was growing up.
"Make it safe like it used to be from City Hall all the way to the waterfront," the woman said.
Despite the clashing perspectives of many at the town hall, one woman urged residents and city leaders not to turn the issue into a matter of racial division. She implored Parker and other officials to recognize what's behind the opposition to the arena proposal and take community concerns as seriously as the benefits promised by the team.
"The issue isn't, 'Are we against an arena?'" the woman said. "The issue is, 'Where should it be?' And we should not be talking about Black and Brown communities versus Asian communities."
