Philly Mayor Parker backs Sixers arena in Center City: opponents protest outside City Hall
The Sixers' proposed arena in downtown Philadelphia, 76 Place, would be built on Chinatown's doorstep.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's administration is meeting with Chinatown leaders with a decision on the Sixers' proposed downtown arena looming in the background.
Parker has yet to take a firm position on the $1.55 billion proposal, but has spoken favorably about the job creation the project could spur and is aligned with trade unions in favor of the arena proposal.
The Sixers have requested their deal with the city include a provision that could allow the team to receive local taxpayer backing in the future.
Mayor Parker endorses a downtown Sixers arena as Chinatown activists rally outside City Hall
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker decisively stepped into the city’s biggest development fight on Wednesday, announcing that her administration had reached an agreement with the Sixers to build a controversial $1.55 billion arena in Center City.
The news came via a video released on social media as the mayor met at City Hall with Chinatown leaders, many of whom virulently oppose the development, planned to rise on the beleaguered Market Street East business corridor.
The arena still must be approved by City Council, and on Wednesday, Chinatown opponents pledged to carry their fight there even as labor leaders celebrated the mayor’s endorsement of a project they say will bring jobs and vitality.
— Jeff Gammage, Sean Collins Walsh, Ximena Conde
» READ MORE: Mayor Parker endorses a downtown Sixers arena as Chinatown activists rally outside City Hall
Chinatown residents react to the arena decision with mix of anger and anxiety, but some are hopeful
The atmosphere at the opening ceremony for Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation’s new Chinatown Community Park at 11th and Vine Streets was a mix of anxiety and optimism as news of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s decision to support the Sixers' arena project spread.
The majority of the attendees expressed anger, disappointment, and felt nervous about Chinatown’s future because of the project’s potential impacts.
Houyi Shang, 26, a commercial corridor manager for PCDC, who led the project to create Chinatown Community Park and lives in the neighborhood, expressed a sense of betrayal by Mayor Parker’s decision.
Business trades leaders praise Mayor Parker’s decision and pressure Council to act
Two top leaders who have been key supporters of the arena project praised Parker’s decision Wednesday and urged City Council to do the same.
Ryan Boyer, head of the politically powerful Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council and a close ally to Parker, said the construction of the arena would create an “unprecedented” thousands of jobs.
“I am imploring City Council to look past the sensationalistic headlines and support the development of 76 Place on East Market,” he said in a statement. “Failure to do so could result in the franchise leaving for Camden. Don’t let it happen.”
Photos: Chinatown opponents rally in response to Mayor Parker's endorsement of Sixers arena
Councilmember Squilla: legislative goal is to ensure 'safeguards' for arena project
City Councilmember Mark Squilla said Wednesday that with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's endorsement of the 76ers' arena proposal now public, "the legislative process takes over at this time."
"It's up to us to make sure we do as much listening and amending as possible to make sure if the legislation is going to go for a vote, it has enough of those safeguards in place to make sure this is a viable project," said Squilla, who will be the point person on the legislation to enable the arena because the proposed site is in his district.
Parker will unveil the legislation at a news conference Monday, and her office can transmit to Council as soon as lawmakers' Sept. 26 meeting.
Mayor Parker's endorsement of Sixers arena was widely expected for months
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's endorsement of the 76ers' proposal to build a downtown arena has been widely expected for months, and the project will likely become a defining issue of her administration.
Parker spoke positively about the arena plan while campaigning for mayor last year, but she stopped short of a full endorsement.
Some of the mayor's most important allies are among the arena's biggest cheerleaders. None figure more heavily into the political equation than Ryan Boyer, who leads the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, a coalition of more than 30 unions that spend big in city elections.
After meeting mayor, Chinatown leader says next step is 'to take our cause to City Council'
The mayor told the Chinatown leaders gathered at City Hall, “You’re not going to be happy with what I’m going to tell you" — and they weren't, said John Chin, executive director of Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., who spoke with reporters afterward.
He added, “We need to take our cause to City Council.”
He and others have noted their concern, he said, about the arena’s potential impact on the community at large and on Chinatown businesses — as described in the city-sponsored studies.
Mayor's deal with Sixers includes $50 million in benefits
The deal Mayor Cherelle L. Parker negotiated with the 76ers includes a $50 million community benefits agreement, said John Chin, who leads the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation and participated in Wednesday’s meeting with Parker.
That’s the same amount the 76ers had previously said would be offered. Community benefit agreements are typically contracts between developers and neighborhood groups that include money or resources for communities impacted by major projects.
Almost no other details about the deal have been made public. Parker left City Hall shortly after meeting with Chinatown advocates and said she would release more information at a press conference Monday.
— Sean Collins Walsh
Sixers thank Mayor Parker
The Sixers said in a statement, “We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council.”
— Jeff Gammage
Washington Square West, Gayborhood groups criticize mayor's arena decision
Disappointment over Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's endorsement of the Sixers arena on Market East rippled beyond Chinatown Wednesday.
Katie Garth, co-founder of No Arena Washington Square West, slammed the fact no one from her group or the No Arena Gayborhood group were invited to Wednesday's meeting Parker had with other stakeholders.
