TEST: Sixers arena proposal: Mayor Parker and Chinatown Coalition discuss arena
Philadelphia, PA - Business and community leaders from Chinatown gathered on the second floor of City Hall Monday for a meeting with Mayor Cherelle Parker to discuss the proposed new Sixers arena.
Community members, many opposed to the 76ers' proposed 18,000-seat arena in the Market East community, say they were called to the meeting by the mayor's team just last Thursday evening for a listening session.
They came armed with a letter listing their concerns and the results of an online survey showing overwhelming opposition to the plan. Next.
What they're saying:
The members of the community heard from Mayor Cherelle Parker who said she had not made up her mind.
However, some in the meeting had.
"Because of the negative impacts of the arena, including traffic as the largest one, we don't know - nobody knows - if the benefits outweigh the negative impact," said John Chin of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation.
The meeting comes as the City of Philadelphia announced the release of the four separate reports from third-party consultants hired to conduct analyses of the arena.
And as approval or rejection of the arena, on the edge of Chinatown, has lingered, New Jersey and Delaware have entered the fray with offers for the team to build there.
The other side:
After the two-hour gathering, some left with concerns.
Will the Sixers win City Council’s support for its plan to build an 18,500-seat arena on the edge of Chinatown? Council hearings underway at City Hall may offer an answer.
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PROPOSED SIXERS ARENA PLAN TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING
In public hearings by the early afternoon in City Council, not everyone was booing the arena, as the momentum and sentiment turned as the hearing went into the afternoon and early evening.
Those cheering on were the unions and their members who stand to earn good construction salaries building the arena, estimated now to cost $1.3 billion.
"I just want to ask everyone in council to please approve the 76ers arena bill," John Donahue, with IBEW Local 98, stated. "It’s jobs for everyone. It’s going to bring Chinatown back. It’s going to make it even better than it is right now."
And, many members of Philadelphia’s Black clergy also give their blessings to the plan. Pastor Carl said, "It’s time for us to take critical measures to rejuvenate our downtown. If we can invest in downtown, eventually we gonna invest in the beautiful possibilities of North Philadelphia."
And Pastor William James Scott added, "I wholeheartedly support the development of the new Sixers arena and the economic opportunities and initiatives that it’s going to bring to our city."
A public hearing will be held in City Council Wednesday at 10 a.m. and Thursday evening at 6 p.m. More information can be found on the city's website, here.
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PROPOSED SIXERS ARENA PLAN TUESDAY MORNING
Both sides in the arena debate were seen in City Council Tuesday. Opponents waved signs; supporters wore tee shirts, but there was just one message in the morning testimony - scrap the plan. Xu Lin owns a small restaurant in Chinatown. He said, "I don’t think we can survive the arena. The six years of construction alone will kill my business."
In the third day of testimony on the Sixers proposal to build a $1.3 billion arena in Market East on the edge of Chinatown, council members heard from community leaders, business owners and academics all opposed to the plan. Some were nearly begging Council to kill it.
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John Chin leads the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. He said, "This arena will push Chinatown to the precipice. This is the reason PCDC opposes the arena proposal."
Domenic Vitiello, of the University of Pennsylvania, testified, "This is a bad deal in so many ways. There is a broad conclusion among independent economists that arenas do not add tax revenue and other economic benefits to cities."
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Council members learned as many as150 businesses in Chinatown could be impacted. The $50 million community fund paid for by the Sixers needs to be doubled. And SEPTA testified it can’t pay for expanded transit to 76Place.
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FOX 29 asked the sponsor of the arena legislation, Mark Squilla, if he had heard enough to drop his support. Squilla responded, "No. I’ve been hearing this for the last two and a half years. Our goal was to introduce something we could support."
Mayor Cherelle Parker supports the deal. But at least for most of this day, she had little company.
"Every sports team does the same thing, pay for a study. The study tells what they want to hear but doesn't tell us, the city, the government, what's going to happen," said Vivian Chang of Asian Americans United.
While the Sixers paid for the reports, the team says it had no impact on the findings.
The city says each one of the reports focuses on the following: a community impact assessment, an economic impact analysis, a design consulting; and a traffic, transportation and parking analysis.
"We are sharing these detailed reports so that the public can better understand the implications of such a multifaceted proposed project for Philadelphia," said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "On behalf of the City, we thank the independent consultants who completed this work. Transparency is a core value to me as Mayor, which is why I wanted to ensure these reports were available to all interested stakeholders. These studies are important inputs as I consider this proposal."
In a press release sent to FOX 29 Monday night, more members and executives within the Save Chinatown Coaltion addressed the reports.
The backstory:
"That the Sixers bankrolled these studies, and failed to disclose that fact from the jump, says everything you need to know about their credibility. The economic analysis was completed by a consultant with a track record of faulty data and false projections in Philadelphia." said Vivian Chang, executive director of Asian Americans United and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition. "The failure to calculate the financial cost of the arena to Chinatown, other neighborhoods, and existing businesses tells you how unserious and flawed this paperwork is. As we continue carefully reviewing these documents in the coming days, it is clear these are not the studies the community asked for or the city needs."
"Let’s be clear: Billionaire developers will benefit the most from 76 Place, and these studies are window dressing to obscure that fact. Don’t fall for it. The truth is 76 Place won’t pay any property taxes. The truth is that wages fall for Black workers when arenas are built. That doesn’t help our people. For a year we’ve seen the developers pit Black folks and Asian folks against one another, keeping us busy while behind the scenes it’s the rich corporations who will make out like bandits, leaving the rest of us with nothing but crumbs," said Rev. Greg Edwards, POWER Interfaith Executive Director and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition.
What we know:
A spokesperson for 76 DevCo released the following statement Monday night:
"We are reviewing what has been released and we will have more to say when we are able to complete a full analysis, but it is clear already that they support what we’ve said since we first announced 76 Place: the arena is an appropriate use for Center City and will generate significant new jobs and tax revenue because Philadelphia can support two arenas. Our parking and traffic assumptions are achievable and these findings are more evidence that 76Place can be developed in a way that protects our neighbors and maximizes benefit to Philadelphia."
The Source: We spoke to the arena's owners for this