76 Place at Market East

76 Place at Market East is a proposed indoor arena in Center City, Philadelphia. It would be the future home of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is planned to open in 2031. The arena would be located in Center City on the site of Fashion District Philadelphia near the Market–Frankford Line and Jefferson Station. 76 Place is expected to be privately funded at a cost of $1.3 billion by 76ers owner Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), with real estate developer and HBSE limited partner David Adelman leading the project.

76 Place at Market East
Renderings
LocationMarket East District (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Coordinates39.952076°N 75.156612°W / 39.952076; -75.156612
Public transit 8th Street:
  Broad Street Line Ridge Spur
  PATCO Speedline
  Market–Frankford Line
11th Street:
  Market–Frankford Line
Jefferson Station: SEPTA Regional Rail
Bus transport SEPTA bus: 17, 23, 33, 38, 44, 45, 47, 47m, 48, 61, 62, 78
Bus transport NJ Transit NJ Transit bus: 400, 401, 402, 404, 406, 410, 412, 414, 417, 551, 555
Owner
OperatorHarris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE)
TypeArena
Capacity18,500
Construction
Opened2031 (planned)
Construction costUS$1.3 billion (proposed)
ArchitectGensler
Project managerDavid Adelman
General contractorAECOM
Tenants
Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) (beginning in 2031)
Website
76place.com

History

The 76ers current home, the Wells Fargo Center opened in 1996. The Wells Fargo Center is part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which is also home to Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park.[1] The South Philadelphia Sports Complex has been critiqued as lacking access to public transportation - it is only served by the Broad Street Line - and there are little to no nearby restaurants and bars.[1] However, plans to build a Center City venue had been unsuccessful in the past.[2] The Philadelphia Phillies attempted to build a downtown stadium in Chinatown, Philadelphia, but neighbors protested the decision.[2][3][4] Eight years later, residents once again protested and blocked the proposed construction of Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia.[3][4]

The Wells Fargo Center underwent extensive renovations in 2019 and 2020 including the installation of a new 4K resolution scoreboard and expanded luxury suites.[5]

Background

The Wells Fargo Center is owned by Comcast Spectacor, so the 76ers do not make money off secondary events at the stadium, such as concerts or naming rights agreements.[6] In 2013, there were rumors that team owner Josh Harris, who also owned the Prudential Center, would be moving the team to Trenton, New Jersey.[7] Talk of a new arena increased in 2015 when team ownership began referring to the Wells Fargo Center as just the Center.[8] In 2020, the team proposed a plan, that would be partially publicly-funded, to build a new arena at Penn's Landing, but they were outbid for the site by the Durst Organization.[9]

Fashion District Philadelphia

Fashion District Philadelphia is an indoor shopping mall located along Market Street. Opened in 2019, it is anchored by Burlington, Primark, AMC Theatres, and Round One Entertainment.[10] The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which co-owned Fashion District Philadelphia, declared bankruptcy in 2020, and Macerich, the other co-owner took substantial control over the mall's operations.[11] The mall lost a number of tenants due to shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Macerich endorsed the plan to convert part of Fashion District Philadelphia into an arena and referred to it as a "natural evolution" of the property.[11]

Fashion District Philadelphia was preceded by another indoor mall, Gallery at Market East, which opened in 1977, but by the mid-2000s, had significantly declined as a result of losing a significant number of anchors, which were replaced by lower end stores. It closed in 2015.[12]

Construction

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), who own and operate the 76ers, hired the architectural firm Gensler to design the arena and the engineering firm AECOM to build it.[2] HBSE limited partner and real estate developer David Adelman is managing the project's development.[2][6]

Ryan Boyer, the head of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, praised the planned stadium as having the opportunity to "galvanize the construction industry in Philadelphia."[2] A number of unions in Philadelphia provided high school students internship opportunities during the stadium's construction.[2] Consultants working on the stadium expect as many as 9,000 professionals, trades members and managers to work on the project.[2]