She called the proposal a “land grab” by self-interested billionaires that would affect the surrounding Market East communities.
Mayor Parker backs Sixers arena proposal
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced her support of the Sixers’ proposed arena in Center City, calling it “the right deal for the people of Philadelphia.”
“This is an historic agreement,” Parker said in a video shared on social media. “It is the best financial deal ever entered into by a Philly mayor for a local sports arena.”
Parker did not release details of the agreement between the city and the Sixers. She said she would be “transmitting the related legislative package” to City Council, where it will ultimately need to be approved.
Protesters shout 'shame' after Parker backs Sixers arena proposal
As Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's administration was slated to meet with Chinatown leaders, dozens begged her to reconsider building a new Sixers arena at the edge of Chinatown.
“Mayor Parker,” they chanted to the beat of drums, “listen to the people.”
But around 2:40 p.m., word reached the crowd that Parker was endorsing the Sixers arena, with people shouting “shame” and promising to vote elected officials who back the proposal out.
Comcast Spectacor CEO responds to Parker's endorsement of new Sixers arena
Daniel Hilferty, the chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor, landlord to the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center, issued a brief statement after Mayor Cherelle L. Parker endorsed the Sixers' proposed arena in Center City.
“Our door will always be open for the 76ers to join us in South Philadelphia if they ever conclude that is what is best for their team,” Hilferty said , noting that the company has joined the Phillies in a plan to turn much of the Sports Complex into a gleaming fan district. “Either way, we always want what is best for Philadelphia.”
– Jeff Gammage
Sixers arena proposal now heads to City Council
The timing of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s endorsement of the 76ers’ proposal to build an arena in Center City leaves enough time for the project to be approved by City Council by the end of 2024 if a majority of lawmakers are in favor of it.
Her administration and the team have been hashing out the details of legislation and related agreements needed to approve the project for months. The mayor’s office will now transmit the bills to Council.
City Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes the proposed site and who will be the point person for legislation enabling the arena, has promised to make drafts of the bills public for 30 days before he officially introduces them. That means they cannot be introduced sooner than Council’s Oct. 24 meeting.
Parker administration is meeting with Chinatown leaders
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's administration is meeting with Chinatown leaders Wednesday afternoon with her decision about the proposed downtown Sixers arena looming overhead.
Parker’s office initially called for the meeting to take place Tuesday afternoon, but postponed it until Wednesday, Chinatown supporters told The Inquirer.
The urgency around the Sixers’ proposal has accelerated during the last three weeks, with the release of city-sponsored impact studies, the opening of City Council’s fall session, and the Sixers’ declaration that time was running short for them to achieve their planned 2031 opening.
New Jersey wanted the Sixers to relocate to Camden
Amid the debate over the construction of a potential Sixers arena in downtown Philadelphia, the city faced competition from the other side of the Delaware River.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration told the Sixers in a letter earlier this month the state could award up to $800 million in tax credits — as well as borrow hundreds of millions of dollars — to support an arena in Camden and a broader “large-scale redevelopment project.”
Legislative leaders in Trenton called the idea “a game-changer” for Camden, and the city’s mayor hailed it as a “generational investment,” while a prominent anti-arena activist warned Philadelphia lawmakers that the Sixers were simply trying to “scare politicians into giving billionaire team owners what they want.”
Highlights from city-sponsored study of impact of Sixers' proposed arena
The 18,500-seat arena would generate about $1.9 billion in additional economic activity over the course of its construction and 30 years of operation, resulting in $390 million in net tax revenue for the city, its school district, and the state. That’s far less than the nearly $1.5 billion in net tax revenue that the team claims the project would produce, based on a study it has declined to publicly release. (The team said Tuesday that it used a different cost estimation method that prevents an apples-to-apples comparison. Applying the 76ers’ method to the study’s findings would result in about $1 billion in net tax revenue.) Academics who study stadium finance caution that consultants’ estimates are often overstated.
Although the project would not cause direct “housing displacement” in nearby Chinatown, meaning no housing would be torn down, an arena could cause indirect displacement through gentrification and loss of cultural identity.
The Sixers’ goal of increasing transit use to 40% of fans, while another 40% travel by car, is attainable but not a foregone conclusion. Traffic would remain manageable if no more than 40% of attendees drive, but even marginal increases in auto use beyond that threshold would result in gridlock at critical intersections.
The construction of an arena at 10th and Market Streets would be “appropriate for Center City Philadelphia, assuming it is done well,” according to the design review. But the review also included concerns about the proposal, such as the lack of a public space like an outdoor plaza — a common feature in recent arena projects elsewhere.
The opening of a new arena would generate 53 additional entertainment events a year in the Philly market, including 35 additional concerts, according to the economic impact study. This number will be hotly debated in the coming months. A recent study commissioned by Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Wells Fargo Center, found that the Philadelphia market would see only eight to 12 additional concerts a year with a new arena.
» READ MORE: City releases long-awaited studies on impact of a downtown Sixers arena
– Jeff Gammage and Sean Collins Walsh