The proposed 76ers arena in Center City threatens to dramatically destabilize Chinatown's economic and cultural fabric, leaving businesses and residents with inadequate lifelines to survive the impacts of the the project in its current form, neighborhood advocates told City Council on Tuesday during the third day of hearings on the team's $1.3 billion development plan. Chinatown leaders and business owners, labor unions, academic experts and SEPTA officials gave testimony on their concerns about the arena, its logistics and how it will affect the area.
The project would replace a portion of the Fashion District mall on Market Street between 10th and 11th streets, just south of Chinatown, and would rely heavily on fans using public transportation to limit gridlock in Center City. MORE: City Council questions how proposed 76ers arena will impact SEPTA and who will pay for service upgrades | In heated hearing, City Council presses 76ers to move team's headquarters from Camden to Philly "Chinatown's future has never been more vulnerable in my lifetime," John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., told council members.
"This arena will push Chinatown toward the precipice." Chin and other Chinatown leaders said the neighborhood is home to about 8,000 residents and attracts thousands more visitors each day at its restaurants and cultural institutions. The city's community impact study released in August projected about 50% of Chinatown's 300 busine.
