New Sixers Arena: Mayor Parker and Chinatown Coalition discuss reports

PHILADELPHIA – Chinatown business and community leaders met with Mayor Cherelle Parker on the second floor of City Hall on Monday to discuss the planned new Sixers arena.

Community members, many of whom oppose the 76ers' proposed 18,000-seat arena in Market East Township, say they were only called to a hearing about the meeting by the mayor's team last Thursday night.

They came with a letter listing their concerns and the results of an online poll that showed overwhelming opposition to the plan.

Mayor Cherelle Parker told community members she had not yet made a decision.

However, some participants in the meeting had done so.

“Because of the negative impacts of the arena, the largest of which is traffic, we don't know – nobody knows – whether the benefits outweigh the negative impacts,” said John Chin of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation.

The meeting comes as the city of Philadelphia announced the release of four separate reports from outside consultants hired to analyze the arena.

And since the approval or rejection of the arena on the edge of Chinatown is still uncertain, New Jersey and Delaware have entered the dispute with offers to build the arena on the edge of Chinatown.

After the two-hour meeting, some left the event with concerns.

“Every sports team does the same thing: They pay for a study. The study says what they want to hear, but it doesn't tell us, the city and the government, what's going to happen,” said Vivian Chang of Asian Americans United.

Although the Sixers paid for the reports, the team said it had no impact on the results.

The city says each of the reports focuses on: a community impact assessment, an economic impact analysis, design advice, and a traffic, transportation and parking analysis.

“We are releasing these detailed reports so the public can better understand the impacts of such a multifaceted project for Philadelphia,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “On behalf of the City, we thank the independent consultants who conducted this work. Transparency is a core value for me as Mayor, and that is why I wanted to ensure these reports were available to all interested stakeholders. These studies are important inputs into my review of this proposal.”