COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, December 2, 2024 6:10 p.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILMAN JIM HARRITY COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. BILLS: 240966, 240967, 240968, 240969, 240970, 240971, 240972, 240973 - - -
This is the public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill Nos. 240966, 240967, 240968, 240969, 240970, 240971, 240972 and 240973. I want to thank all of you for being here today. Before calling the roll, I would like to announce that we have translation services available for anyone present at today's hearing. If needed, please go to the table to my left. Services are offered in Mandarin and Cantonese. Mr. Christmas, would you please call the roll to take attendance.
Present. Thank you very much, Mr. Christmas. A quorum of this Committee is present and the hearing is now called to order. Before we begin, I want to thank everyone for being here this evening as we hear public comment on the proposed Arena bill which is before us today. We welcome all comments in support as well as in opposition of the proposal. All we ask is that you respect the process and respect our legislative process as well. Joining us this evening, as every evening during our hearings, to my left is the Office of Civil Affairs who will be working with us this evening, the Sheriff's Department who's working with us this evening and the Philadelphia Police Department. We know that this is going to be a lively debate and discussion, as it always is. We just ask again for everyone to be respectful of one another during this proceeding. Based upon our extensively super long public comment list, individuals will be given one minute to speak pro or con on the proposal. I'm also going to ask because we've seen throughout this process that there are individuals who have never had an opportunity to come down here and speak, so rather you are for or against this if you have already spoken several different times during our public comment period, please be considerate of individuals who didn't have the opportunity to give public comment. We've reviewed our list and we have seen that there are several individuals and you have the right to, but we just want everyone to have the opportunity to be heard. Also, when you're giving your public comment, when the Sergeant-at-Arms just gives you a nice nudge to let you know that your comments are coming to a close, please be respectful of him. But if you don't want to be respectful of him, be respectful of the next individual who would like to give public comment on this topic. With that being said, Mr. Christmas, can you please read the title of the bills.
P. (the "76ers"), or another entity affiliated with the 76ers, under which ArenaCo or other 76ers related entity would sublease the Arena Site and cause an arena to be constructed on it, including a multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility and ancillary, accessory, and related amenities, improvements, and infrastructure (the "Arena") and agree to other related conditions; (5) upon the expiration or termination of the Sublease or other circumstances set forth in the Sublease, convey fee simple title to the Arena Site to PAID for disposition to ArenaCo; (6) grant, accept, amend, relocate and extinguish easements, agreements, conditions, covenants and restrictions encumbering or benefiting the Arena Site and any City owned property adjacent to the Arena Site for the benefit of the Arena Site to facilitate construction and operation of the Arena; (7) enter into a direct operating covenants agreement among the 76ers, PAID and the City, under which the 76ers agree to play substantially all of their regular season and playoff home games in the Arena; and (8) take all actions necessary and appropriate to accomplish the intent and purpose of this Ordinance; all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240967, authorizing and approving the execution and delivery of a Service Agreement between the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development relating to the provision by the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development of certain project-related services to promote, among other things, the growth and expansion of business, commerce and tourism within the City of Philadelphia in connection with the development of a multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility, including an arena to accommodate National Basketball Association games, and family entertainment, community, retail and other uses; authorizing and approving the obligation of the City of Philadelphia to pay in full when due the Service Fee and other amounts payable under the Service Agreement and covenanting to make necessary appropriations for such purposes; and authorizing City officials to take necessary or appropriate actions to accomplish the intent and purpose of the ordinance, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240968, authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 307 by striking from the City Plan and vacating Filbert Street from 10th Street to 11th Street, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240969, authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 307 by striking from the City Plan and vacating certain aerial portions of 10th Street between Market Street and Filbert Street, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240970, authorizing CBL Arena, LLC. and its successor(s) in interest to construct, own, and maintain various right of way encroachments in the vicinity of 1001-19 Market Street, 1025 Market Street and 1001-25 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240971, amending Title of the Philadelphia Code, 5 entitled Zoning and Planning, by 6 amending certain definitions 7 relating to signs; creating an 8 "Arena Area" within the "/CTR, 9 Center City Overlay District" 10 overlay; and making related changes, 11 including a master plan requirement 12 and changes to accessory sign 13 controls; all in connection with 14 zoning rules for a proposed arena in Center City; and approving a master plan for the Arena Area; all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 240972, amending Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by revising certain provisions of section 14-906, entitled "Market Street East Sign Regulations," all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No.
240973, approving the amendment of a neighborhood improvement district in the area generally bounded by, and including, 11th Street to the West, Filbert Street to the North, 8th Street to the East and Market Street to the South, with the exception of certain condominium units at 801 Market Street Condominium not included in the District, known as the Gallery Neighborhood Improvement District, to remove certain portions of such property generally bounded by Filbert Street on the north, 10th Street on the east, 11th Street on the west, and Market Street on the south from such District in accordance with the provisions of the Community and Economic Improvement Act, and under certain terms and conditions.
Thank you very much, Mr. Christmas. Will you please read the name of our first speaker.
Would Ms. Shirley Moy please come forward. You will have one minute to speak. (No response.)
Call the next speaker and then when Ms. Shirley Moy comes down, we'll let her speak.
All right. Would Ms. Kimberly Wedinger please come forward. Kimberly Wedinger. (Witness approached podium.)
My name is Kimberly. I'm a registered nurse at a Level 1 Trauma Center in the emergency department in Center City. Have you ever heard the cries of a mother who has just found out they lost their child? I have. It's a haunting, gut-wrenching sound I'll never forget. Our ED services traumas from river to river, stadiums to Girard. Most of our gunshot victims arrive to us bleeding out in the back of a squad car. They come this way because cop cars get to the scene faster than EMS can. Even though they don't carry medical equipment, they're still the victim's best chance of survival, because the only thing that will really save them is (inaudible) stopping the bleed and giving mass transfusions. My lived experience is that most of our gun victims arrive in the evening into the night the same time as a 76ers game. Now, imagine this cop car who used to get to us in 3 minutes stuck in gridlock traffic of a 76ers games. Humans only have to lose about 2.5 liters of blood to die. That's about the size of two Nalgene water bottles. How many sons are we going to let die in the back of a cop car bleeding out. Last year Philadelphia -- well, I guess this year -- had 193 fatal shootings. How many more are we willing to let die. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. While we await Ms. Shirley Moy, I'd like to call Mr. Steven Chao, Ms. Frida Clark, Mr. Matthew Isaiah Moskovitz and Taylor Long, please come forward and maybe take your space next to the window while the speaker speaks. But if Ms. Kimberly Wedinger, Steven Chao, Frida Clark, Matthew Isaiah Moskovitz and Taylor Long, please make your way down. And, ma'am, please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Yes. My name is Shirley Moy. I am a third generation American. My grandparents came in the 1920s. My three brothers and three sisters were born in Philadelphia at Jefferson Hospital in 1960s. My house was taken over eminent domain because of the SEPTA rail. We are now -- that house was at Podiatry Center at Temple University. So to try to keep this short, I'm seeing history repeat itself. So there's an overwhelming majority of the city who expressed their views that the development of the 76ers in the Fashion District will do irreparable harm. Not the community benefits agreement, the benefits agreement is not adequate to safeguard to protect Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods. You don't need a crystal ball to see what's going to happen. Just imagine if there's a game in Chinatown, no one's going to come to Chinatown to a restaurant to pay overpriced parking to try to find parking to deal with the congestion. They're going to stay away. That is going to cause the death of Chinatown. So I'm going to keep it short. I thought I was going to have three minutes but with one minute, I would just say there is issues to build 76ers in Camden. Philadelphia can find a better place to build it here. It doesn't have to be in Chinatown. You still save -- (Background interruption.)
Please be respectful. Please be respectful. Please be respectful. I didn't say anything when you guys spoke. And so, I would just say this, you can still build it. You can still have the union jobs. You can still have jobs. You can still have the economic development that's promised. You don't have to destroy a community. And last comment, I was at a speech at the event. When Mayor Parker spoke, in that speech she talked about one Philly, a united city. She talked about building 30,000 affordable homes. She talked about the power of the people is greater than the people in power. With 90 percent of the communities against it, with 70 percent of the overall Philadelphia communities against it, the only vote you can do is no. 21 (Applause.)
My name is Stephen Chao speaking in opposition to Bill No. 240966. I'm a social worker in West Philadelphia and I call on City Council to oppose the proposed 76ers arena. As a member of Philly Asian and Queer or PAQ, which connects more than 200 LGBTQ Asian American community members across Philadelphia, I am concerned that the poultry $50 million community benefit agreement will not be enough to prevent the displacement of nearby businesses and organizations like PAQ, Chinatown's Asian Arts Initiative impacts fiscal sponsor the William Way LGBT Community Center which already lost $1 million in federal funds earlier this year due to right-wing extremist attacks. LGBTQ and Asian American communities are already under attack by right-wing forces. For a democratic-led City Council to also attack us through this Arena project would be a betrayal that we will not forget, especially at the polls. Alongside the 70 percent of Philadelphians who oppose the arena, I urge you all to vote against the Arena project. Thank you.
Good evening. My name is Frida Clark. I live in Councilmember Gauthier's District and I've worked in Center City for the past seven years. I'm here speaking against the 76ers arena. It's astounding given the guaranteed decimation of Chinatown's businesses and rich cultural history, given SEPTA's current fiscal precariousness and given this pathetic CBA, which represents pennies to the owners of the 76ers that we are still considering moving forward with this project. The reasoning and rationalization we keep hearing are jobs, but are these not some of the same jobs that went on strike against Aramark mere months ago. We cannot make a once-in-a-generation mistake that our children will have to fix, like building a highway next to the Delaware River and ripping through the middle of our city with the Vine Street Expressway. I'm asking City Council to please listen to the voices of their constituents and to stop the construction of this arena in the heart of our city. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening everyone. My name is Matthew Moskovitz and I'm a student at Community College of Philadelphia. I'm concerned with the Sixers and their belief that they can convince suburbanites to take public transit to games preventing gridlock traffic and jeopardizing emergency services. Building a stadium on top of a regional rail station and including SEPTA passes with season tickets are surface-level offerings and not enough to address the underlying reasons why suburbanites drive. While I'm a resident of Francisville, back in April I was introduced to the suburbanite mindset when I attended a Phillies game with my sister and her friend. Instead of them taking SEPTA from East Falls, her friend's father insisted that he would drive from Delco, pick them up from East Falls, drive them to the Phillies game, drive back to Delco and then drive back to the Phillies game to pick them up because he didn't feel comfortable letting his daughter take SEPTA. These are the people that make up the 87 percent of attendance that drive to Sixers games. How does a one-time payment of $3 million to encourage people to take transit change this mindset? For my sister's friend, how are the Sixers going to change her dad's mind? Can $3 million worth of ads convince suburbanites who are scared of the city to park their oversized pickup trucks at the PATCO station and take the train? While Governor Shapiro has flexed highway funds to help fund SEPTA to stay afloat for the next few months, the agency has been perpetually strapped for cash and has struggled to maintain its network since its inception in 1964. The problems that are keeping people from riding SEPTA are the -- (Applause.)
Thank you very much for your testimony. Before you begin with your testimony, I would like to call Mr. Ben Sprung, Mark Lynch, Martha Cooney, Ash Wilson and Alan Silverman, please make your way to the microphone. Again, that's Ben Sprung, Mark Lynch, Martha Cooney, Ash Wilson and Alan Silverman. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Please state your name for the record, ma'am, and begin with your testimony.
Taylor Long. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Taylor Long and I'm an urban planner and a resident of District 1. When announcing support for this development, Mayor Parker said "It means an economic opportunity plan, the likes of which have never been seen in our city." The truth is the promises being made by arena developers are something that many of your communities have seen before and often those promises just haven't panned out. Let's take, for example, the 1957 Eastwick Urban Renewal Project, one of the biggest urban renewal projects in U.S. history. The proposal was met with widespread community resistance. Council approved the plan anyway, swayed by promises of increased tax revenue and job creation. As we know, the development stalled halfway through the project but not before much of the damage had already been done. A historic record notes the developers were seeking short- term profits and tax write-offs and no serious obligation towards the eventual community that would live in the neighborhood. Philadelphia's planning history is riddled with stories of many similar developments and they all share one thing, community engagement was an afterthought. We need to start listening to communities when they tell us they don't want something. If you want to let your constituents know you're listening, voting against the Arena proposal is a great place to start. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Mark Lynch. I am the proud Business Manager of IBEW Local 98, member of the Philadelphia Building Trades. (Applause.)
Hold the clap. I only got a minute, guys. I think everyone in this room can understand that it's not about jobs or careers. It's about the city. We have the Gallery. What do you think is going to happen if we don't build this stadium? There will be chains on those doors. You understand that? There will. I gave -- what about the Wanamaker Building. They're $120 million in debt. We want to fix the schools. We want to give people opportunities, create careers. Okay. That's what we -- (Background interruption.)
That's what this is about. It's about thousands of jobs, about thousands of careers. It's about investing in our school system. This is what this is about. We have a chance to fix Market East, okay, have a Sixers stadium come down here, put thousands of people to work, create jobs and union jobs which I am damn proud of to create. And understand something, at the end of the day, right, at the end of the day -- it's the detractors that are the ones speaking over me while I'm speaking -- create the jobs, fix the city, look 30 years into the future. Thank you. (Applause.)
