‘Who do you work for?’: Opponents of Sixers arena proposal bring fight to City Council

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The push to defeat the Sixers’ arena proposal is heating up.

Opponents gathered Thursday outside City Hall to denounce the development as part of a broader effort to persuade City Council to oppose it. The Sixers need lawmakers to pass enabling legislation before demolition and construction can start on the $1.55 billion project, including zoning and streets-related ordinances.

“Our question for City Council and Mayor Parker is this: Who do you work for? Do you work for the people of this city, or do you work for the billionaires who own the Sixers?” said Chinatown resident Jenny Zhang.

Zhang spoke shortly before Council’s first regular meeting of the fall session, and two days before a protest march that organizers expect to draw hundreds of people.

Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes the proposed site, is expected to introduce legislation on behalf of the Parker administration. He has vowed to give community stakeholders at least 30 days to review the bills before that happens.

Neither Parker nor Squilla have yet to take a public stance on the Sixers’ proposal to build an arena at 10th and Market Streets in Center City, though both have said they want the team to remain in Philadelphia. The franchise has said it needs legislative approval by the end of the year to open the arena for the 2031-2032 season.

“We still need to see what the proposed legislation would say to see if there are safeguards we can put in place to address some of the concerns,” said Squilla on Tuesday.

Thursday’s news conference was held less than two weeks after the city released a group of impact studies designed to guide officials weighing the value of building a downtown arena.

One of the studies explores the impact the project could have on communities near the proposed site, including Chinatown. It concludes that the neighborhood’s “core identity could be significantly diminished or lost” if the arena were built.

While large or corporate businesses in the area might benefit from the project, the study found that only 1 in 5 small businesses in Chinatown would receive “positive net economic benefits from the arena.” Half of small businesses in the neighborhood could be negatively impacted and experience indirect displacement, according to the study.

Consultants pointed to Chinatown being car-dependent, meaning additional traffic congestion could exacerbate an existing problem by making the area more challenging to negotiate. The study also mentions that most small business owners would be vulnerable to rent increases. Only a quarter of small business owners own the property they operate out of.

“This development would trigger a wave of economic displacement and real estate speculation, pushing out the very businesses and families that have sustained Chinatown and our city for generations,” said Rev. Robin Hynicka during Thursday’s news conference.

Other critics are concerned traffic will create a public safety crisis if ambulances have to fight through gridlock to get to Jefferson University Hospital near 11th and Chestnut Streets.

A citywide poll commissioned by Save Chinatown Coalition found that 80% of registered voters are concerned about congestion impeding access to Jefferson.

“It is absolutely unthinkable that the city is considering a project that would do so much harm to patients’ access to healthcare,” said medical student Rhicki Santos on Thursday.

The Sixers expect most fans to use public transportation, get dropped off by an Uber or taxi or walk to the new arena. Fans who drive are expected to use existing parking garages.

One of the impact studies released last week determined that having 40% of fans travel by transit is “attainable but not a foregone conclusion.” Consultants also concluded there would be “gridlock at critical intersections” if more than 40% of fans drove to the arena.

The Sixers have largely remained silent since the studies were released, saying in a statement that the team will have “more to say when we are able to complete a full analysis.”

“But it is clear already that they support what we’ve said since we first announced 76 Place: the arena is an appropriate use for Center City and will generate significant new jobs and tax revenue because Philadelphia can support two arenas,” said a spokesperson.