Chinatown coalition calls Sixers arena proposal a threat to their neighborhood’s identity

Debbie Wei, a founding member of Asian Americans United, remembers making T-shirts in 2000 that read “No stadium in Chinatown.” The shirts were in response to a Phillies stadium proposed for 12th and Vine Streets. The shirt was repurposed eight years later when Foxwoods Casino proposed a location at the Gallery on Market East — they crossed out “stadium” and wrote “casino” on top.

On Thursday, Wei felt a sense of deja vu after the Philadelphia 76ers announced they would like to build a $1.3 billion arena blocks from Chinatown’s iconic arches.

“I don’t think there’s any more room on the T-shirt,” she joked, as a coalition of Chinatown businesses and residents gears up for another battle to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood, a staple of the city that took generations to carve out and survived being split in two by the Vine Street Expressway in the 1980s.

» READ MORE: The Sixers aren’t the first team to eye Center City. Here’s why it didn’t work for the Phillies.

The Sixers organization has signaled a desire to be good neighbors, committing to spend millions in a “public benefits agreement” and meeting with local groups, including the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp.

Many organizers are treating the initial outreach with suspicion. Asians American United, one of the larger organizing forces in the community, said members were not included in early meetings and learned of the proposal through the grapevine, which prompted an emergency meeting Wednesday night.

» READ MORE: Enthusiasm, skepticism, and unanswered questions: Philly politicians had mixed reactions to the 76ers arena plan

Fifteen organizers, residents, and business owners met virtually for more than two hours to discuss what thousands of sports fans flooding through the neighborhood would mean for public safety, litter, and daily life. They wondered if diners would actually trickle into the local shops for soup dumplings or garlicky noodles if food was available inside the venue. They wondered if businesses would have to adjust their menus to compete.

“It’s kind of like you’re taking over,” said QT Vietnamese Sandwich employee Mya Son, 21. “Once you gentrify Chinatown, it’s very hard to come back from that.”

Steven Zhu, the president of the Philadelphia Chinese Restaurant Association and co-chairman of the Pennsylvania United Chinese Coalition, offered the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., as a cautionary tale. The arena opened in 1997 when the city’s Chinatown was already struggling. Twenty years later, Chinatown went from having 3,000 Chinese residents to 300, according to a WAMU report.

More than anything, those at the coalition meeting wondered where they would find a sense of community if Chinatown disappeared.

“People come to Chinatown because we can find cultural practices in this community,” said Xu Lin, owner of Bubblefish, whose family lives in the neighborhood.

He pointed to the elementary schools, day cares, and church services that keep people living in Chinatown.

A spokesperson for 76 Devcorp, the project’s development company, said meetings with community stakeholders began this week and included Councilmember Helen Gym as well as Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation.

Thursday was a starting point to share what was possible with the development, the company said in a statement, adding they’ll need “to dedicate lots of time to discussions with different stakeholder groups to make sure all voices are heard.”

”We haven’t been able to speak with everyone yet, but the good news is that we are at the very beginning of the process and we are years away from anything potentially changing,” 76 Devcorp said. “That gives us time to shape this project so it can be done the right way.”

The Sixers’ proposal is also facing some opposition from people who make use of the mall, like Lailissa Wong, 15. The current plan would demolish a block of the Fashion District, which Wong frequents with school friends. Other than Chinatown and the mall, Wong said there are few places people her age can safely hang out in the area.

“I think it would make life really boring if they got rid of this,” said Wong, adding she and her family would get zero use of the arena because they’re not sports fans.

» READ MORE: Everything we know about the Sixers’ plans for a new Center City arena

Cab driver Chris Bayala, 52, wondered why the city continued to try to invest in Center City when other neighborhoods need the business.

“We have plenty of stuff here already,” he said. “If you concentrate everything here, the city is not growing.”

Of course, there are plenty of people looking favorably at the proposal, with many liking that the Sixers aren’t calling for public funding, it’s easily accessible through public transit, and it would be more of draw compared to the Fashion District.

John Chin, executive director of the 56-year-old Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., called the proposal “exciting” but said the community must be protected.

And Wei, who fought the Phillies in 2000, said she wouldn’t blame other Chinatown businesses if they bought the promise of more business and more investment. For now, she and others are getting their T-shirts ready.

“It’s just been a constant assault on the integrity of the borders of Chinatown,” said Wei.

Staff writer Joseph N. DiStefano contributed to this article.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.