I'm Alan Silverman, District 5. Each of you has a letter from me with the data and screenshots to support my conclusions. In a 50-year career in the industry I frequently evaluated or developed project plans, the Arena project is about the worst plan I have ever encountered. Read carefully all the impact reports and if you can't read them all, just most -- I urge you strongly to read at least the cover letter from CSL to the economic impact study. All it says is to warn against relying on its content. The question for Councilmembers is do I want to be running -- do you want to be running for re-election in 2027 on a record of having voted for a project which is certain to increase crime in Center City, certain to horribly increase traffic, almost certain not to fulfill its economic promises by a lot, almost certain to destroy a bustling productive neighborhood that's now home to people of a different race from yours. The independent data as well as a proper reading of the community transportation and economic impact studies show that this Arena project is a lot of wishful eggs in one basket and a very risky gamble for the Council to vote for. The downside risks must be evaluated more skeptically. The odds are strongly against success. There has to be better less risky ways to put construction cranes on the Philly skyline. (Applause.)
Just before you speak, ma'am, I would just like to call down Adrian Rivera Reyes, Brian Stevenson, Kenneth Wei-Chen Hung, Claire Jurkowski and Jack Sullivan. Again, that's Adrian Rivera Reyes, Brian Stevenson, Kenneth Wei-Chen Hung, Claire Jurkowski and Jack Sullivan. (Witnesses approache podium.)
Please state your name for the record, ma'am, and begin with your testimony.
Thank you. My name is Ash Wilson and I'm from District 1. I'm here to oppose building the Sixers arena in Center City. The threat to destroying Chinatown is enough of a reason that this should not proceed. The proposal at its core is set on a false premise. It will not magically bring in all the economic opportunities, stability and job creation that will save the city. By framing the stadium in this manner, it's merely pitting the Philadelphia citizens against each other. We all want economic stability and jobs. We all don't want our communities destroyed. It does not have to be one or the other. Also, there's no such thing as building a new arena emergency. Any proposal that would have this large of an impact on the city be given time and care to review a short deadline and a threat to move the project elsewhere is merely tactics to pull a fast one over the City and its citizens. I ask the City Council to focus on actual emergencies instead. For example, how are we preparing for the new Administration come January, as it's been stated since they're targeting sanctuary cities. And also, what are you going to do about the lead in our water. I ask the City Council that rather than focusing on destroying communities at the core, instead they focus on protecting its citizens. Please vote no on the arena. (Applause.)
Good evening, everyone. My name is Brian Stevenson, South Philadelphia resident, 27-year member of IBEW, Local 98 and one proud United States marine. The 76ers are planning an exciting future with a new Arena to open in a few years, designed with extensive community feedback. Over 100 meetings and stakeholders have shopped plans, including improved traffic patterns, free SEPTA fares for fans the first year and revitalization of Market East. This arena addresses key challenges, outdated facilities at Wells Fargo Center, scheduling conflict with concerts and competitive disadvantages. Despite investing 10 million in renovation, 76ers need a modern space. The project includes a $50 million community benefits agreement, the largest in Philadelphia history and initiatives like a $2 million fund to support Black-owned businesses. Fans will benefit from easier public transit access via Jefferson Station, cutting travel time by 40 minutes alongside improved parking, security traffic management. The 76ers are committed to preserving Chinatown's integrity ensuring no displacement and adding development concerns. Thank you very much for your time. (Applause.)
Good afternoon. Jack Sullivan. I'm a local business owner here in Midtown right on Chestnut Street in the restaurant business and I think that this is going to bring tremendous things to this city. I really do. I think that what's -- (Applause.)
Thank you. I work with the company East Coast Saloons. We have a handful of restaurants throughout the city and throughout the country and have had a lot of arena projects like this before. And I know firsthand we've seen it make plenty of successful businesses, not only between my own but others surrounding me and the city. And I know as well that it's going to create a lot of great tax dollars and jobs. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Sir, before you begin with your testimony I'd like to call Margaret Pullan, Pat Sanford, Ronald Kaiserman, Kathleen McGettigan and Samuel Kwietniak, please come down. Again, Margaret Pullan, Pat Sanford, Ronald Kaiserman, Kathleen McGettigan and Samuel Kuwietniak.
Kwietniak, Samuel Kwietniak. (Witnesses approach podium.)
All right. Thank you very much, sir. Please begin with your -- state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Hi. My name is Ken Hung. I am a resident of City Council District 1. I am here today as a public school teacher who has taught students of every racial and ethnic group across our city for over years. I strongly oppose 9 the building of a Sixers arena in 10 Center City. 11 Supporters of the arena 12 speak in glowing terms of how it 13 will be a significant investment in 14 the future of our city. As a 15 teacher I believe that the arena 16 would be a significant disinvestment 17 in our children's future with the 18 decline of welcoming public spaces 19 in the city for youth schools have 20 become the one place where young 21 people can feel nurtured and whole. 22 I am in awe of students 23 who despite having classes and 24 crumbling buildings with no air-conditioning come every day not just to learn but to build community. Yet our school system is facing a reorganization process and a projected $745 million budget shortfall that may close many of these buildings. It is disgusting that Mayor Parker and the billionaire owners of the Sixers are putting forth a proposal that will deprive schools of the property taxes needed desperately to renovate classrooms and construct new buildings. This deal will allow the Sixers to avoid paying property taxes for three decades and will deprive generations of students of the resources they need. While we need to invest in the future of our city, the passage of this bill is not an investment but a shakedown that -- (Applause.)
So time-out, time-out. (Background interruption.)
Time-out. One second, sir. So listen up, y'all. Just listen up. Pause. Listen, we know that this is a heated discussion. This is democracy in action. All I'm saying is can we respect the individual who's giving their public testimony, right, and respect the legislative process. We set this up for us to have a considerable amount of time to address this issue so -- (Background interruption.)
Listen up, listen up. Sir, state your name for the record, begin your testimony.
Hi. I'm Adrian Rivera Reyes and I am a co-founder and organizer for Philly Boricuas, a grassroots community organization dedicated to uplifting and empowering the Puerto Rican community and Latino community in North Philly. The proposed Sixers Arena project will inflict significant financial and social harm to the city of Philadelphia and damage to our communities will be profound and irreversible. Therefore, I urge City Council to vote no on all the proposed bills associated with the 76ers arena. Building this arena will come at the expense of our communities, our culture and our City's financial future. The developers project $700 million in revenue over 30 years or roughly about million annually. Yet the 23 PILOT agreement locks the City into receiving $6 million in taxes which is far less than the 10 to 15 that they would normally be paying. Do you know what we could do with $10 million a year invested in North Philly in communities like mine where our schools are underfunded, where we are struggling, where our infrastructure is crumbling and we're just giving it away to the pocket of other people instead of putting it into our city? This arena takes away resources that could directly improve the life of Philadelphians and puts it directly in the pocket of developers and the owners of the 76ers. I urge you to stand with Philadelphians if you truly believe that we are to be a united city, a one Philly. Look around. This is a one Philly. It is clear that you must reject this deal. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening, Councilman, and I am here again today. My name is Pat Sanford, President and CEO of Alexander Perry, Inc. I have been in the city of Philadelphia all my life. I've attended Alain Locke Elementary School as a kindergartener and was able to go back and provide needed HVAC and bowling repairs for Alain Locke School. Now, I want to tell you as someone deeply invested in Philadelphia's growth, personally living in Philadelphia, having a business here for 32 years, I am invested professionally and civically. I wholeheartedly support this project and urge its approval. This is more than a construction project. It is a chance to create a lasting legacy for the city and its people. This is also an opportunity, my friends, to get needed capital into the city because we are not sure what the administration will do in terms -- the administration of the White House, what it will do for Philadelphia. So we are diverse and that can be and should be protected. Coordinating with Chinatown can keep it strong and safe. Overall the Sixers plan creates $1.5 billion and I support it. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Ronald Kaiserman. I've been a real estate developer in this city. And my conclusion is that the traffic problem will strangle not only the hospital but other businesses in the area, performing arts area functions and a lot of other theaters and restaurants will be strangled because nobody can get to them on time for their occasions. And another big disappointment is that sports arenas are not an economic engine. And if you notice in South Philadelphia, no 6 businesses have sprung up around or near them because of the stadiums. The stadiums are usually very self- contained and if people want to eat, they stay in the stadium. I suggest that you take time. The developers of this project want to do this project very badly. You really should know everything about this project and take the time and get the expertise from traffic engineers and the City Planning Commission and not be rushed into coming to the decision on their timetable. They want to do this job. If you agree to do it, they will do it whenever you tell them to do it. It doesn't have to be starting in December. You need to take the time to get the expertise to give you complete information about everything you need to know before you would launch this project. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. Sir, just hold one second. Sir, just hold one second. Would John Bernardo, Rebecca Yep, Khadijah Sabir, Jeremy Blatstein and Thomas Betteridge, please come forward. Again, that's John Bernardo, Rebecca Yep, Khadijah Sabir, Jeremy Blatstein and Thomas Betteridge, please come forward also. Sir, please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Certainly. I'm Sam Kwietniak. I've lived here for 15 years. I'm a creative director, a musician and a bond en avant. I love this city and I'm here to say that the stadium makes no sense. It makes no sense economically. It makes no sense ethically and it makes no sense logistically. Economically it's a gamble at best. This is a building that's going to be open part of the day for part of the year. Ethically it's an embarrassment. This is a neighborhood that was carved up by Vine Street and other highways and people are displaced. It's an embarrassment. We shouldn't have to do that. And logistically, well, we've heard plenty of reasons about that already, how it doesn't make sense from a parking, transit or a commercial perspective at all. Really what the stadium is, is a lack of imagination. I love builders. I love building things. I think it's a good idea to build things, but you could build literally anything else. There's so many options for what could go there in the deserted old mall. And it seems like the people who bought the mall just want to get rid of the mall because they made a bad investment and now they want money. So exercise your imagination. Think bigger and dream on, Philly. (Applause.)
Hi. I'm Margaret Pullan from Northeast Philadelphia. You know, I would love to be standing here paying tribute --
Okay. Thanks. I would love to be standing here paying tribute to a millionaire, billionaire who said here's 500 million, save your schools, save your transit. But that's not what's going on. Can you imagine? We're talking about the folks using SEPTA to get here. We don't even know if we're going to have a SEPTA so could we please, please get real. We are really on the verge of being bullied into this and/or if not actually being bullied because you're saying do this or we'll leave. That's not a love of our city. That's not a consideration of the people of Chinatown who have struggled to hold the line after construction after construction. It's been really not fully evaluated. They're insufficient, I think parking, traffic. Immediately the minute the shovel hits the ground there are going to be folks who are not going to be coming down to Center City and many will be City Councilmembers, will be adults, will be seniors like myself, a discounted community. Please respect the people of this community and really think about this before you move forward. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
My name's John Bernardo. I am in real estate and most importantly, a resident of Washington Square. I am local. They've tried everything on Market Street. It just hasn't worked. This arena will work. It will bring jobs. It will bring money. It will bring night life back. Again, everything they've tried has not worked. There's no 3 reason not to do this. It will bring jobs and I lived in the neighborhood. There's no reason not to do this. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Khadijah Sabir and I'm here today in support of 76 Place Arena District. I believe this project should move forward because I'm in this position where I feel burdened by what has been. There is now an immense amount of business closures, vacant storefronts and a very sad and boring atmosphere, so the city needs this type of help from 76 Place because there is a yearning that we need change in new developments, especially in this part of the city. This area has been an area for fun and entertainment, shopping and dining and family- friendly, so the real question is why resist that. Also, the comparison to other big city arenas is quite lame because as we know, it is known around the world that this is a sports city like no other. So this conversation tainted with fear is quite exhausting and I think we should all refuse to live like that. I personally feel hopeful that this project will be bigger than just basketball bringing in more jobs or this being about one demographic versus the other. The Sixers has always been an organization to give back to the community so I don't think it's right to demonize them, particularly the owners. I believe in showing people more grace than hate because that's what this city is supposed to be about, brotherly love. So I support this arena and I hope we build it. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you and thank you, Council and Council President. My name is Tom Betteridge. I'm a lifelong member of Philadelphia 59 years and I plan on dying here so I'm not going anywhere. I live in South Philly. I work at the Convention Center where I manage workers and I bring shows to the city of Philadelphia, so I know a lot about bringing people together and I think we have an opportunity here to do that. I specialize in high voltage hospitality so please give me a minute and let me speak. This is an opportunity for us to showcase our city in a way we couldn't do before, a Market East central piece that will help move people and improve that area that which right now is in desperate need, like the business manager from Local 98 stated. As a lifelong construction manager, I've seen the workforce in this city engineer and do amazing things, bring things to the city of Philadelphia and shows here that didn't want to come here and put them on better, cheaper and faster than anywhere else in the country. You have folks in this country who can engineer out all the problems that have been mentioned previous to me speaking and fix them during that construction process, an opportunity to come in here and do something amazing. Our new Mayor has a vision. I've heard her speak on many times and so does this Council. We need to give them a chance to put that vision on East Market. We need to get behind her and make her vision happen. Thank you. (Applause.)
Before you begin, sir, I'd like to call Dylan O'Donoghue, Dr. Belinda Huang, Paula Paul, Rebecca Lipstein and Joshua Hui. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Please state your name for the record, sir, and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Jeremy Blatstein. I'm a resident of the 5th District. I'm here today in support of the bills to allow the Sixers arena to be built on Market Street. I'm the founding member of NPM PAC, Next Philly Mayor and Pro Arena Coalition of Old City, Northern Liberties, Fishtown Gayborhood, Washington West, Fairmount West, Philadelphia, Mount Airy, Germantown, Point Breeze, South Philadelphia, Center City, Rittenhouse, Logan Square representing 69 percent of the people who took my Next Philly Mayor Twitter poll today that are in support of the arena. I'd like to have the record state to show that Mayor Parker nor Councilman Squilla met with me to hear my support for the arena, how rude of them. But now let's talk about everybody's favorite topic big, scary Jewish billionaires. Yes, three rich Jewish men own the 76ers and want to invest $1.3 billion do into the City of Philadelphia. Isn't that a good thing? (Background interruption.)
