Out with the old and in with the new – that is the plan for the new 76ers arena that has been in the making for some time now. Since 1996, The Wells Fargo Center has been home to the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2031, the contract between the two will expire, leaving the 76ers without a place to play. However, that is the year the new stadium, coined “76Place,” will be opened. Early this past September, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker revealed the details of the agreement with the Sixers for their new Center City stadium. The document disclosed details about the city’s economic plan, the redevelopment of Market East and its commitment to Chinatown. The agreement would also keep the 76ers in Philly until 2061, according to Parker, and is expected to bring $700 million in new tax revenue for the city and the School District of Philadelphia as well as create over a thousand construction and operation jobs.
The building of 76Place has some tremendous benefits that come along with it. The construction of the stadium will supply over 12,000 jobs and bring about $2.3 billion towards the economic impact into Center City. It is also said to bring increased foot traffic to over 700 retail businesses within a half a mile of the stadium. During its first 30 years of business, 76Place is projected to create over $1.5 billion in new tax revenue for public schools, the city of Philadelphia as well as the state. Additionally, the arena will host about 150/365 nights a year, bringing about $400 million of net new economic impact annually..
Despite the seemingly ideal benefits that come along with the construction of 76Place, residents of Chinatown are demonstrating an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the new arena. This is because the arena will be located at Market and Filbert streets and 10th and 11th streets, replacing part of Fashion District. This is controversial as it reaches over into Philadelphia’s Chinatown, which is just north of the new arena. Residents and advocates for the Chinatown community have voiced strong opposition to the proposal, declaring that it would harm the neighborhood.
According to the New York Times, surveys have found that over 90 percent of business owners, residents, and even visitors in Chinatown oppose the construction of the stadium. Several concerns, such as traffic blocking, an increase in rent, displacement of businesses and residents, an increase in crime rates and erasure of Chinatown’s culture have been raised. This scenario has played out numerous times in the past. Philadelphia’s Chinatown fears it will end up like Washington D.C.’s Chinatown following the building of the Washington Wizards’ new complex in 1997- The Capital One Arena. The residents of D.C.’s Chinatown faced impossible parking, restaurants shutting down and a skyrocket in housing prices. Because of this, many people left Chinatown to move out to the suburbs because they could not handle the new way of living. The city is a shell of what it used to be prior to the building of the arena, and Philly’s Chinatown residents are refusing to repeat history.
The community of Chinatown is worried about their loss of cultural identity as well as the gentrification that could occur with the building of the arena. They are also concerned about the small businesses and mom-and-pop stores that would be overshadowed by the larger corporate businesses that would benefit from 76Place.
On Sept. 7, members of the Save Chinatown Coalition, as well as other demonstrators, marched through Center City and around Chinatown. As the 3,000 – 4,000 protestors made their way around City Hall, down Market Street and through Chinatown, they danced, sang, gave speeches and banged their drums. For more than two years, the community of Chinatown has been protesting the construction of 76Place. Despite this, the arena continues to be in the works as developers and the mayor argue that it will do more good than harm.