while driving foot traffic, business, and spending in a downtrodden stretch of the Market East corridor, which reaches from City Hall to Independence Mall. They say they can build and operate an arena without harming Chinatown., in South Philadelphia, where they have played since 1996. There, the team is a tenant in a building owned by Comcast Spectacor, which also owns the Flyers.
PCDC said its coalition of community organizations collected more than 230 language-accessible surveys and conducted three meetings with Chinatown business owners, residents and patrons. Respondents said they feared an arena would degrade Chinatown’s culture, create traffic and parking problems, and cause people to be displaced by rising rents.
The Sixers have maintained that many people in Chinatown, the heart of the region’s Asian community and the neighborhood that would be most affected, are willing to hear more about the plans. That view contrasts with the “No Arena” posters plastered on buildings, and with events like the one in December, where more than 200 people rained boos, shouts, and catcalls upon a 76ers representative during a meeting at Ocean Harbor restaurant.
In a recent interview, David Gould, chief diversity and impact officer for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the team, said the Sixers are committed to exploring programs including housing assistance, street-cleaning, and special discounts that would encourage basketball fans to spend money in the neighborhood.