Some of the rhetoric by groups and organization -- is that a good thing. Some of the rhetoric by groups and organizations against the arena have been blatantly anti- Semitism, and that is why there's no 4 longer a Students for the Preservation of Chinatown here today. But there's one billionaire and one millionaire that names haven't been said, Brian Roberts and Dan Hilferty. Where are they? The only real proposal here today is the Sixers arena. Build the Sixers arena. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Rebecca Yep. I'm here with POWER Interfaith. I'm a longtime resident, 10-year resident of District 1 and I'm against the proposed arena. One of my fondest and most enlightening memories was experiencing Philly's Chinatown with my grandfather. My gong-gong knew very little English and growing up I had always assumed he was a shy stern type of man. My heart nearly bursts the first time he visited me in Chinatown. I was shocked to see him absolutely come alive. It was then I realized that he wasn't naturally quiet. It's that he never really had an opportunity to converse in his native tongue with people from similar backgrounds. From then on the importance of this shared community has been cemented into my very being. My family especially loves traveling up here because they don't have a proper Chinatown near them. We're from Washington D.C. and the Chinatown in Washington D.C. is a shell of what it has once been in large part due to the Washington Wizards Arena. That drove out most of the small businesses in the area. I am also a mother to a 1-year-old. Our son was born with health complications that required him to stay in the NICU after birth, a place he has unfortunately revisited numerous times in a short life. We are lucky to have access to amazing medical services and frequently have appointments at the Jefferson Pediatric Specialists at 9th and Chestnut. I'm just anxious about the traffic at 9th and Chestnut for my son who needs the life-changing care. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening, Council President and members of City Council. My name is Joshua Hui. I live in the 5th Council District and Chinatown is my home away from home. Thank you for this opportunity to testify and for bringing stakeholders from around the city to testify as this is a development that will impact all of us. So while my input as a community member may be limited as I don't have a degree in urban planning, I'm no expert. As Councilwoman pointed out last week, I agree it's still important to provide you with information and for you to hear the community's vision for the area, as Councilwoman Bass also said last week. However, before an arena's proposed who from the City asked us what we wanted in that space for Market East in general. I've lived here for over a decade at this point and know about the struggling areas like the Disney Hall but never once was I or the average Philadelphian asked about it. And now, when we've given an opportunity to weigh in and I've heard people give other ideas for this site like a community center or library or housing, our ideas and division are dismissed because the next question is always who will fund it. But who among us are billionaires, who among us can fund ideas for such a large site. Philadelphia is known for small businesses and the average Philadelphian has just tried to make ends meet with one business, let alone two more if lucky. So do you actually want to hear the community's vision or just the ideas from those who have money. If you want to hear the community's vision, then this process, the dialogue, should have happened much earlier before an arena was even proposed. That being said, I'm here in opposition to the arena because I do not believe that the risk it proposes to the neighborhoods around it and the survival being of all this are worth the projected benefits. Thank you. (Applause.) REV.
Good evening. Thank you, City Council, especially glad to see my Councilwoman Sis -- started to say Sister Gauthier. But my name is Reverend Dr. Donna Jones. I'm the pastor of the Cookman Church in West Philadelphia. I'm also the wife of someone who is a proud union construction man. I'm the mother of three union construction workers so I am definitely not -- I believe in the call to ensure that there's jobs for union people, definitely. However, I'm against the stadium because my husband and my sons, who would love to be able to be in Philadelphia, to live in Philadelphia, as we see our housing stock increasing constantly, they are having to look other places for where to live. The other thing is that housing justice is a major platform for power. Philadelphia is organized to witness, empower and rebuild. We are pro-worker, we are pro-jobs, but we are also pro-affordable housing. There has to be a place -- we are pro the Sixers being in Philadelphia, but there's got to be a place that they can build a stadium, the workers can work and live. Thank you. (Applause.)
Ma'am, please before you begin, I would like to call Todd Kimmell, Brian Jordan, Tyler Lian, Scott Morrison Melman, please come down. Again, I'm calling Todd Kimmell, Brian Jordan, Tyler Lian, Scott Morrison Melman and I'm also calling Kathy Sykes. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Please state your name for the record, ma'am, and begin with your testimony.
Hi. My name is Dylan O'Donoghue and I want to talk about some of the failures of the proposed community benefits agreement. Community members weren't included in this CBA process. Some people were hand- selected to participate but the process wasn't transparent to key stakeholders in the area. As Councilmember Johnson said last week or two weeks ago, whatever, it's not the community's job to do outreach to the City to discuss the CBA. It's the City's project. And so, it's your job to ensure the conversations happen. This isn't a CBA. It's not going to do the job of mitigating harm. The financial package to Chinatown helps too few at too low of a rate to make a meaningful impact. Another thing, the timeline is off. Like, housing support doesn't start until 2031. The CBA includes a provision to fund the entire school system. And I want to push back on this usage. I speak directly to Councilmember Phillips who last week asked what the relationship was between public schools and the arena. When I say that we need to fund schools in the city like in a real way, right, and schools are largely funded by property taxes, but you've waived property taxes and now you're asking for PILOTs and a CBA and it's just all a huge tax break. So it's your mandate to make sure that schools are funded and it's your mandate to make sure that Chinatown and the surrounding area survives. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Dr. Belinda Huang and I live in Councilman Johnson's District 2. I'm a member of First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia and POWER Interfaith, Philly's largest faith-based organizing effort representing 55 congregations of every faith, race and age across Council District. I oppose the building of the Sixers Arena because, number one, as a person of faith Chinese American and diversity equity inclusion specialist, I help low-income high school girls in Chinatown go to college, many whose parents live in Chinatown and work there. Building an arena next to Chinatown will obliterate this community. Our communities in particular, immigrant and LGBTQIA+ are being pushed out of their homes because of gentrification. Where will the displaced people of Chinatown and other communities live and work. I've had -- number two, I've had difficulty finding affordable housing in the city. The housing options being built now are high-rises or condos that are not affordable except by wealthy individuals. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi, all. My name is Tyler Lian. I'm a medical student here in Philadelphia. I live in District 2. For months now fellow healthcare workers have been warning against the life-threatening gridlock that this arena could create in hospitals and emergency rooms in Center City. Now, it seems like in their attempt to silence one problem these developers are ready to create another one for our alreadystruggling public transit system. I work on a daily basis with health care workers who rely on SEPTA to get to and from working into the hospital and so do many of our patients. Even in my short time in training, I've seen SEPTA be the cornerstone of people's medical and surgical care, reproductive access and mental health counseling. And I've also seen how devastating it can be and dangerous it can be for even one bus or train to fall through. As someone who's been tuning into these hearings, I've appreciated all the hard-hitting questions that this Council has been asking to uncover what our President-elect would call "a concept of a plan." Councilmember Gauthier you asked about how the arena's construction at Jefferson Station would divert resources away from other SEPTA priorities. And SEPTA said that they would have to cut service throughout the city to accommodate construction if no other funding comes through. Councilmember Landau, you talked about significant SEPTA funding gaps. And SEPTA told us that even if they made whole there would still be funding that couldn't be accounted for. I would urge you all to keep asking these questions and vote no for this arena. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening. Thank you all for being here. My name is Brian Jordan. I'm a resident of District 3 and I'm here to oppose Bill No. 240963 against the arena. I'm a 1st grade teacher and I want to tell you all about we were studying cities and neighborhoods and my 6- and 7-year- olds in the class. We had a guest expert who's an urban planner and she asked the students if someone wants to build something in a community who should they ask. And the kids all unanimously said, the people who live there. And then the city planner asked, if people don't want it, should they be able to build it there. And the kids all, it was obvious to them, no, they should build something the community wants. And we talk about how city government works with our students. And if this goes through, I'm just really going to need you all to come and explain to my 6- and 7-year-olds why when 70 percent of Philadelphians actively oppose, that's not -- we don't even know how many people are in favor of it, that might be 5 percent. And if over 90 percent of Chinatown residents and businesses oppose it, how are we building this. Please explain it to my students. Thank you. (Applause.)
Would Joline Price, Jim Snyder, Elena Brunner and Tara Kalatschinow, please come forward. Would Joline Price, Jim Snyder, Elena Brunner, Tara Kalatschinow and Sarah Quast, please come down. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Sir, please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
My name is Scott Morrison Melman. I'm a cook in Northwest Philadelphia joining the vast majority of the city in opposition to the arena. And I want to say I think it's so cool that we get to be in the room with legislators being heard, a great example of things Councilman Squilla loves to talk about his accessibility and the process. But here's the thing, if you then go on to pass this, then the process was a sham and all this beautiful civic engagement, you just have contempt for it. Because the people of this city have made it emphatically clear that we don't want the arena. The neighborhood most affected considers an existential threat, the city at-large pulled against it 3 to even before SEPTA said they couldn't afford it. The only people this makes sense for, and everyone knows this, are the owner developers who stand a profit at the City's expense. So if you pass this in such naked defiance of your constituents' desires and common sense, it means you work for them, the ultra wealthy, not for us. Listen, why do you think people don't vote, why do you think people are abandoning democrats? Remember, this is the biggest city and the biggest swing state in a country swept up in a far-right power grab. You have a special responsibility -- okay. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Kathy Sykes. I'm here as a member of Old First Church at 4th and Race located in the 1st Councilmanic District. I'm here testifying on behalf of my congregation and POWER Interfaith. As a faith community, Old First answered the call of the City Administration 35 years ago to be of service to others and help address the growing homeless population. Since then we've provided shelter to 30 men on cots in our social hall. We recognized this was not enough and made a commitment with the support of public and private partnerships to build, to provide supportive permanent housing for people previously homeless. We are within weeks of opening the door to begin receiving our new neighbors. This commitment speaks to our values of service to others, social justice and fighting for and with the powerless. We now ask that the City Administration heed our call, nothing about us without us. The citizens of Chinatown who are most affected by the proposed placement of an arena in their community have told us they don't want the arena. The arena threatens the very heart of their existence, their culture, their lives and their economic lives. Nothing about us without us. Vote no. 3 (Applause.)
Good evening, Council President, Councilmembers. My name is Joline Price. I'm here as a resident of South Philadelphia, City Council District 1, an elected democratic committee person in the 39th Ward. I'm a parent to two kids who go to South Park Elementary School, and I feel the need to say after some comments earlier that I am proudly Jewish. I've testified today to oppose the arena and to -- I'm testifying today to oppose the arena. I believe strongly that we need to invest in Market East. We need to preserve existing vibrant neighborhoods and I believe it is important that we listen to our local communities. I also wanted to testify because my family does not have a car. We rely solely on public transportation to get around this city. I am worried about the gridlock that construction and after construction and this will impact my family, our communities in South Philadelphia and access to emergency rooms from around the city. We are also facing a school funding crisis. The missed revenue from property taxes at the arena could fund deeply-needed investment in our schools. I urge you to oppose the arena and demand more from billionaires and developers. (Applause.)
Hello. Thank you, Councilmembers, for giving real Philadelphians the chances speak on the proposed arena. My name is Tara Kalatschinow. I was born and raised and still currently living in Philly. I'm Kalmyk Mongolian and from the refugee community initially settled in the Northern Liberties in 1950s, a community now welcoming a large amount of asylum-seekers. I want to speak from the Philly Kalmyk community on the arena impact that could not only have it on our siblings in Chinatown but also the impact just immediately but for generations to come. After the de-industrialization and the following gentrification of, to use the words justifying the arena, desolate and dangerous Northern Liberties from the 1950s to 1990s mixed in with our divestment from our community, our families were forced to relocate. Our community is now predominantly in the Northeast with no community and cultural center still looking for a religious center and little to no business ownership. As an endangered indigenous people, we are struggling even generations later. Our question is why are marginalized communities consistently the ones that have to sacrifice their livelihoods, stability and economic development for developers who don't even live here. The land we were on saw economic development, but we are still waiting for ours. Will the people of Chinatown have to wait as long as us or will they have be forced to relocate with divestment and development. Thank you. (Applause.)
Excuse, ma'am. Before you begin, ma'am, I would like to call Rachel Rodriguez, Anthony Rojas, Rodney Walker, Annabelle Schmitt and Katie Dillon. Again, Rachel Rodriguez, Anthony Rojas, Rodney Walker, Annabelle Schmitt and Katie Dillon. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Please state your name for the record, ma'am, and begin with their testimony.
Hello. My name is Elena Brunner. I'm Tara's cousin so I'm going to finish her thought. Our community is facing obstacles getting to other areas of the city. It currently takes about an hour to get here to City Hall from the Northeast when it used to only take minutes from the 17 (inaudible) corner store that used 18 to be at 6th and Girard in Northern 19 Liberties by SEPTA. 20 This is a physical 21 representation of how separated the 22 government is from the people who 23 have been displaced and relocated as 24 sacrifice for economic development. Additionally, our community like many has many families who pay taxes by the way, with children who attend a public school. At a time when several of our Philly District schools are at risk of closure, many needing significant repairs, it is disrespectful to even consider a potential tax break to billionaires who don't even live here and agreeing to potentially leave millions on the table for our public schools through a low-ball bad deal. Our taxes are meant to fund children's education and public infrastructure for all of our children, elders, working folks and families. And so, we stand in solidarity with the communities immediately affected by this project and we say, we do not want this arena here. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Rachel Rodriguez. I'm a West Philly artist and teacher from Jamie Gauthier's District. And I want to say that corporate interest and profit alone cannot sustainably run a city. A one-time job opportunity cannot change the trajectory of our history. From the loss of the University Townhomes, we have learned that too few of our representatives are willing to stand up for our low-income residents, our most vulnerable populations. This year the closure of UArts and the loss of those art spaces without any advocacy or care from artists who make financially so little and contribute so much to this city, it's staggering, it's a staggering betrayal. And now, this proposed arena will disrupt local economies of the Gayborhood, the historic Chinatown community for a short-term gain, in addition to risking lives which countless doctors have already spoken about. So I have to ask, when will we stop placing band-aids over wounds. We clearly have a budgeting problem where we do not adequately fund our schools or our public infrastructure. When will our representatives, you, develop long- term strategies to fund our city sustainably to take care of all of us, the regular Philadelphians who build this city every single day every single year. 70 percent of Philadelphians do not want this arena built in the heart of Center. It is your job to do right by your constituents. Please remember that. Vote no. 23 (Applause.)
