Chinatown community leaders and business owners pleaded with City Council on Tuesday to vote down legislation authorizing the 76ers to build an arena on East Market Street in Center City.
Debbie Law, whose family runs a shop, Chinese Culture & Arts, in the neighborhood, said her store was forced to relocate after her landlord said an investor was willing to pay more than three times her rent and wait for an opportunity to attract franchises or larger businesses. She blamed the looming arena development.
Law lived above the 10th Street storefront, so she had to move as well. Though she kept her establishment in Chinatown, her new space is smaller and has much less foot traffic, which has dramatically affected the shop’s bottom line, she added.
“This just provides you with what’s going to happen if the arena gets built,” Law testified. “This happened to me, and this will happen to other people.”
Representatives from the construction industry, meanwhile, pushed Council members to approve the project, which they argued will create economic opportunity and revive Center City.
“This is about the future of our city,” said Ryan Boyer, business agent for the Philadelphia Building Trades and Construction Council. “If we look at what’s happened down at 8th and Market for more than a generation, we know that we need investment. We need energy.”
Tuesday’s hearing was part of a series that is expected to continue through early next month as lawmakers consider whether to pass a legislative package that would allow the arena project to move forward. The hearing continued into the the evening, after Metro went to print.
A final decision – one of the more anticipated City Hall votes in recent years – could come as soon as Dec. 12. Officials from Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment have said they need the bills and resolutions to be approved by the end of the year in order to begin demolition in 2026 and open in time for the 2031-2032 NBA season, when the team’s lease ends at the Wells Fargo Center.
The planned $1.3 billion arena, known for now as 76 Place at Market East, would seat 18,500 spectators and occupy a section of the current Fashion District mall in an area bounded by Market, Filbert, 10th and 11th streets above SEPTA’s Jefferson Station.
In addition to fears about accelerating gentrification and displacement, business owners in Chinatown said they are concerned 76 Place would impact traffic congestion and parking for their customers.
“Chinatown’s future has never been more vulnerable in my lifetime,” said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. “This arena will push Chinatown toward the precipice.”
A city-commissioned study released earlier this year determined that about half of the Chinatown’s businesses – an estimated 150 establishments – would be negatively impacted by the arena. Such a significant impact could disrupt a neighborhood that has long been a cultural and spiritual hub for the region’s Asian American residents, those who testified against the project told lawmakers.
“We question why this City Council would even consider approving a project with such a stark and disparate racial impact,” Annie Lo, of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said. “The future of Chinatown depends on your action to save it now.”
Chin and leaders from the Washington Square West Civic Association said they had no involvement in the proposed $50 million Community Benefits Agreement negotiated between the 76ers and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration.
Council members have indicated they would like to see a higher CBA amount, but team officials testified last week that they are not willing to increase the total.
Labor unions have been among the most vocal supporters of 76 Place, and they claimed the project would spur further redevelopment of the Market East area, creating economic opportunity for residents across Philadelphia.
“We have to rebuild Center City in a way that creates as many good jobs as possible,” said Daisy Cruz, of Service Employees International Union 32BJ. “The arena can do that.”
Boyer compared the undertaking to the construction and expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which he credited with saving the city’s hospitality industry.
A priority for Council has been ensuring minority and women representation at all levels of the process, and Boyer assured them that construction-related unions are conducting “a full court blitz on making the trades more diversified.”
“There’s going to be some businesses that take flight on this job, minority businesses,” commented Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Arena hearings are expected to resume Wednesday, with a public comment session beginning at 10 a.m.
