After the first meeting to permit the public to have a say before Philadelphia City Council on the the controversial plan to bring a $1.3 billion arena to Center City ran late on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, councilmembers heard from the public in earnest on Wednesday.
And this time, instead of holding off public comment until later in the day, Wednesday’s hearing permitted members of the public to start early.
Darlene Olsen, the first person to speak at Wednesday’s hearing opened to public comment, said that the project hasn’t been presented with the needs of senior citizens in mind.
“Those of us who are 65 and up, and came here for a good retirement life, have not been considered as a stakeholder group,” she said. “But, we must not be ignored!”
As she doesn’t drive, Olsen said she relies on SEPTA for all travel and she wants the mass transit needs of senior residents of the communities where the arena would be built considered.
Olsen was joined by Lynn Major, a West Philadelphia resident, who said as a Sixers fan, she sees no need for the team to get a change of venue, especially if it would cause issues in Center City.
“The Sixers should stay where they are in South Philly. That’s where they belong,” said Major.
Both women led a steady stream of comments from city residents opposed to the arena plan on Wednesday morning.
“Chinatown has been asking to be at the table for our voices to be heard since day one of this arena proposal. Instead, this mayor has applied the full weight of her authority against the door to keep us out to sell out the people of Philadelphia to the developers behind closed doors,” said Dave Kyu, who introduced himself as a sports writer for the Philadelphia Citizen.
Gina Chang, who said she is a resident of the city’s Old Kensington neighborhood, said she is against the plan as she noted the project would be exempt from paying property taxes. That’s money, she said, that could be used for improvements across the city — like keeping libraries open on days they have recently been closed because of lack of funds.
“Why waive a $400 million dollar bill for some billionaires while the city can’t even pay its own $400,000 bill to keep its library open?” she asked. “Councilmembers, this math does not add up.”
Chang’s comments were seemingly endorsed by most of those who spoke on Wednesday morning, with many testifying in opposition to the arena plan.
Other concerns of those who oppose the arena were traffic blocking hospitals, rising rent displacing current residents and cultural preservation of Chinatown.
“As a result, daily life will be hell. Chinatown will become a dug-up neighborhood. People will avoid going there. The construction will drive residents out,” said Fern Lee Hagedorn.
However, some spoke in support of the proposal, as well.
Jack Coch, a Philadelphia resident and member of IUEC Local 5, a union that represents elevator workers, said he believes the project will be a net positive for the city.
“There’s nothing more important than having a job to support your family and the dignity of work,” Coch said. “This arena will provide jobs during the construction. After the constriction is finished, also. This arena will spark growth on the East Market which desperately needs it right now.”
Ben Fileccia of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association agreed, calling the project “a win for the city’s sports fans.”
Many labor unions and African American organizations want the arena saying it will boost Philly’s economy.
76 Devcorp says the proposed arena will create more than 9,100 construction jobs for residents and generate more than $1.5 billion in tax revenue over the next 30 years.
“Now we have office buildings struggling, we have hotels hurting because of a drop in business, travel, and meetings. Retailers, restaurants are hurting and closing, and public transportation is suffering also because of a lack of business activity in Center City,” said Rob Zuritsky with Parkway Corporation.
The previous day’s hearing
Tuesday was the first time council heard public input on the plan since the package of bills that would clear the way for the arena’s construction were proposed back in October — though, that’s not to say some area residents haven’t attempted to make their voices heard.
During Tuesday’s hearing, council heard from representatives of unions that would be involved in the construction and staffing of the new arena, were it approved. Representatives from the unions, like Daisy Cruz, district director for SEIU 32BJ, a service workers union, spoke roundly in support of the project, often pointing to the creation of jobs and potential economic impact the arena could have on the city.
“A project of this magnitude will be a powerful job creator that the working-class of Philadelphia desperately needs,” Cruz said. “We cannot let this opportunity go anywhere else.”
The public had a chance to make their voices heard in regard to the proposed 76ers arena in front of City Council. Those for and against the arena spoke after which councilmember Mark Squilla said he doesn’t believe the arena will get the votes it needs to pass. NBC10’s Johnny Archer recaps the third day of hearings.
And, councilmembers also heard from officials with SEPTA — that is currently planning a “historic” fare hike in order to deal with, what officials called, a “transit death spiral” — who told legislators that the mass transit provider would not be able to foot the bill of any improvements or investments into the system in order to accommodate the impact the new stadium could have on transit.
Also, throughout the day, a number of activists and organizers provided a variety of perspectives on the arena plan, like, Domenic Vitiello, an assistant professor of city planning and urban studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Vitiello argued that the arena could have the opposite effect of the proposal. It could be damaging to the city’s economic growth, instead of promoting it.
“In reality, arenas are a bad form of economic development, especially for downtowns,” he told councilmembers on Tuesday. “This is a bad deal in so many ways.”
Upcoming hearings on the arena plan
There will be additional hearings to allow members of the public to provide testimony on the area plan to City Council.
Officials said that there will be portions of hearings on Nov. 20 and 26 that will include public testimony and there will be entire hearings on Nov. 21, 2024 and Dec. 2, 2024 that will be reserved for public testimony, as well.
City Council is hearing testimony on a package of bills — all submitted by City Councilmember Mark Squilla (D-1st dist.) — that relate to the proposal to construct a $1.3 billion arena to Center City, between Market and Filbert streets at 10th and 11th streets.
Many in the communities closest to the proposed site of the arena have long opposed the plan.
Also, City Council has also created a website to provide additional information on the ongoing Sixers arena deliberations. It’s here: https://phlcouncil.com/arena-info/.
City officials said the website also gives the public information on how to sign up to testify and give public comments during the upcoming arena hearings.
Overall, City Council is expected to host a total of eight days of hearings throughout the month of November and into early December on the proposed 76ers arena.
How to sign up to testify
Members of the public who would like to testify at upcoming hearings can sign up by phone or email.
If you would like to testify at an upcoming hearing, call the Chief Clerk’s Office at 215-686-3407 or email at [email protected] by 3 p.m. the day before they want to testify and submit the following information:
• Full name
• Telephone Number
• Identify the bill number or resolution number or numbers that will be addressed.
• Specify which date you want to testify.
Speakers who submit the above information will be placed on a list to testify at the specific hearing they have selected, officials said.
Anyone can also come to the Nov. 20, 21, 26 and Dec. 2 public comment sessions inside Room 400, on the fourth floor of City Hall and sign up and testify at that day’s hearing.
If anyone needs translation services during the Sixers Arena hearings, contact the Chief Clerk’s Office at 215-686-3407 or [email protected].
Proposed Sixers Arena timeline
Even though Mayor Cherelle Parker has openly supported the Sixers proposal to build a new arena in Center City, the decision falls on City Council.
The Sixers have about a month left to get the arena approved so they can get construction started, with the hopes of the proposed arena opening in 2031, when their current lease at the Wells Fargo Center is up.
They are planning for there to be six years of construction to build the new arena.
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