Good evening, Council. My name is Tony Rojas and I'm a resident of District 1. I came to Philadelphia for a temporary job meant to last two years. And now, my wife and I bought a home here because we believe that this is a city with culture and backbone. Over the last few years I've seen the people of Philadelphia mobilize against this bad development. They've marched through the pouring rain, built multi-neighborhood coalitions, organized informational tours through the area, created an engaging social media presence and they've even produced protest songs that hit, that are really good. So I ask the Council to please invest in this Philadelphia and vote against this lifeless development that has no hope of reviving Market East. Thank you all. (Applause.)
My name's Jim Snyder. I'm a representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. I'm here on behalf of building this project. I think it's an outstanding project for this city. But forget that, I'm also a lifelong resident of Philadelphia. I live about eight blocks south of here. And this city was on the way up for many years. Since COVID hit, I feel like we're on a major decline. This city needs this arena like oxygen. So I'm begging this Council to build this project. This is a great project. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Annabelle Schmitt and I'm a District resident. After I finished my undergraduate degree at Penn State, I moved into an apartment here in Chinatown. When my parents came to visit me, my mother took me to Ray's Cafe on 9th Street. It was there that I learned how my parents fell in love over dates at Ray's Cafe after meeting at Temple. They've been married for 30 years now. Now, my family frequents Ray's so often that the owner can guess when to expect us. We even have a photo of my mother holding the family's grandbaby over bowls of their incredible Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Years have passed since I first moved here. I work remotely but I still live in Philly. Honestly, Philly and I are in the most committed relationship of my life so far. To the Councilmembers here today, I'm looking to see who's in a committed relationship with Philly and who's in a committed relationship with billionaires. Thank you to Nic O'Rourke, Kendra Brooks, Jeffrey Young for standing with the people. And thank you to Rue Landau and Jamie Gauthier for questioning the process and committing to the due diligence we need here. To the rest of you on Council, I'm asking what you will stand for and who will you stand with. This proposal is an opportunity to stand with and for the citizens of Philadelphia 70 percent of whom don't support the proposal and to set a precedent that shows that this city isn't for billionaires who don't vote and don't even live here. Philly is for the people. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, Father. Before you begin, I would like to call Darryl Watson, Elsa Stoff, Bob Thompson and Joanna Severino and Theodore Gould. Again, I would like to call Darryl Watson, Elsa Stoff, Bob Thompson, Joanna Severino and Theodore Gould. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Father, please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Right. My name is Father Tom Betts. I've been associated with Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church and School in Chinatown since 1991. In addition to being pastor of Holy Redeemer, I'm also pastor of St. John the Evangelist on 13th Street. When we first met in 2022 with 76ers representatives, we predicted, meaning we the Chinatown people predicted, the closure of Chinatown businesses because of parking and traffic concerns. However, the Sixers then insisted that Chinatown had no legitimate concerns that the Sixers fans would bring foot traffic to Chinatown, which would more than make up for so they said the business we would lose from our usual customers. Since then we have pleaded in vain with the Sixers and the City to understand that Chinatown will die if this arena is built. We get reassurances but no 13 action to protect Chinatown businesses and residents. Neither the Sixers nor the City takes Chinatown's concerned seriously. On event nights there won't be parking for our customers. Mayor Parker says that Philadelphia is the best Chinatown in the United States and I agree. She also says that we can have the arena and save and strengthen Chinatown but these are just words. They are not backed by action. (Applause.)
Just one minute. All right. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, Council, for hearing me out. My name is Rodney Walker. I'm a 51-year resident of the city of Philadelphia, the City of the Brotherly shove. Listen, 29 years with Local 98, the IBEW. We're the first to call, the churches, ball fields, et cetera. I could go on and on and have a list about three pages long. But I'm here for this job. It's a generational job and seismatic project for the city of Philadelphia. And I believe we should build, create jobs and move on. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Theodore Gould. I'm reading two statements on behalf of people opposing the Chinatown arena. The first one was written by Fenmin Morales who is a retired electrician of IBEW 98. He points out -- I'm just going to summarize because I do not have much time. He points out that the displacement of the Chinatown community occurred in the case of the Washington Wizard Stadium -- in Washington D.C., beg your pardon. I also have a statement here from an unnamed member of the Union Apprentices Guild. This person says they have been a resident of West Philadelphia their entire life. In that short period of time they've witnessed displacement caused by rapid corporate development. The development of 76 Place would cause a massive disruption and displacement primarily in Chinatown but also the city at large, goodness. The planned closure of the Market- Frankford Line would impact the day-to-day livelihood in hundreds and thousands of working-class Philadelphians. The closure of major roads such as Market, 11th, 10th and Filbert Street would cause major congestion. These closures and the resulting congestion could threaten the lives and the routes of Jefferson hospital's emergency department. This is just part of the projected impact during the six years that it would take to build this arena. If the arena is finished, it would not be the boon that the developers advertised it as. And while developers, general contractors and 76ers organizations profit, the hundreds of staffers hired will not make a livable wage. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Dr. Elsa Stoff. I live in District 1 and I am a resident psychiatrist at Temple University Hospital. I am one of the doctors along with 80 percent of Philadelphians in general who is worried that the arena will endanger access to emergency medical care. The JMT traffic analysis predicts that anything beyond 40 percent of participants driving to the arena for events will result in gridlock at critical intersections. Based on the amount of car owners in Philadelphia and the numbers shown in the traffic analysis, it is extremely likely that well over 40 percent of attendees would drive to the arena. Therefore, we'd expect major traffic delays and gridlock. Every 10 minutes delayed in traffic increases a patient's chance of death by 57 percent. This includes possible delays to reaching some of the city's largest obstetrics units. Rates of maternal mortality are three to four times higher in Black women. This is an intersectional issue. There's already a health care crisis in this city, particularly since the closure of Hahnemann. I call on our elected officials to not worsen this crisis. Vote no on the arena. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Kathy Simpson. My congregation is located at Broad and Arch. I'm here testifying today with Arch Street United Methodist Church and POWER Interfaith, Philly's largest faith-based organizing effort representing 55 congregations of every faith, race and age across every Council District. In conclusion, POWER Interfaith demands City Council to slow down this process and make sure the community benefits agreement reflects the needs of the community. And if that is not possible, then we demand the arena project be stopped fully. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. My name is Daryl Watson. I'm a resident of the 4th District and my congregation First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia is located in the 1st District. I'm here with POWER Interfaith, Philly largest faith- based organizing effort representing 55 congregations of every faith, race, age across every Councilmanic District. Our congregations, our families and our neighborhoods in the city are at a tipping point and we didn't become the most impoverished big city in America by happenstance. It's hard to keep food on the table. Our take-home pay is far dwarfed by our take-home costs and the millennials and Gen Z are being priced out of the American dream. I'm a proud product of a union household. My daddy built and repaired homes across the city, including the Veterans Stadium, and we can't even afford houses that he would have built years ago in an era of rising costs, record homelessness and massive divestments in every aspect of public life, a $50 million CBA proposed two plus years ago no 18 longer makes dollars and cents. It's not even worth the value of $50 million as it was proposed, especially by a team that's worth over $4.6 billion as of October 2024. POWER Interfaith demands City Council slow this process down, work with residents and businesses in Chinatown and create a real CBA. Thank you. (Applause.)
Just one moment, sir. I would like to call Ms. Catherine Koch, Rosie Henson, Freda Anderson and John Beckman, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
And, sir, please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
I stand here as a lifelong Philadelphian. My kids are sixth generation and also a union worker. The city has been in a major decline. I wake up every morning and see this firsthand under I-95. The city needs the jobs, the revenue and a safety plan around this arena to make it successful again. Let's face it, Center City is a mess. It's time for a major refresh in this city and I support the arena. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Sorry, I'm kind of short. Hello. My name is Joanna Severino and I am a substance use disorder researcher at Temple and a constituent of District 5. I'm here because I believe that the proposed 76ers arena is a bad idea for the Philadelphia community and the only folks who stand to benefit from this are the billionaires. As someone who cannot afford a vehicle and relies heavily on SEPTA to do things such as attend my church in Center City, I worry about the well-being of SEPTA, which we already know is in deep financial distress, even without the construction of the arena posing an additional $20 to $25 million a year financial burden that it simply cannot afford. Taking SEPTA every day, I know that students the elderly, folks with disabilities, et cetera, all rely heavily on Septa and we also cannot afford the prices to go up or the quality of service to go down. Lastly, as a biomedical researcher I feel outraged for the folks that work at Jefferson whose life-saving care will be threatened by the game-day gridlock. So tell me is a game worth a life. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Katherine Koch and I'm terrified and I have to go to the bathroom. I moved to Philly about years ago and it is the most fabulous city I've ever been in. It has the best sports fans in the world and the best Chinatown and Gayborhood and I just don't understand. I completely want the 76ers to have an arena but just not in Chinatown. I'm a home care nurse and bloody hell when you have a patient assigned to you in Chinatown, you can't park. It is so congested. Driving down Chestnut Street is a pain in the ass. Please vote no. Please. Sorry. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is John Beckman. I live in Councilmember Bass's District. I'm a city and regional planner, retired partner at WRT, a national planning and design practice with offices in Philadelphia and San Francisco. I have many decades. You can see a lot of decades of experience planning in major cities across the United States. New Orleans is one example where I was asked to prepare a plan for the recovery of the entire city after Hurricane Katrina. My profession is understanding cities. The motivation of all arena proposals is to maximize the owner's profit and that's fine. However, we do not have to accept their first proposed location, terms or schedule. Remember, this is a citywide project and we have to understand what is the city going to get from this. The proposal gives them a lot. What we will get is short-term jobs that would happen anywhere an arena's built, a massive internally focused development that deadens the area for pedestrians and businesses. Think about the Convention Center, a beautifully designed Convention Center. It's the same deadening effect, long-term development disincentives at Market East, destruction of a thriving cultural important neighborhood, traffic benefits unfunded, additional demand on SEPTA and because of the PILOT agreement, reduced property tax revenue needed for our schools services and infrastructure. This is the wrong location and a terrible deal. (Applause.)
Hi. I'm Janice Moore Campbell, a member of Arch Street United Methodist Church and Chair of our Church Council. We sit at the corner of Broad and Arch Street in Councilmanic District 1. I am here to ask you to protect a community of color. Some very, very, very rich people seek to displace the Chinatown community. The billionaires simply don't have to work it out in the already well- established sports district. Chinatown will suffer as the privileged continue to reign over the marginalized. This Arena project is about place, class, belonging and the unrestricted exercise of power and money by billionaires. As one who completely understands what it feels like to be not seen, I stand with Chinatown. The land use decisions you make have far-reaching political and economic consequences. As our representatives, your role -- no, your priority is to sustain all Philadelphia communities. Do not use the powerful levers of government, city government to destroy neighborhoods in order to benefit the rich and the powerful. They not like us. I ask each of you to pay attention to the momentum. Remove all blinders and care enough to get this right. (Applause.)
Excuse me. Just one moment please. Would Keziah Ridgeway, John Donahue, Camille Henry, Brian McGovern and Ella Israeli, please come forward. Again, that's Keziah Ridgeway, John Donahue, Camille Henry, Brian McGovern and Ella Israeli, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Ma'am, you may state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
My name is Rosie May Henson. I'm a resident of Philadelphia. The majority of Philadelphians are against this project and the harms it will cause. And so, they keep asking why would our City officials proceed. Does it have to do with the over $7 million 76 DevCo has spent lobbying our City government, lobbying the same people needed to grease the wheels of this deal. Given the lack of transparency in this process and shutting out of community voices, the Save Chinatown Coalition has filed right-to-know requests to City agencies and City Council offices involved in these meetings. The City's Law Department, whose Right- to-Know Unit is overseen by Andrew Richmond, has systematically denied all of the Coalition's requests. Upon the Coalition's appeal of this decision, the Pennsylvania of Office of Open Records ruled that the City needed to release this public information under the state's right-to-know law. Do you know how Andrew Richmond's unit responded, they sued the Coalition to keep these records secret. You know what else Andrew Richmond has been up to in that time frame, meeting weekly with the developers of 76 Place. Why would the City sue the community to keep an open process secret? Would it shed light on how the City crippled the Department of Planning and Development by pushing out experienced planners ahead of the release of the arena's impact studies only to replace them with a real estate lawyer? Would it show that Sam Rhoads of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation who oversaw the impact -- (Applause.)
