We know there have been a lot of discussions about 76 Place at Market East since the project was first proposed in July 2022. As our proposal and engagement continues to evolve, we want to make sure that everyone has accurate information about the project. We will continue to update this page to correct any misinformation about our proposal.
Fact
Since we announced the project, we have put all publicly available information about the project onto our website and placed ads encouraging people to learn more by visiting the site, which is in English and Chinese – as are all materials about the project.
Additionally, we have conducted 30 small group meetings and many more conversations with constituencies representing adjacent neighborhoods including businesses, residents and neighborhood organizations.
Part of our goal in announcing the project early was to ensure community input could be incorporated into our plans. We will continue meeting, listening, and developing our full proposal for how we create a project that can benefit surrounding communities and all of Philadelphia.
Fact:
Our goal is to preserve local small businesses and help them benefit from a new arena, not replace them. We are actively putting plans together for programs that would:
- Manage affordability for local businesses
- Bring neighborhood restaurants into the arena so fans can spend money with them at games and concerts
- Launch promotional programs to encourage fans to spend money at restaurants in the neighborhood on game days
Fact:
Our goal is to maintain affordability for residents and we are actively studying programs that will allow us to do that. This could include the creation of new affordable housing units, rent and tenant support programs, and other public policy interventions that we could work on with policy makers.
We know there are fears about displacement, especially given what happened to Chinatown in Washington DC – which used eminent domain to actively displace residents and businesses. We are not buying any property in Chinatown nor actively displacing anyone and we are committed to working with community stakeholders to ensure that the community continues to be affordable.
Fact:
Our arena is currently projected to seat 18,000-18,500 people and we project approximately 150 events per year. Furthermore, the arena is adjacent to Chinatown, not in Chinatown and many people will arrive at Jefferson Station, which is directly underneath the arena. While we hope that fans will support local businesses, all of them will not be going through Chinatown to get to events.