HBSE do not plan to speed up the construction process in order to leave their current lease with the Wells Fargo Center sooner.[6] The arena will replace one-third of Fashion District Philadelphia including the AMC Dine-In movie theater and Round 1 Bowling and Amusement.[6] Groundbreaking on the arena is not expected for several years[13] and has been opposed by local residents and businesses which the arena will displace.[6] HBSE plan to use the site of the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal on Filbert Street to attract new businesses.[14]

Timeline of construction
  • 2022–2024: Approval of construction permits from city and state[6]
  • 2024–2026: Stadium engineers and developers design arena[6]
  • 2026–2027: Portions of Fashion District Philadelphia demolished[6]
  • 2028–2031: Construction of 76 Place at Market East[6]

Funding

HBSE stated the project will be privately funded.[2] However, a previous 30-year agreement that the property taxes for the site will be reduced remains in place through 2035.[2] Additionally, 76 Devcorp have said they are open to accepting government funding for the project.[15]

Design

76 Place at Market East is expected to have a capacity of 18,500.[2] The site of the arena was chosen because of its location to a number of public transit options.[13]

Criticism
"Save Chinatown No Arena" posters, opposing the 76ers' proposed construction, at the SW corner of 9th Street/Arch Street in Philadelphia's Chinatown neighborhood

76 Place at Market East would be located one block from Chinatown.[6] Asian Americans United, a local advocacy group, opposed the arena following the developers release their plans.[6][16] Steven Zhu, the President of the Chinese Restaurant Association, said in a statement "We know these big sports arenas do not contribute to the neighborhoods that they are in; they serve only their own needs and their own profits."[6][17] Zhu also used Capital One Arena as a cautionary tale given that the Chinese population and number of Chinese restaurants have declined significantly in Chinatown, Washington, D.C. since the arena's construction.[3]

76 Devcorp has vowed to reach a "public benefits agreement" with neighbors and have met with local organizations including the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp.[6] After months of private closed-door meetings, 76 Devcorp failed to win over community members at the first public meeting organized by over 20 local community organizations in December 2022. At this public meeting, community members voiced their concerns around traffic, community safety, and parking.[18][19]

In January 2023, more than 40 Chinatown community groups, nonprofits, and business organizations announced the "Chinatown Coalition to Oppose the Arena". This coalition has the assistance from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.[20]

Other criticism

Howard Eskin, a Philadelphia sports talk radio personality, called the proposal one of the "worst ideas for [a] sports arena."[21] He has argued that the site has little infrastructure for parking and is in a high-crime area, which would dissuade fans from attending the games.[21] Eskin also stated that because of the little parking in the area that the 76ers would ultimately end up having to bus fans from parking lots, that are not in walking distance of the stadium, to the games.[22]

Geoff Gordon, the Philadelphia Regional President of Live Nation Entertainment, raised concerns that the new stadium would make it hard for fans to tailgate prior to games.[22] Sam Katz, a Philadelphia businessman and the Republican nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1999 and 2003 has stated with the exception of Madison Square Garden, no arena located in a city with competing arenas are actually profitable.[23] Therefore, Katz has argued that 76 Place at Market East would be unprofitable and argues this raises suspicions that the developers will look for public funding from the state.[23] Katz has also said that despite the arena being privately-funded, improvements to the infrastructure - such as subways - to provide transportation for the fans would have to be paid for by the city.[23]

Chinatown residents protesting the planned construction of 76 Place

Some local residents have criticized the plan as it would demolish a block of the Fashion District, a local public space accessible to the multi-generational neighborhood residents.[3] Others highlighted the missed opportunity for investors to fund Philadelphia's poorer neighborhoods rather than Center City.[3] Then-Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh speculated that the plan to build the arena may be smoke and mirrors and an attempt for the 76ers to gain concessions from the Wells Fargo Center's owner, Comcast Spectacor.[14]

Some members of the community criticized Hercules Grigos, a lawyer working with the 76ers’ development team, for sending the Philadelphia City Council a revised version of a bill to refinance a downtown parking garage that specifically included an unrelated provision that would have made it easier to close Filbert Street between 10th and 11th Streets against the publicly stated wishes of local residents and push the proposal through city council.[24][25]

Tenants

The arena is designed to be the future home of the Philadelphia 76ers by 2031.[13] Project lead David Adelman said that the venue also plans to host concerts, events and youth sporting events.[13]