Good evening. Good evening. Thank you, Council President Johnson and members of the Philadelphia City Council for this opportunity to address you tonight. And to my Asian friends in the audience tonight, Wang Chang Hau, my name is John Donahue. I'm a business agent for IBEW Local 98 and I'm here to state my strong support for the approval of 76 Place on East Market. Yes, IBEW Local 98 and our brothers and sisters in the Building Trades construct buildings for a living. 76 Place is the largest economic development project Philadelphia has seen in many generations. To the trades, 76 Place means more than 9,000 family- sustaining union construction jobs lasting more than a decade, 10 years' worth of work. Like the esteemed members of City Council, I have sat through the majority of the public hearings on 76 Place. The debate is appropriate. What isn't appropriate is the opposition's repeated fantasy that there is an alternative project in the wings. There's not. There's no alternative project. The 76ers are the only ones stepping up with a check, $1.3 billion of their own money to build a downtown class arena. This is a classic Not In My Backyard Syndrome at work. These same groups tried to doom and gloom the PA Convention Center. It's typical NIMBYism to try and kill this product. Build it, build it, build it, build it. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Freda Anderson. I'm a lifelong resident and a teacher here in the School District of Philadelphia. I'm a high school social studies teacher. Every single day I try and make sure that my students understand that their voice matters. Political engagement matters. Voting matters. Speaking at City Council matters. I do not want to be made a liar to my students. Over 70 percent of Philadelphia voters are against this arena. It is difficult for me to look into the faces of my students and tell them that their representatives care about what they have to say if they vote against 70 percent of the city of Philadelphia. In addition, I work in a school building that walls are crumbling around me as asbestos case after asbestos case closes the schools in our School District, and this arena has proposed and the School Board has approved for them not to pay the property taxes that we as City employees and students are owed. Please do not make me a liar to my students. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Camille Henry. I'm a resident of District 3. I've lived there for over years. I'm also a physician 6 and I work in South Jersey. I have 7 the opportunity to drive over the 8 bridge and back and forth every day, 9 and I'll tell you people our South 10 Jersey neighbors are not going to 11 leave their cars home. 12 What is that going to do 13 to our access to emergency care here 14 in Center City. If you're in the 15 middle of a heart attack, you'd 16 better hope there's no Sixers game 17 on. If you or your child are having 18 an asthma attack and that asthma 19 inhaler is no longer working no 20 matter how much you pump it, you'd 21 better hope there's no Sixers game 22 on when you need to go to the ED. 23 If you're pregnant and 24 bleeding unexpectedly or the umbilical cord is wrapped around your child's neck, you better hope and pray that there's no Sixers game on. In all of these cases minutes matter and determine life versus death and permanent disability. What's the City's plan as well for when ambulances can't get through or they have to be diverted to other hospitals at Temple and HUP. Please read the white paper from the No Arena Philly Med Group. (Applause.)
Would Sonya Sanders, Mark Clincy, Sanita Churchill and Elizabeth Newsome, please come forward. And would also Reverend Robin Hynicka, please come forward. Again, Sonya Sanders, Mark Clincy, Sanita Churcill, Elizabeth Newsome and Reverend Robin Hynicka, please come forward. (Witnesses approach podium.)
And, sir, you can state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Yeah. My name is Maxwell Brown and I have a mentorship program in over 7 schools in the School District of 8 Philadelphia. When I first started 9 my mentorship program, all of the 10 billionaires and millionaires that 11 y'all are complaining about were the 12 first ones to step up to this table 13 and say what can I do to help 14 improve the quality of life for the 15 students in the city of Philadelphia. The Sixers have not only provided me with financing, they have provided me with an opportunity to put Junior 76ers teams in each of my schools to allow kids who are going to school, respecting their teachers, getting their education, participate in a game. They come to the school, turn it into Wells Fargo, get the kids uniforms and make them feel a part of what it's like to be in professional sports. They have opened up their business office to teach my mentees the importance of business and education and how it goes hand-in- hand. So I don't know how it works for you, but for me build the stadium. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Ella Israeli. I am a resident of District 3. And based on previous comments, I feel the need to say that I am a proud Jew. I'm a social worker at Philly Thrive and environmental and housing justice organization based in Grays Ferry. This arena is a bad deal for the entire city of Philadelphia. I am no stranger to City Hall. Last budget season I was here every week with Philly Thrive members to successfully advocate for $5 million for one home repair program. The proposed CBA gives only $3 million to support housing programs in the entire city. $3 million for housing in Philadelphia is a literal joke. Philly Thrive has multiple low-income members that have had to leave their neighborhoods, their homes where they have lived for decades, even leave the city itself in order to find an affordable place to live. Voting yes to the proposed deal is saying that you, City Councilmembers, are giving the green light to billionaires continuing to profit at the expense of low long- term, low-income residents who are being forced out of the city every single day. Vote no on the arena. Voting yes is selling out. What makes our city great is people. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Claire Newsome, and I'm here to testify against the arena. And I'm here to talk about traffic. 114 is the number of pedestrian and bicycle deaths that have occurred this year alone. Two is the number of years that hit and runs have gone up in Philadelphia in the past -- the number of years that hit and runs have gone up in Philadelphia. And three is the number of accidents that I've personally witnessed outside of my own home since I moved to 29th Street in July. I don't know about you. But when I cross the Ben Franklin Bridge, I would much prefer to see the beautiful lights of the Chinese Lantern Festival as opposed to traffic and the screams of mothers who have just lost their children because they the ambulances and emergency services were not able to get those children there in time. And I would just like to note that 70 percent of Philadelphians would also like to see the lights. So I leave this to you, are we going to choose death and the cries of mothers over the light. I hope you see the light. (Applause.)
Good evening. I'm Reverend Robyn Hynicka, pastor of Arch Street United Methodist Church in the 1st District and a resident of the 7th District of Philadelphia. Along with a majority of Philadelphians surveyed, I say emphatically no 19 arena in Chinatown. Billionaire developers will reap immense profits while our communities will be left to pick up the pieces. Not only will Chinatown be a historic and culturally rich neighborhood faced the threat of erasure, the Sixers arena deal robs our public institutions throughout the city. There's money that will be left on the table because the Sixers will not be required to pay property taxes. That money could fund schools, libraries, affordable housing, mental health services in neighborhoods that have already been pushed to the margins. Don't misunderstand me. I'm all for development that brings more work to our trade and service unions but not at the expense of the last working- class neighborhood in Center City. I am all for project that expands opportunity for minority workers but not a project devoid of minority investment. I am all for a project that raises the profile Philadelphia as a place of economic opportunity for all but not one that perpetuates the privileges of billionaires. I ask City Council to stop this ill-conceived project. Anything less would mean that City Hall has chosen to prioritize billionaires over the people who live, work, learn and vote here. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Pardon me, ma'am. Would Elena DiLapi, James Potts, Kate Esposito, Gregory Waldman, Joseph Freedman, please come down. Again, Ms. Elena DiLapi, James Potts, Kate Esposito, Gregory Waldman, Joseph Freedman, please come down. (Witnesses approached podium.)
And, ma'am, you may state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
I will be speaking for Sanita Churchill's place. My name is Reverend Laura Colee. I live in District 1. I serve as the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in District 2. I'm here testifying today with POWER and as a parent of a 2-year-old. It is striking to me that the only legislation that the City Council has been able to consider in recent months is related to the arena and school closures. It suggests that the financial desires of a few billionaires take precedent over the educational needs of our children. Only $7 million of the community benefits agreement is earmarked for child public education purposes. When in 2018 the 76ers Arena proposal on the waterfront came with plans to build an entire public school which would have cost way more than the 50 million being offered today. Simply put, I think the City Council is short-changing itself, the city and our children. We need you to demand more from the CBA. We need you to do your due diligence and actually negotiate with 76 DevCorp for more money. We need you to not rush this legislation on their timeline and not on yours. We need you to not sell out this city for $50 million. (Applause.)
Hello and thank you all for the opportunity to talk and the way this hearing has been conducted. I live at -- my name is Joseph Freedman. I live at 2014 Walnut Street. As you probably know, a year or two ago, up to a year or two ago, there was construction at 1919 Walnut, and one lane of traffic between 19th and 20th on Walnut was closed off, so it was a sidewalk. There was considerable congestion. And it seems to me the congestion in the construction phase of any project, not to talk about afterward, is a very considerable cost, and it's a cost which could be measured as to how much time your people are taking -- in the multiple of people and the multiple of dollars that each person earns or is entitled to. I haven't seen any discussion here, unless I missed it, about the congestion cost of the construction phase. And I think this does need to be discussed and estimated and figured as part of the project. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good evening, Council President and members of Council as well. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I am Robin Tasco. I am a proud member of Local Union 98. And this is what I want to say, I'm going to take a page out of our man Allan Iverson. And he said, what are we talking about here, practice. Are we talking about gentrification? I mean, really. This legislation as far as I'm concerned hit most of the boxes. Now, everybody ain't going to be happy. But guess what, if we don't have any economics coming into the city, all this other stuff we talking about don't mean nothing. I'm here to say to you right now tonight, because I'm tired, I've been here following legislation on testimonies and people's comments. We're talking about Chinatown. I got love for you. But guess what, majority of the people in the city of Philadelphia look like me. And I'm ready for opportunity and this Mayor has put stuff in place with a team of experts. Read the information and stop with all this nonsense. What are we talking about here, practice. We need jobs. We need opportunities and we need economics in the city. Let's get it done. I'm for the stadium.
Good evening. My name is Jack Cook. I'm a business agent for the Elevator Constructors Union Local 5 and I live in Philly. There's nothing more important than the dignity of work and having a good job to support your family. This arena will provide good-paying jobs during the construction and after the construction is finished. The arena will spur growth on East Market from City Hall to Delaware. This development is so desperately needed for our city. Without the arena, East Market will stay the same, no foot traffic during the day and sketchy at night. With this development it will bring more jobs and tax revenue for the city. Nothing worthwhile is easy. But at the end of the day, this arena will be a positive for our city. I urge the Council to vote yes. (Applause.)
Good evening, Councilmembers. My name is Greg Waldman. I'm a City worker, AFSCME member and a Jewish resident of District 1. I'm speaking on my own behalf urging you to vote down the arena legislation. It is absurd that this arena is still being considered at this stage. Even after the near unanimous opposition from Chinatown and surrounding communities and the impact studies showing how this arena would harm Chinatown businesses, put lives in danger and lead to severe service slowdowns for our transit network. Clearly all that matters to bought-off politicians is campaign contributions. Almost half of the $2 million to Mayor Parker's primary run and over 60 percent of Councilmember Squilla's half million coming from the real estate industry and building trades and the bulk of the measly $50 million over a 30-year CBA negotiated without input from Chinatown going to the Mayor's pet projects instead of mitigating direct impacts. This process is being rushed to meet the timeline set by three men with $16 billion in combined net worth and a bunch of half-baked plans. Nobody cares that they're Jewish. Do you really want to be remembered for ignoring warnings from experts and loud opposition from the vast majority of your constituents. As a city planner, I wish we had the same urgency to reduce traffic related fatalities so that a third of our closed -- (Applause.) MS. DiLAPI: Thank you, President and City Councilmembers. I appreciate you all being here tonight. I want to speak to you against the proposed bill. I want to say that --
Ma'am, please state your name for the record. MS. DiLAPI: Oh, Elena DiLapi.
Thank you, ma'am. MS. DiLAPI: Sorry. I've lived in Philly for almost 50 years and I'm a resident of Germantown. And I see my Councilperson here. Hi. Since retiring -- I mean, I've worked for most of my life, focused on the safety of and equity for women and girls while building community. Since retiring, I volunteered with Taller Puertorriqueno in North Philly and I know the value of cultural organizations to our city. I want to support the fact that we have a Chinatown where it is the center for API culture, community and celebration. We need to promote that. We need to protect that. We need to enhance Philadelphia's PAAN Asian cultural treasures and they should be among a priority for when we're looking for changes in the city. I want to say that one of the things that we need is for you to say no to this proposal. I am reminded of -- I don't know if those of you who know about the Black Bottom in West Philly, okay, and that was a situation in which the City decided to support -- okay. But let me just say we don't want another one. We don't need another Black Bottom. The people are really lamenting the fact that their community is gone 50 years later. Let's not do that again. (Applause.)
Hi. I'm Kate Esposito. I am ceding my time to Lurline Jones.
Good evening. My name is Lurline Jones and I am a 80-year resident of this great city. And I'm here to give voice from POWER and the organizing efforts that they have and on behalf of my church, St. Paul's Baptist Church. I am well aware of creating employment, upgrading salaries are important. However, disruptions, inconveniences, displacements can and will have a major effect on our neighborhoods in the north, the south, the east and the west. St. Paul Baptist is a little under a mile from the proposed site. During any given day parking around St. Paul it's a premium because people who work with the city park there but the residents cannot, and it's going to be a nightmare when that stadium or arena is built. Faith-based programs worship not only on Sunday, they operate all during the week, feeding the homeless, working with the neighborhood. So, therefore, I'm asking my City Councilpeople, Anthony Phillips, City Council, slow down this process. Make sure we get benefits. If possible, get rid of it. But you can find a new location. Thank you. (Applause.)
Just one moment, ma'am. Would Kurt Ostrow, Katherine Riley, Rachel Chang, Melanie Hsu and Ray Coyne, please come forward. Would again Kurt Ostrow, Katherine Riley, Rachel Chang, Melanie Hsu and Ray Coyne, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
And, ma'am, you may state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Okay. Hi. My name is Katie Dillon Lowe. I'm a resident of the 1st Council District. I want to make it clear that regardless of where you may have seen me or heard my name before, I'm here to speak only on my own behalf and with your blessings on behalf of all of Philadelphia who are against the arena. The facts and the data have been covered and if you've been listening, you know that this is a bad deal for Philadelphia writ large so I don't think I need to talk about that. I want to talk about Philadelphians. Many of us here have -- many of us here have done this before in one way or another. We've raised our voices to preserve our homes, our communities, our historic buildings and the history they represent, and we are so tired of being required to do so much to protect our neighbors because our elected officials, some of them we chose and some of them we did not, keep choosing campaign donations over people. When do regular citizens get to become stakeholders. We've been told over and over that we don't count because we aren't land owners. We aren't billionaires. We aren't developers or corporate business owners or leaders of well- funded institutions. We're volunteers. We're not bots. We came here of our own volition and each and every one of us hopes to be the one person that convinces you to care for us. Will our collective voice sway you -- damn, that was so short. (Applause.)
