PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Members of the Chinatown community let representatives of the Philadelphia 76ers know they are not backing down from their concerns over the proposed $1.3 billion privately-funded arena which would border their neighborhood.
Upset residents and business owners carried signs, wore shirts, and rained down choruses of boos during portions of a community town hall Wednesday night inside a packed Ocean Harbor Restaurant, less than three blocks from the proposed arena called 76 Place on Market Street between 10th and 11th streets in the Fashion District.
“My question is really simple. Why can’t you guys stay where you are?” one community members asked as attendees applauded.
The new arena would bring the first time since 1967 that the Sixers would not play in the South Philadelphia sports complex, where the Wells Fargo Center stands now and the Spectrum once stood.
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The assembled community members remained heated at times during the meeting, making it difficult for David Gould, the chief diversity and impact officer with Sixers parent company Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, to answer some of their questions.
“Something that is a trend generally is more arenas in downtown areas,” said Gould to a series of boos.
“The Fashion District is really struggling and we think that this could be a good solution to bring more economic activity to that part of the city,” he added, with attendees screaming in response.
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Gould argued that if the Fashion District goes bankrupt, another developer could buy it and build something else.
The main concerns of those against the arena are safety and parking, and they are worried how all of this will affect the local community.
Steven Zhu, president of the Greater Philadelphia Chinese Restaurant Association, is concerned the neighborhood will simply disappear.
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“They’ll cause many safety issues to happen very soon,” said Zhu. “When people feel Chinatown is not safe, very congested, people will not want to come into Chinatown.”
The Sixers say the proposed arena would have a capacity of 18,000 to 18,500 seats, and they estimate it would host about 150 events each year. The current plan does not include any new parking lots.
The team is focusing fans on using mass transit, with rail stations and bus stops within three blocks of the arena serving two main SEPTA subway lines and the Broad-Ridge Spur Line, a PATCO line, five SEPTA trolleys, 13 SEPTA regional routes, and numerous bus routes.
“If you have 18,000 people coming to Chinatown, there will be a big issue,” said Zhu.
The team said they’re still early in the process of engaging with the community and are planning more town hall-type meetings to hear feedback.
Demolition efforts to start arena construction would not begin until 2026. The team says they plan on having the arena constructed in time for the 2031-32 season.