January 25, 2024
Provided Image/Gensler
The Philadelphia 76ers say they have gathered signatures from 30,000 people who support their proposal to build a $1.55 billion arena in Center City. The project has faced opposition from residents in Chinatown and Washington Square West.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been canvassing city residents and suburban commuters in recent months to gauge support for their proposed arena on Market Street. The team says more than 30,000 people have given signatures backing the project as it enters a critical period of consideration by city lawmakers.
The Sixers gathered those signatures from Labor Day through mid-December by presenting their petition online and by stopping at homes and public places like train stations, team officials said Thursday.
"Stand with and support the 76ers in the development of the 76 Place arena project in its efforts to develop equitably and responsibly to benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and communities across Philadelphia," the petition read. "We believe in its potential to revitalize Market East and create opportunity for Philadelphia. Sign on now."
The team said it collected more than 26,000 signatures from city residents in 55 ZIP codes. Another 4,000 signatures came from commuters living outside the city.
The Sixers released the results of their canvassing efforts on the morning of City Council's first session of the year. The arena is expected to be among the top items on the legislative agenda in 2024. Demonstrators gathered outside City Hall to urge lawmakers to hold the Sixers to a legally binding commitment not to use any public funds for the $1.55 billion project.
The 76ers have insisted their project — which would replace a portion of the Fashion District mall and surrounding properties — will not rely on any funding from the city. The team has left open the possibility of seeking state or federal funds for certain aspects of the project, but has not provided specifics.
"76 Place developers have done a good job of confusing the public and hiding the fact that they really are after our state and federal tax dollars," said Mohan Seshadri, executive director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and an outspoken figure in the anti-arena coalition. "It's unfortunately very common for taxpayers to subsidize sports venues, which siphons precious resources away from communities who need them."
Sixers part-owner David Adelman, who is leading the team's arena development, said the canvassing effort was intended to give the public information about the "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to revitalize Market Street. He said part of the team's outreach has been letting people know the project will not be footed by city taxpayers.
"Despite the 76 Place development team's best efforts to make information available on the project, there continues to exist misinformation and canvassing allows our team to meet people where they are to provide facts and answer questions," Adelman said.
Sixers spokesperson Mark Nicastre said the arena will be financed through a combination of equity, debt and revenue from advertisements and sponsorships.
"We believe that a development of this nature in Philadelphia should not utilize scarce public resources," Nicastre said. "We will not be seeking any subsidies from the city of Philadelphia. However, if there are existing state and federal programs that this project qualifies for and could help us enhance the project, we will be open to exploring them."
Communities immediately surrounding the proposed arena site have been skeptical of the project's purported benefits to the public and the team's optimistic view that more fans will rely on SEPTA to attend games and events. Arena opponents are concerned that it will create long-term headaches due to construction, traffic and an increased cost of living in the area.
Anti-arena organizers in Chinatown, whose southern border would meet the project at Cuthbert Street, have made up the most vocal opposition. The Save Chinatown Coalition collected more than 17,000 signatures for a petition to protect the community from the 76ers arena, and several thousand people sent handwritten postcards to City Council urging lawmakers to stop the project. The nonprofit Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. also released survey results last year showing overwhelming opposition to the project among a group of 230 Chinatown business owners, residents and visitors.
On Saturday, the Save Chinatown Coalition plans to hold a community workshop to envision alternative uses for the proposed arena site. Organizers of the event, to be held at the Center for Architecture & Design, said their ideas will be informed by a recent bilingual survey of more than 1,000 Philadelphia residents.
Earlier this month, the Washington Square West Civic Association shared results from a community survey that found 77% of the 412 participants opposed the project. The nonprofit community group shared the 76ers' answers to a list of questions that had been sent to the team and First District Councilmember Mark Squilla, who will play a pivotal role in deciding whether and when the project moves forward.
"We will continue to engage with all parties involved with the arena and to share these conversations with the community," Tami Sortman, the community group's president, wrote in a Jan. 12 letter. "The WSWCA is here to represent all members of our community, both those opposed and those in favor."
During a December community meeting at Mother Bethel AME Church, Squilla was questioned about the arena's funding by members of the Save Chinatown Coalition, POWER Interfaith and other residents who share doubts about the project.
"Will you commit to not introduce legislation until developers have made a legally binding commitment to not accept any public financing?" one community member asked.
"Yes," Squilla answered.
Seshadri said Thursday he fears Squilla's commitment was just "window dressing."
Anne Kelly, a spokesperson for Squilla's office, said the councilman has "no authority over the use of state or federal funds for this project," although he could propose legislation that bars city funding.
The Save Chinatown Coalition disputed this claim, saying Squilla could require the team to make a separate pledge as a condition of moving forward with a bill. The Sixers have said their proposed $50 million community benefits agreement would be a legally binding document.
"Honoring his commitment to withhold legislation until developers sign a legally binding commitment to not take any city, state, or federal money is well within Councilman Squilla's power," Save Chinatown Coalition spokesperson Melissa McCleery said.
The team and other stakeholders are still awaiting reports on the city's impact studies evaluating the economic and community effects of building the arena. The release of those reports was delayed in December and a timeline for them to be made public has not been announced.