My name is Rachel Chang. I live in District 3. Who will you stand for, who will you fight for, who are you protecting, who are you serving, who, who, who. The people say no arena, the people say no arena, the people say no 20 arena. Who will you stand -- (Background interruption.)
My name is Melanie Hsu, District 3, Jamie's District. Will you stare -- (Background interruption.)
Listen up, y'all. Listen up. Excuse me. I'm trying to help y'all out. Go ahead and do your public comment. All I ask for is nobody else to comment. Go ahead and do your thing. Go ahead. That's a public comment. That's a comment.
No loss because I can't sing. As you fill this little room with (inaudible), will you tell all the children that you fought for the people who fill this little room with song. Councilmember Squilla, I'm looking at you. Will you tell your children that you fought for the people. (Applause.)
Do we got a rendition of Build baby build to make it fair? (Applause.)
Let's keep this process going. Go ahead, young lady. State your name for the record and please begin your testimony.
Hello. my name is Ray Coyne. I live in D-5 and I work in D-1. I had a long prepared statement. My name is Ray Coyne. I had a long-prepared statement but I've kind of had to scrap it and something that I wanted to say was that I was here on the 24th and Councilmember Johnson said that this is a transparent process. I would like to formally disagree with that statement. If we have to shorten everyone's speaking time to one minute while there's so many people who have something to say. Then maybe we're not giving everyone enough time and maybe City Council doesn't have enough time to appropriately look at this proposal. Why are you all deciding that we can work on the 76ers timeline to say yes to a proposal that Cherelle Parker simply agreed to without changing anything that they proposed to Mayor Kenney two years ago that he rejected. I do not understand how we can be asked to sit here and say, yes, this is a transparent process. If there is actually no alternative to this project, the City and City Council needs to do better and dream bigger. Thank you. (Applause.)
Would Maxwell Brown, Laura Colee, Chidi -- oh, Maxwell went. Okay. Laura Colee, Chidi Uzoije, Anton Moore, Mitch Channin, please come forward. Again, Laura Colee, Chidi Uzoije, Anton Moore, Mitch Channin, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
And, sir, you may state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Kurt Ostrow, District 2. I'm a proud public school teacher and PFT Union member. First, I want to address my siblings in the Building Trades. This arena is not the only way to create good union jobs in this city. Why not repair and green our schools, our transit and our infrastructure. I will use the rest of my time tonight to amplify the voices of my students. I coach the ethics bowl team. And one of our seniors reflected for young people especially, Chinatown is a beacon of culture and solace while other spaces in Center City bar adolescence from entering after 2:00 p.m., businesses in Chinatown welcome young people. Another student, a lifelong resident of Chinatown reflected on the dangers of gentrification. The same thing happened to Washington D.C.'s Chinatown after the construction of the Capital One Arena. They have an arch but that's it. It's not a Chinatown. The people cannot afford to live there. At ethics bowl practice, every week we talk about right and wrong and we talk a lot about democracy. Take this opportunity to do what's right and prove to my students that we live in one. No on the arena. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Katherine Riley. I'm a Philadelphia resident of District 3 and a teacher member of PFT 3. I'm a fourth generation union member and I'm here against the arena. Under the arena's proposed PILOTs, SDP schools would receive $50 million. In a district that's considering building closures, 50 million is insulting. Philadelphia schools are facing a facilities crisis. Schools do not have the electrical wiring to install AC for hot summer days. We have broken tiles and unremediated asbestos. An arena is our priority. The Mayor has called for a cleaner and greener Philadelphia. The health of our youth is a non-negotiable. Nationally 5.8 percent of children have asthma. In Philadelphia it's percent. The 20 proposed construction of the arena 21 would take over half a decade creating air pollution, including cement dust, sawdust, asbestos, heavy metals and synthetic fibers. This pollution is bad for anyone but especially dangerous for our City's young people. The proposed arena would decimate Chinatown as we know it. It's projected that 50 percent of businesses will be negatively impacted by the construction and countless residents of the neighborhood, a cultural hub will be displaced. That's unacceptable. All in exchange for what, profit for a few billionaire owners of a second to last team. City Council, I implore you reject the arena. (Applause.)
Hi. I'm Mitch Channin. I'm a resident of the 10th District in Far Northeast Philly, a SEPTA rider, a member of POWER Interfaith, the product of a proud PFT union family. Like the T-shirt says, I'm pro union, I'm pro jobs, but I'm not pro building this arena in Chinatown. It's obvious that Chinatown is not the appropriate location for this arena, in part because there's no legitimate plan to ensure that more than 40 percent of fans use SEPTA to get there, which would result in catastrophic gridlock in Center City, as the traffic study indicated. Even though 70 percent of the people in Philadelphia agree that this is not an appropriate place for the arena, it's really painful for me as a member of a union family to be here in opposition to the building trades. And I blame City Council for its failure of leadership in this matter. City Council should be focused on finding an appropriate location for the arena if, in fact, there's a need and a desire for a new arena in Philadelphia. City Council should be holding hearings about alternative plans for the revitalization of Market East. Why have there been so many hearings about this Arena proposal and zero hearings about alternatives for East Market Street. (Applause.)
I would like to call John Buzsby, Kia Chau, Tess Feiler, Dana Buchan and Jayson Massey. Again, John Buzsby, Kia Chau, Tess Feiler, Dana Buchan and Jayson Massey, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
And, sir, you may begin with your testimony. Please state your name first.
Good evening. My name is Chidi Uzoije and I'm here presenting on behalf of Pride Enterprises General Contractor and Construction Manager and owner Craig Williams in support of the bill. The 76ers proposed arena represents a monumental investment in our great city, and it will also be a tremendous opportunity for minority-owned businesses like ours to enjoy the economic benefits of the development. I have firsthand experience with this impact and my personal journey illustrates it. The 76ers Place has a projected budget of 1.3 billion. The construction cost will be the most significant part of that spend, 35 to 50 percent of which is earmarked for diverse businesses. Efforts have been made to extend this opportunity to the diverse business community. An opportunity like 76ers Place will create chances for minority-owned businesses to secure partnered and independent contracts during construction and in the operation of the facility and will open pathways for continued independent growth. There is no doubt that this development would help grow diverse businesses impact and revitalize downtown Philadelphia and we support it. Thank you.
My name is Kaia Chau. I am a born and raised Philadelphian and the co-founder of Ginger Arts Center, a community youth and arts center in Chinatown. Developers promised to call a community meeting in Chinatown to speak to us directly but they never did. We then asked the developers to come to a community meeting we organized to address us. They never came. They sent their DEI person. They then failed to talk to anyone in Chinatown for over eight months. We asked our Mayor to meet with us six times and we asked the Mayor before her to come twice. Deafening silence followed each and every one of those eight invitations. The City study literally says that Chinatown will be diminished or destroyed, and yet this proposal still sits on the table sucking the legislative life out of a body that certainly has more to do than shepherd in billionaire land grabs. Do you know how it feels for two-and-a-half years in light of a legacy of city-driven destruction we still have to fight and now to plead once again to not be destroyed to finally be valued and be protected by a city that has taken so much of our community already. We ask you now to put an end to this mean-spirited, greedy, half-baked plan. Do not allow City Council to be railroaded into a shameful deal and a process that has amounted to a legislative waterboarding do not vote for a destruction of the community who now asks for no more from you than to let us live. Thank you. (Applause.)
Sir, state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Hello. My name is John Buzsby. My congregation is in Council District No. 1 and I'm testifying with Arch United Methodist Church and POWER Interfaith. I am here to speak on behalf of our unhoused neighbors. All of them have been pushed around and pushed aside for too long. I don't believe in this arena because as a work -- I work at Arch Street United Methodist Church. We see unhoused individuals every day and we have a market increase of our guests every day basically because unhoused neighbors have been pushed around too long and too often. So I would like to put our money and resources to cheaper housing. Thank you. (Applause.)
Would Cindy Farlino, Camille White, AnaSophia Rollins, Charlie McGeehan and Keano Tsao, please come forward. Again, that's Cindy Farlino, Camille White, AnaSophia Rollins, Charlie McGeehan and Keano Tsao, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
And, ma'am, please state your name for the record and begin your testimony.
Tess Feiler. My congregation Arch Street UMC is in Council District 1 across the street and I'm here with POWER Interfaith. Arch Street serves Sunday dinner to our unhoused and sheltered neighbors as well as weekday services like showers, laundry and case management. This arena will have a serious negative impact on our capacity and therefore the neighbors we serve the point in time count gets larger each year and even we saw an increase in the number of neighbors needing services since the street sweeps in Kensington. This arena will cause yet another ripple effect that providers like us will have to bear stretching our already limited resources and I'll have to tell guests that I can't get them a shower or laundry slot for their urine-soaked clothing because we don't have enough slots. An arena down the street means our most vulnerable neighbors will suffer and some of them will die and that will be part of your legacy with this arena. We demand you slow down this process and make sure the CBA reflects the needs of everyone. And if you can't, then we demand the project be stopped. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Cindy Farlino. My husband and I live at 15th and Locust, District 2. We are really angry because we feel, as many in my condo, that we were never given a voice or listened to around this arena. We feel that if the Mayor is talking about one Philadelphia, is it one Philadelphia that doesn't mean Center City or that doesn't mean the Gayborhood and especially doesn't mean Chinatown? Where is the one Philadelphia? Does it mean the public school kids that are not going to get -- they're not part of one Philadelphia because they're not going to get the $200 million in taxes to help with schools. We're really angry at the whole way this has been uncovered. It feels like a deal that was made somehow behind closed doors that we were not part of. It was the neighborhoods versus the billionaires and hopefully the folks like Kenyatta Johnson who's in my area will stand up and say, this is not right because the union jobs -- and I'm a proud active Teamster Local 502 member, the union jobs, the union jobs will be there wherever the Sixers build the arena. It doesn't have to be built in Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. Good evening. My name is Dana Buchan. I'm here tonight with POWER Interfaith. I'm a resident of District 3 but grew up in Delaware County. When they built the union stadium in Chester it was projected to generate 74 million annually. However, the city has still not seen any significant revenue since. Instead I witnessed firsthand how it contributed to the growing crime rates and number of unhoused people in my area. I'm now a case manager at the Mazzoni Center here in District 1 where I assist low-income and disabled clients in navigating housing resources. And with the growing restrictions on state-funded grants, I have the daunting task of explaining to my clients that we are no longer able to provide them financial assistance. Imagine having to tell your clients that all you can do is put them on housing waitlist where they can wait for over a decade before a spot's available, that they will lose all of their belongings because they cannot pay for storage, to just wish them luck in finding a shelter that isn't at full capacity. I'm not here to condemn building an arena in Philly in general, but we need to slow down this process and create cohesive CBA language that actually supports our community and the housing crisis, not just a handful of billionaires. (Applause.)
My name is Camille White -- hi. My name is Camille. Most know me as (inaudible) Mixer. I'm a former creative artist and photographer. I currently live in Delaware but as a proud West PA man, I do most of my work is done here in Philly. I oppose the arena for many reasons. I want to talk about them and the community. Fun fact, basketball season is around major concert season. I know this as I used to work for Philly's major venues as a concert security in my 20s. Now, as a photographer and artist who also worked in Atlanta for a little bit as a sports photographer, I know what sports is like. I love my teams. I might not be from Philly, but I know what it takes to be a community member to stand here even from Delaware. I take the train every day coming off of Jefferson Station Market East. I started doing that since I was 18 years old when I first moved here, now in my 30s. This whole plan never addressed any of the issues. It's telling. As most already wealthy white businessmen don't plan for both sides of their actions or future actions, both negative or positive, but only see the money. The businessmen behind this Arena plans have devastated other neighborhoods and now have hospitals that are low income. People use this today. I urge you Council to say no to this arena in Chinatown. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Keano Tsao and I'm a proud Chinese American and Chinatown youth. Allow me to set the record straight, that arenas do not benefit the economy. It's simply a fairy tale that this arena will spur economic growth in Chinatown and Philadelphia as a whole. You can go on and on about how Philadelphia needs economic stimulation, but time and time again arenas are economically useless. A report by economist from Kennesaw University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the West Virginia University found decisively that after reviewing 130 studies on sports stadiums impacts, there's nothing to be gained economically from sports arenas. In addition, the City's own study that the 76ers Commission found that the arena would have no 13 benefit to Market East and more likely than not destroy Chinatown and its culture. When 70 percent of the City does not win the arena, 94 percent of the Chinatown residents do not want the arena, when the already failing SEPTA says they won't be able to handle the Sixers demands, when Jefferson Hospital says they won't be able to handle the increased traffic from the arena, when the science shows projects like this don't have economic benefits for the city as a whole, who besides the ultra wealthy executives of the Sixers actually gain anything from the arena. Thank you. (Applause.) MR. McGEEHAN: Good evening. My name is Charlie McGeehan. I am a Philadelphia high school teacher, a District parent, a resident of District 1 and a lifelong Philly sports fan, I'm also a union member. I'm here in all those capacities to urge you to vote no on all of these bills. I appreciate Councilmember Squilla for allowing me to speak after I was initially rejected. I'm wondering how many other voices were excluded tonight, and I think that the cutting this testimony down to one minute indicates just how inappropriate it is for Council to rush this process as you have. I spend my days teaching civics to 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds and I've showed many of the videos from this testimony. And honestly much of the questioning from Councilmembers has been a great example of how our government should function. I'm just hoping that your actions when it comes time to vote match your words when it has come to the questioning, because ultimately I'm worried that these questions are just a show and ultimately that you will capitulate to the desires of billionaires rather than putting the needs of our students and our city first. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Aster Chau. I'm a junior at the Academy at Palumbo, an intern with AAU and a volunteer with Philly Thrive and Sunrise. During natural disaster you protect your home, you salvage what you can and you stand your ground because not everyone has billions of dollars to get another. As elected officials, are you going to make an active choice to let this big corporate greed tornado known as the 76er billionaires destroy Chinatown? Are you going to settle for the bare minimum benefit agreement that did not involve the community? Which side are you on? I want you to look at the youth. We are here on a school night because we need to be heard. These students wrote letters that will pile your desk tomorrow telling you why Chinatown is important to them, but I also have letters of thanks for some Councilmembers. (Background interruption.)
