Mayor Parker details 76ers arena agreement in public meeting: 'I take full responsibility'

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker hosted a public meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the details of the agreement between the city and Philadelphia 76ers to build a new arena in Center City. 

Parker and members of her administration hosted the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 121. Members of the public attending the meeting are asked to enter at Broad and Race Streets. 

The meeting was livestreamed in this article, on FOX29.com and on the FOX 29 YouTube page. 

During the meeting, the mayor called it a ‘historic agreement’ because she says it will keep the Sixers here until at least 2061 and because the Sixers are financing the entire project with the majority of it going to the School District of Philadelphia.

The mayor set out to clear up what she says are rumors relating to Chinatown.

"When have you ever heard that demolishing one building, one business in Chinatown is a part of being proposed as it relates to this arena?" said Mayor Parker. "I am committed to working with leadership in Chinatown community to ensure that we make good on every commitment that is included in this agreement." 

 She also stressed how the project is being paid for.

"The Sixers are financing the $1.3B project with no city funds," said the mayor.

Other details surrounding what the mayor calls ‘beyond the basketball’ were also touched on.

Including local tax revenue, the economic opportunity plan, a community benefit agreement and market east development.

"This historic agreement includes a 50 million dollar community benefits agreement that will support nearby communities and adjacent communities and make citywide investments in education and economic opportunity for all," said Mayor Parker. 

Due to the construction and the operation of 76 Place, the plan predicts 1000 jobs will be generated.

The mayor also gave a breakdown of over 700 million dollars for the city and school district and enhancements to help traffic and security.

"Three million dollars funded to support Septa and Patco used for arena events. We want people taking mass transit." said the mayor."The community benefits agreement includes 4.1 million dollars in funding for 21 new CCTV cameras at locations around the arena."

In the end, the mayor doubled down on her support of the agreement.

"You no longer have the Philadelphia 76ers as the villain here, I am Cherelle Parker, the 100th mayor of the city of Philadelphia. I am proud and take full responsibility for what is included in this agreement."

Mayor Parker reminded everyone that the arena will not be in Chinatown, but instead it will be next to, adjacent but not in place of.

Officials also discussed this arena putting us in a position for a WNBA team as the league expands.

As a rebuttal to the meeting, Vivian Chang, Executive Director of Asian Americans United released the following statement: 

"It is outlandish that the mayor is unilaterally trying to impose a CBA on a project that lacks even the most basic studies on housing and rent costs, impacts on small businesses, livability, and transit access – issues that will impact the city for years to come, between multiple years of construction and long-term damage to traffic flow and access to emergency healthcare. We are united in opposition to the arena and the rushed, haphazard process surrounding it. Mayor Parker continues to refuse any direct meeting with Chinatown residents, and city meetings have been devoid of facts and accountability, serving as an embarrassing example of poor due diligence. We urge City Council to exercise its authority and delay any legislation until we have a process that respects the needs of the city and its residents at least as much as the whims and greed of the billionaires behind this arena scheme."

Wednesday’s meeting comes exactly one week after Parker announced the City of Philadelphia and the 76ers organization had reached an agreement to keep the team in town that included building a new downtown arena. 

Parker made the afternoon last Wednesday, releasing a video on social media as she met with Chinatown community leaders to share the news. 

"My administration has reached an agreement with the Sixers for an arena in Center City," Parker said during a video announcement. "It is the best financial deal ever entered into by a Philadelphia mayor for a local sports arena, and I wholeheartedly believe it's the right deal for the people of Philadelphia."

A legislative package will still need to be sent to Philadelphia City Council where it will need to be approved. 

Parker said the agreement promises $1.3B in private investments for Philadelphia, and "hundreds of millions" in new tax revenue for the city and it's school district. She estimates that the arena project, if approved, will also create 100s of new jobs in Philadelphia.

"It means an economic opportunity plan – quite frankly – the likes of which have never been seen in our city," Parker said. "And it represents the start of an unprecedented revival of Market Street, Philadelphia's very first commercial quarter, which we know can reign supreme again."

A spokesperson for the Sixers sent a statement that reads: "We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council."

The Save Chinatown Coalition also released a statement Wednesday afternoon following Mayor Parker's video announcement. 

"Mayor Parker still hasn’t met with Chinatown after all this time, yet feels she can have a stance on whether our community should live or die," said Debbie Wei, longtime Chinatown community member and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition. "This was never about one person, and this fight is far from over. We are going to fight this, and we are going to the mat. It’s on."

Back in 2022, the Sixers announced the plan to develop a new privately-funded arena in Center City. 

Months later, in December 2022, members of Philadelphia's Chinatown community blocked the bill that could have fast tracked the plan for the new arena. Nearly 40 Chinatown leaders and supporters testified against the project.

While the Sixers continued to try and make strides toward finalizing the plan, the Chinatown community continued to voice their concerns in several protests and meetings.

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