Philadelphia Flyers

HBSE CEO Tad Brown said that the 76ers would welcome the Philadelphia Flyers joining them in the new venture. The Flyers currently play at the Wells Fargo Center as well. Comcast Spectacor owns both the Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center.[1]

WNBA expansion team

The arena could host an expansion team in the Women's National Basketball Association.[26][27]

References
  1. Bontemps, Tim (July 21, 2022). "Sixers unveil plans for downtown arena by '31-32". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  2. DiStefano, Joseph N. (July 21, 2022). "The Sixers want to build a new $1.3 billion arena in Center City". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  3. Conde, Ximena; Torrejón, Rodrigo. "Chinatown coalition calls Sixers arena proposal a threat to their neighborhood's identity". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  4. "Timeline – Asian Americans United". Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  5. "You can 'bet' the fan experience at Flyers games is about to be much different". NBC Sports Philadelphia. September 4, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  6. Prihar, Asha (July 21, 2022). "Who's involved? What's the timeline? All the details about the Sixers' plan for a Center City arena". Billy Penn. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  7. Shorr-Parks, Eliot (August 15, 2013). "Sixers won't be moving to New Jersey, says owner Joshua Harris". NJ.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  8. Shelly, Jared (June 10, 2015). "Why Sixers Execs Refuse to Say "Wells Fargo Center"". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  9. Briggs, Ryan (September 9, 2020). "76ers rejected: N.Y. developer Durst selected for Penn's Landing site". WHYY. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  10. Scott, Katherine (September 19, 2019). "Fashion District Philadelphia opens in Center City". WPVI-TV. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  11. Adelman, Jacob (December 17, 2020). "PREIT loses control of Center City's Fashion District mall to its California-based partner". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  12. McQuade, Dan (March 22, 2015). "It's the End of The Gallery as We Know It (and That's a Shame)". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  13. "Philadelphia 76ers Announce Entrepreneur David Adelman to Lead New Arena Development; Pursuing Privately-Funded Development at Fashion District Philadelphia Site". NBA.com (Press release). Philadelphia 76ers. July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  14. DiStefano, Joseph N. (August 1, 2022). "Proposed Sixers arena site would expand across Filbert Street". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  15. "Developer David Adelman is convinced the plan for 76 Place will succeed". September 30, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. "Asian Americans United – Helping people of Asian ancestry build their communities and unite to challenge oppression". Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  17. @billy_penn (July 21, 2022). "INBOX: Asian Americans United, an organization that fosters leadership and highlights issues in Philly's Asian American communities, announced a coalition that's forming against the Sixers' arena proposal" (Tweet). Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
  18. Gammage, Jeff; Mikati, Massarah. "Chinatown residents loudly denounce Sixers arena proposal at contentious meeting". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  19. "Chinatown Residents Share Concerns Over Proposed Sixers Arena in Center City". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  20. "Coalition created to fight construction of new Philadelphia 76ers arena near Chinatown". 6abc Philadelphia. January 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  21. Kinkead, Kevin (April 11, 2023). "Sixers Chief Communications Officer Says Howard Eskin is "Uninformed and Unimaginative"". Crossing Broad. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  22. "Joel Embiid, NFL Draft, Phillies and more!". 94.1 WIP. April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  23. SanFilippo, Anthony (April 25, 2023). "Did Live Nation Subtly Pick a Side in the 76ers Stadium Debate on Howard Eskin's WIP Show?". Crossing Broad. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  24. Walsh, Sean Collins. "How an under-the-radar parking garage bill sparked the first City Hall dust-up over the 76ers' arena proposal". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  25. Joyce, Jennifer (December 7, 2022). "Activists blocked bill that could have fast-tracked plan for new 76ers arena in Chinatown". FOX 29 Philadelphia. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  26. Murphy, Courtney (April 18, 2021). "Why doesn't Philly have a WNBA team? The local history of women's basketball and the case for bringing it back". Billy Penn. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  27. Jennings, Chantel; Vorkunov, Mike (June 2, 2022). "Exclusive: WNBA expansion to add up to 2 teams before 2024 season". The Athletic. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
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