I think it's immature to boo 16-year-olds. I have a minute. I have a minute, please. Thank you. We don't want 76ers tickets. We need funding for our schools, for playgrounds so kids can have access to resources because it's undeniable that our District is underfunded. The solidarity and unity of people ready to protect China Town, meeting new people who are in this fight, helping me hold on to hope which has been so hard lately because I (inaudible) brought back a piece of love and expression within me. This is my poem, love letter to Chinatown to just regrounding what is actually at stake. Resilience magnetizes itself onto your walls when people feel as if they're about to fall they stick together. You bring unity and solidarity for people who are far from home. Then you become home or the thing closest to culture remembrance. Resemblance because familiarity and comfort. You open your arms to hold all the children, the generational pains. Embrace our elders with their wrinkled hands who have so many stories to tell. Paint the walls with nostalgia and make it hard to say farewell. I want to walk down the same streets of Chinatown's future generations, stories of Chinatown in Chinatown. Chinatown has protected us in ways that billionaires don't understand. Because it's not their home. It's ours. We are at the front lines of this destruction. We are the people, we are the youth. Chinatown is our home. (Applause.)
My name is Reverend Laura Colee. I'm passing my time to Reverend Matthew Arlyck.
Hello. My name is Reverend Matthew Arlyck. My congregation First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia is in Council District 2 and I'm here testifying with POWER Interfaith. At First Presbyterian Church we have many members who live in Center City. Many of our members are homebound or are very limited in their mobility. Some live on fixed incomes or have experienced per periods of housing insecurity. In my capacity as the congregational care minister, I visit many of those members every week and I hear their stories. Just this morning I spoke to a member who very recently was living on the streets right here in Center City because they are undocumented and are afraid to seek out any government services, and this problem is by no means limited to Center City. In 2024, POWER Interfaith surveyed over 700 people in congregations across this city and found that 30 percent of our congregants have trouble paying their mortgage or rent every month. There is a growing housing affordability crisis and we have watched major developments going up across the city that are not benefiting our community. Vote no. 15 (Applause.)
Will Reverend Alexandre da Silva Souto come forward, Calvin Williams, Adam Shellhorse. Pardon the pronunciation here, Yingxian Chen Shellhorse, Paul Uyehara. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Sir, you may state your name for the record and begin with your testimony. DR. DaSILVA SOUTO: Good evening. I'm the Reverend Alexandre da Silva Souto. My pronouns are they, them and theirs. I live in West Philly and I serve with a faithful and justice seeking people of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia in Center City. I'm here fighting today with my congregation and POWER Interfaith representing 55 congregations of various faith, race and ages across every Council District. I have an architecture degree from UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design and I worked for five years with the Dean of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. So I'm not only having serious concerns from an ethical, moral and religious perspective but from an architecture and urban planning perspective as well. There is no way for this arena to truly benefit the people of Philadelphia. Arenas in general do not build community. Arenas do not create sustainable jobs. Two, three years the very most arenas in urban centers only work if there is robust public transit and the developers are promising no money to SEPTA. It will crush SEPTA and we need SEPTA working, and we need the City to have communities. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Katherine Bell and I'm a member of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, resident of District 2 and a member of POWER Interfaith. POWER is Philadelphia's largest faith-based organizing effort representing 55 congregations of every faith, race age and across every Council District. My family came to Philadelphia fleeing the Irish famine in the 1840s. 175 years ago they arrived when the billionaires of that day posted signs outside their businesses that Irish, Blacks and dogs need not apply for jobs. Only they didn't say Blacks. The 76ers Arena proposal is the equivalent of today's billionaire saying no to Chinatown, saying no to affordable housing, saying no to housing insecurity solutions, saying no to the School District of Philadelphia. POWER Interfaith demands City Council and Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson slow down this process and make sure the community benefits agreement reflects the needs of all the community. If it can't be slow down, end the proposal. Thank you. (Applause.)
Sir, you can approach. It's fine. If you can just hold one second, sir, that's fine. I just want to call some other people up. Susan Nam, Binh Applegate, Rabbi Mozes, Emily Mann, would you please come forward. Again, Susan Nam, Binh Applegate, Rabbi Mozes, Emily Mann. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Good evening, President Johnson and members, my name is Paul Uyehara. I live in District 3. Since the late '70s, I want us to remember that Chinatown here and around the country should be understood for what they are, the products and subjects of race discrimination. They were created to provide space for people not permitted to live and work elsewhere against the background provided by the only immigration law that targeted people from one country, a group subjected to widespread discrimination and racist violence. In Philadelphia since the '60s, Chinatown has been repeatedly targeted by one development project after another which has built a concrete wall around the neighborhood. Chinatown today nevertheless is thriving, a community of residents, businesses and community institutions to provide jobs, housing and services to the residents, the city as well as tourists. It's also a hub of immigrant integration not just for Chinese immigrants but for other Asians and many Latinos. It generates more than its share of tax revenues and is a pillar of Center city. Years of demolition and construction -- (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Binh Applegate. Thank you for the opportunity to speak at this public hearing. As a longtime Philadelphia, I love my city which encompasses the sports teams including the Sixers. Even more important though is the flourishing of the city and its residents. I live in the 3rd District where many of my neighbors and I are concerned about the building of the Sixers arena in Center City and its negative impact on the surrounding communities of Chinatown and Washington Square West. My family and I frequently go to Chinatown to buy groceries, dine together at our favorite restaurants and attend cultural events such as a Lunar New Year celebration and Mid Autumn Festival. This has been an important way for my children to learn about and immerse themselves in the rich cultural heritage. I'm also a proud parent of a Carver E&S student. I ask City Council and the Mayor why they are prioritizing the needs of billionaires when our public schools are in dire need of improved school safety, asbestos remediation, infrastructure repairs and upgrades and new core instructional resources. As a nurse-practitioner who works in District 2, the tax breaks that Mayor Parker is giving to the billionaires could be used to provide much needed mental health care services, address gun violence and promote healthy lifestyle and disease prevention. You all entered public service because you love Philadelphia and want to raise the concerns of your constituents. So please listen to the voices of 70 percent of Philadelphians who oppose the building of the Sixers arena. Thank you for your time and attention. (Applause.)
Would Barbara Gurley, Stephanie Watts, Mike Still, Stephen Pianovich, please come forward. Jamie Luck, Fern Hagedorn, Chee Low, Andrew Lee, Kira Roberson, Daniela Lozano, Kenny Holdsman, John Donohoe, Thomas Lepera, Queen Judith Robinson, Tom Betteridge, Elizabeth Connor, Barbara Wolf, Michael Carrier, Joseph Thomas Karminer -- Kaminer rather, Shakur Woodson, Darnell Artis, Asantewaa Nkrumah- Ture, Katie DiSanto, Rachel Swym. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Hey, folks. My name is Jamie Luck. I live in District 5. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. So I stand here thankful for the opportunity to talk and for the opportunity to be heard and I hope that City Council is listening to everyone who's speaking here today. Our city's issues are familiar to everyone who lives here. Instead of solutions, we're here talking about a project that would stand to benefit very few in this city. In fact, folks that don't live in this city whatsoever. We are giving about $400 million in tax breaks in the form of payments in lieu of taxes, when we could be using that $400 million to fund our public school system. We're giving a CBA that allocates more money to a fund that would benefit the arena than to the actual community-owned businesses that it purports to support. This proposal glosses over an unrealistic 40 percent transit figure that is unattainable with the constraints that we have in this city and the constraints that we have with our public transport system. I'm used to weighing trade-offs, so let's look at some trade-offs here. $400 million in tax revenue could keep schools open impacting thousands of children. Thank you for your bored voices of time. Go back to looking at your phones. $400 million in tax revenue -- thank you for the opportunity to speak. (Applause.)
My name is Michael Carrier. I'm a long-term resident of District 1 and a law professor with expertise in sports law. I'd like to talk about the pros and cons. In terms of the pros I've read every study in the past 30 years and the benefits are always overstated. Whatever the owners say it never actually happens in terms of labor, in terms of revenues. The same thing happens. What about Market East? of the community impact analysis says that the arena "will not necessarily address the challenges facing Market East," so it's not fixing Market East. It's not living up to all its potential. Instead we have all the cons that we've heard about. The folks who are here are against it, gridlock, health, public transportation, SEPTA being forced to spend $20 million extra a year, construction, small business suffering not just Chinatown but Wash West and the Gayborhood as well, and the Convention Center is a dead zone. That's what we're going to have here instead of 1100 Market, tons of retail and residential. Two final analogies. You go on TV and someone says, best deal ever. It ends in seconds. You 14 say is it really the best deal ever. 15 And, two, if you improve the CBA, you're putting lipstick on a pig. It's a prettier pig, but it's still a pig. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Shakur Woodson. I'm an educator in the city of Philadelphia as well and I'm in District 8. Thank you, Ms. Bass, for all you do for us. I'm one of the organizers of the Lonnie Young Summer League also in District 8. And as one of the premier leagues in the city of Philadelphia, I see basketball unite people all the time. When me and my brothers first started our summer league, many doubted that our summer league wouldn't bring nothing positive to our neighborhood. Now, it stands as a shining light and example of how you invest in your city and you could create opportunities, jobs. You could create lasting impact, so on and so on. We've created an ecosystem that generates a lot of money and support for small businesses and a safe space to enjoy outdoor basketball. As a spokesperson for the basketball community in the city of Philadelphia, I think this arena will be wonderful for this community. I think it would bring a lot of -- it would support a lot of small businesses. It supports the African American community in a bunch of different ways. I just had the pleasure of recently speaking with Vice-president Kamala Harris and we talked about the education and the processes that happened in the city of Philadelphia. And one of the things we talked about is opportunity. This arena will be built in the next 10 years. My kids, my students will receive those opportunities. Thank y'all. (Applause.)
How y'all doing. My name is Darnell Artis of the world. Mostly know me as Speedy. I played for the Harlem Globetrotters. Seven years ago -sorry, seven years ago I had a vision for my neighborhood, a vision that we could bring people together and we grew up in East Germantown, the seventh most dangerous neighborhood in all of the city statistically. And with doubt we understand that there's reasons to be against the arena, reasons to be for the arena. But what I'm for is hope, I'm for change, I'm for impact. And I think that building this arena will impact the youth, give them a vision, give them something that they can shoot for. When I was younger, I remember the Gallery being one of the most vibrant places in the city, somewhere that I always really wanted to be. And I know that kids right now don't view it that way and it's something that they need to be able to look forward to. So that's why I am for the arena. (Applause.)
Reverend Nic, you ready? All right. Good evening, everyone. My name is Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture. I'm an organizer with the Philadelphia Tenants Union and Black Philly for Chinatown. We say stop the rush for this arena. We say take the time to ask questions and demand the billionaires answer our questions. Why are they hiding. Why are they acting like cowards. Why aren't they here to answer our questions this evening. Doctors have told us that this arena would cause a public health nightmare on game nights. We should listen to these health professionals. We, the public, have a right to know if this process has been ethical and legal every step of the way given all the political scandals we've had in this city for the last to years. Would you really, City Councilmembers, would you really want such a monstrosity a few blocks from the home of your elderly grandparents? Would you really want that? So we just say no to this Arena. Ask all kinds of questions and for those of you who say you care about jobs, start a campaign to raise the minimum wage. (Applause.)
Good evening. 14 My name is Stephanie Watts for the 15 record. I'm from Logan and I live and work in Germantown. I got to hold my phone up. In my years serving as a community engagement manager at neighborhood museums in Philadelphia and New York City, I am tasked with listening to what near neighbors desire for themselves and their community and use the resources available to me to make that happen for them. I see the role -- let me talk now, chile, I know y'all want to cheer. I see the role of City Council the same way. Citizens entrust you with our vision of a safe, beautiful, culturally-rich electrifying Philadelphia and we look to you to execute a people- focused methodology and a people- powered strategy. As servant leaders, we must move with the understanding that the people we serve know what is best for them. They have a clearer view of their material existence more than we could and as well as the positive path forward that is culturally relevant and long lasting. With 70 percent of voters standing in opposition to the arena, City Council's vote should reflect that. Thank you to the Councilpersons who have already done so. All right. I got like two seconds. Y'all relax. In closing, real quick I want to say we not opposed to y'all. We want y'all to have your jobs, but we want black People to be paid properly. In closing, as you look into the crowd session-after-session every demo of the city is represented, for those in favor of the arena these are people who have something personally to gain from the existence of 76 Place -- I'm wrapping. But what's special about those in opposition is that many of us don't live in Chinatown, we don't live in the 1st District. We're sticking our necks out and talking to you. Let -- if you don't vote no, we'll vote no in the polls. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Barbara Gurley and my congregation Old First United Church of Christ is in the Chinatown area. I'm also with POWER Interfaith. My concern about the people in Chinatown is as the prices go up, the housing, they're not going to be able to have affordable housing. I'm a retired City worker and I was just making enough. My apartment caught on fire and I looked for housing. I had help, but I make too much to get any benefits which probably a lot of people in Chinatown are and I can't get into senior housing because with my pension and Social Security it's too much. So I'm concerned about the -- I'm concerned about the residents and I think the arena should be built somewhere else. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Barbara Wolf. I have lived 50 years a mile north of here in the 5th District and I have worked for close to 30 years at Children's Village, a child care center of 430-something children on the edge of Chinatown on 8th Street. It's larger than some of the elementary schools in Philadelphia. I'm concerned about how this process has been so divisive with the 76ers promoting services and promises, promises, promises to Black entrepreneurs, to the Building Trades. Many years several years ago when Temple University promoted a stadium in (inaudible) in North Philadelphia closing off 15th Street several blocks north of where I live. There was no hoopla from the Building Trades about all the jobs this would bring and the Black and White and all communities kind of stepped back possibly with the right memory of what Penn did to the Black Bottom. But Sixers as soon as Chinatown was opposed, promises, promises, promises to the Black community. This has been really divisive. It's not one Philadelphia and I spent too many years in child care working to try to make our next generation understand and work together so that we don't have this kind of divisive issues going forward in Philadelphia. (Applause.) MS. DiSANTO: My name is Katie DiSanto. I also go by Katie AD professionally. Just a refresher, for those of you who have not seen me testify here before, I work less than two blocks from the proposed arena site in Chinatown. And a one-of-kind independently- owned and operated small businesses that's been part of the arts and culture in Philadelphia for 72 years. We've paid the City tens of thousands of non-transferable licensing and zoning fees, taxes and individual licensing fees. Yet the City's own impact report, which I have here predicts, that our business will not survive six years of arena construction, needlessly terminating all of our jobs and decades of investment in our community. There's several questions left that the City Council must answer. If a brand new shopping and entertainment building hasn't survived six years of operation, what happens when an arena in its place fares even worse financially? A basketball team is not a money- printing machine. If this team loses income in attendance in this unpopular arena site, the arena operates at a loss and/or the developers face unrelated financial ruin, what recourse does the City have for the hundreds of millions of dollars of consequences that we will be left to face in their wake? If the arena is built, what is stopping them from selling their interests and assets to other parties that have no contracts or agreements with the City? What guarantee does the City have that the developers who've already shown bad faith in other projects won't sell us out even further down -- (Applause.)
Good evening, Council President, members of Council. My name is Thomas Lepera. I'm standing here in favor of the arena tonight because I heard -- I listen to everybody tonight. I listened to them talk about schools. I listened to them talk about transit. I listened about crime. And all those things can be fixed only by tax dollars and an increase in tax revenue. This Sixers arena does that. By removing the TIF, by removing the TIF alone, tax dollars go into the School District. The $6 million PILOT is the largest in the city's history. The tax revenue created by the ancillary developments will be huge for the city on boon. Build the arena. I'm in favor. Thank you. (Applause.) MS. McGETTIGAN: Hi. My name is Kathleen McGettigan. I think we need to talk about the morning after the facts are in. The arena is not justified. This week or next week City Council will in all likelihood vote in favor of the arena. So what do we do on the morning after. Do we take it to the streets or do we roll over and play dead? (Applause.)
Sarah Dougherty, Alina Macneal, Allie Eastus, Marisa Adamson, Evan Cleary, Christine Phan, Nabeelah Bey, Christina Vick-Kell, Alanna Faelan, Jasmine Chiu, Katrina Eames, Katelyn Eng on behalf of Francis, Joshua Eng, Lynn Landes, Craig Heim, Cynthia Miller, Reverend Matthew Arlyck, Maria Frizelle Roberts, Sarah Pincus, Sarah Gertler, Sean Gleave, Frangy Pozo, Katie Perez, Anthony Pio, Jeanette Lloyd, David Walters, Mark Forst, Sean Hanrahan, Eugene Thomas, Amy Chen Lozano. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Go ahead. Please state your name and begin your testimony.
My name is Sarah Dougherty. I was born here in Philadelphia and I live in the 1st District. While we have all bared witness to countless powerful testimonies outlining the many reasons Chinatown is the wrong place for an arena, today I will be speaking from my heart because for me Chinatown has always been a place of joy, community and rich, vibrant culture. When I walk through Chinatown, I see people who not only take care of each other but also care for the Philadelphia community at large. When me and my loved ones have fallen ill, I've relied on Chinatown's markets to find herbs and remedies I otherwise wouldn't be able to find at my local grocery stores. Walk a block through Chinatown and it's impossible not to walk past acupuncture and massage clinics, herbal shops and places of healing and community care. Chinatown is a treasure to the Philadelphia community. So many experts and community members have already outlined in detail the significant threats that the 76ers arena would pose to the health and well-being of our community. Councilmembers, I urge you to stand with the Philadelphia people and use your power to vote no on the arena. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Alina Macneal. I live in District 3, Jamie Gauthier's, very nice to see you here, and I am here to speak against the arena. I'm an architect and I've taught in the Architecture department at Drexel University for over 30 years as a design and planning professional. When I was in college and graduate school, I saw my profession repudiate the terrible planning decisions of the '50s and '60s which destroyed neighborhoods and damaged cities for generations. The Arena plan as it is proposed on that site is a relic of the worst ideas of the '50s and the '60s, the suburbanization of the historic downtown with a mega structure that's out of scale and out of context for the site, displacing neighborhoods and communities, privatizing a public street and damaging the historic city grid, catering to out-of-towners rather than local residents, ensuring that the mixed-used round-the-clock vitality, which is the lifeblood of a good downtown, can never happen in this location. These are just some of the reasons the arena is a terrible idea for Philadelphia. So I urge you to vote no. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Christina Vick-Kell. I live in Squilla's District but he is not here. I grew up a 76ers fan in Delco, a huge chunk of my family works construction. But this is a bad deal for the city. We need more time and more money for this. People have done such a good job talking about SEPTA, talking about schools in Chinatown. I can't do better. But someone who lives a block away from the proposed arena site, I can talk about reality at that intersection. Market East is still barren for blocks due to the ill-planned Convention Center. What happens those 300 off nights at the arena? That attractive development opportunity from Disney turned into a hole that turned into a parking lot. What happens when Trump tariffs raise construction prices? My partner sat in traffic after work for an hour physically incapable of getting back into our parking lot from a block away due to a road closure. He finally went up and went to Cherry Hill instead because he couldn't get home. Emergency services can't just go to Jersey. Just take transit with pleasure. I don't have a car, but SEPTA will be destroyed by this arena and the 76ers refuse to pay enough to cover it. How will everyone else who doesn't have a car handle their commutes? Like, what? Okay. You keep screaming build it. Yes, sure, you'll get those jobs. You'll get them, but build it somewhere where it makes sense. (Applause.)
Good evening, Councilmembers and fellow Philadelphians. My name is Evan Cleary. I'm a citizen of District 4. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today about something vital to our collective future. We all know the cherished role District 1 plays in Philadelphia, a cornerstone of our city for over 150 years. Its vibrant bustling hub of culture and community where diversity isn't just celebrated. It's lived every day. That's the bright side of the story at least. However, there's another side we often overlook. District 1 was shaped by exclusionary policies that took root in this very room 150 years ago with the Exclusion Act of 1882. Remember, the individualist said he found his cultural identity in Chinatown. That's what District 1 is symbolized, communities built by people who came together seeking a place to live free from oppression. It has grown into this vibrant, diverse and amazing community and it is threatened. And if you allow it. It will be smashed with a hammer by you. Now, there's a few numbers I just want to clarify. So we keep hearing the number with SEPTA where it's 40 percent of people need to take SEPTA for this to work. Well, really the report says 40 percent of its people need to use auto transit so that's more like 60 percent of people because where's the other percent 13 coming from. Are they walking? 14 Thank you. Thank you very much. 15 Have a great night. 16 (Applause.) 17
Thank you, City 18 Council. My name is Joshua Eng. I 19 know I have limited time so I'm just 20 going to jump to my last point regarding something that Mayor Parker shared in an interview she gave during last year's election. She was talking about the importance of qualitative input in avoiding a policy approach that says "I know what's best for you." I wholeheartedly agree with that statement and moving forward with this project would directly contradict that idea that she expressed. After all the input from community members raising critical concerns that we've heard, approving the proposal would only further erode people's trust that government can work for regular people rather than those who can buy greater influence on this process. Building an arena that would negatively affect more than half of Chinatown's businesses and displacing low-income workers and seniors for a sports team with a net worth of more than $4 billion would be irresponsible governance. So I hope this hearing won't just be a matter of good optics but will actually have a real impact on the decisions you're being entrusted to make. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Katelyn Eng. Thank you for your time to let me share today. I am sharing on behalf of a small business owner from Chinatown and this is what she shared with me. I was born and raised in Chinatown, a third generation resident of this vibrant community. My grandfather and father both owned a restaurant and today I run a hair salon. As a small business owner, I am particularly concerned about how an arena will change the dynamics of Chinatown. My salon relies on a steady stream of customers who at times already struggle to access the neighborhood due to traffic congestion and lack of parking. When events or conventions take place at the nearby Convention Center, my clients often can't get into Chinatown because of all the blockages. And when they do manage to find parking, it is often overpriced, sometimes double or triple the normal rate making it more expensive than my haircuts. Adding an arena to the mix will only exacerbate this problem, making it even more difficult for my customers to visit. Is this the image we want to project to the world? Chinatown has been my home my entire life and I want my children and grandchildren to experience the same pride and sense of community that I have felt here. I ask you to reconsider this development and take into account the significant impact it will have on businesses, residents and the future of this beloved neighborhood. Thank you for your time. (Applause.)
This is my anti-Market East Chinatown Stadium speech. My name is Nabeelah Bey. I'm an employee of the School District Philadelphia. I'm a behavioral health counselor. I'm a lifelong Philadelphian. This present deal, as Parker calls it, only benefits some hidden hands. The taxpayers would still have to fix the infrastructure upgrades, electrical grids, streets, plumbing, water, sewage and SEPTA. This deal would rob Philadelphians of $400 million in tax revenue that should support our neighborhoods and schools. The SDP Board had the nerve to approve this on 11/2024. This project would ruin our colonial atmosphere in Center City with six years of demolition and construction plus traffic gridlock, also dealing with whatever is unearthed by environmental disruption such as rats and rodents. The selfishness of David Adelman or whatever his name is, I attended a zoom meeting during COVID, he shut out his face. The only reason he's doing this is because he wants to be able to get out of the parking lot fast and then be able to meet with friends and have wine and dine before the game in Center City. Please put a state- of-the-art 7 to 12 mid and high school at Market East. And I'm sorry to say it, but if y'all forget about us, we going to forget about you. (Applause.)
City Council, thank you for your time. My name is Sean Gleave and I'm in favor of building the stadium. My father helped build this awesome city. I'm a second generation electrical worker, worked in the city for over 28 years. My son is a third-year apprentice currently working in the city and this is a game-changer for the Fashion District and the city as a whole. It is paid for at no cost to taxpayers, brand new beautiful stadium that would attract the best of the best free agents and bring basketball championships to the city, like when we built The Linc it attracted the best of the best and we went on to go to the playoffs every year ever since and that was years ago. This is how we 19 protect our jobs and our livelihood. 20 Build it. Thank you very much for your time. (Applause.)
My name is Katrina Ames. I live in District 3 and I am against the arena and I'll skip the niceties because I only have a minute. Before I moved to Philadelphia, I served on my local school board elsewhere in Pennsylvania. I've read the legislation. I know what's in the CBA and I know that the billionaires have no plans to pay their fair share in taxes. This is a bad deal for Philly. It is a bad deal for our schools and our students and we should be ashamed to even be discussing a deal this bad when it will undoubtedly hurt our communities and our city. I urge you all to vote no on this proposal and I urge you to give the people more opportunities to speak where we aren't being told that you've heard enough from us and won't let more people sign up for public comment or where we get waitlisted and told we're waitlisted two hours before the meeting or where you cut our time from a few minutes to just one. It is your job to listen to your constituents and we are begging for the opportunity to tell you what is happening in our lives and what we need from you. It is your job to represent us, so please actually listen. Please give us the opportunities to tell you why we are against this and please vote no. 13 Thank you. (Applause.)
Hello. My name is Sean Hanrahan. I have lived in Philadelphia for 15 years and have been amazed at both the vibrancy and longevity of the Chinatown and Gayborhood neighborhoods. I am currently dismayed at the threat looming over both of these cherish neighborhoods. I grew up in the D.C. area and actually lived in D.C. where I saw the erasure of D.C.'s Chinatown by the construction of what was then known as the MCI Center. Business by business the neighborhood disappeared. Now, there are a bare handful of Chinatown shops and restaurants. By the arch itself there is a CVS, a Hooters and a Starbucks with their signs written in Chinese, a sadly poetic reminder of what was once there until destroyed by irresponsible development. Fans of the 76ers are unlikely to frequent either the Chinatown or the Gayborhood restaurants, but the traffic generated by these games isolate these neighborhoods from the rest of the city. The arena will drive up rents and displace population. Both the Asian and queer communities are not best served by the location of this arena. Please vote no. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Christine Phan. I am a Ph.D. student and I'm a Philadelphia resident and voter in Center City in District 2 and I'm against this arena. I want to talk specifically about safety in the arena. For my friends and I, Chinatown has become a common meeting point from community meetings to late night food. And this doesn't go without saying Chinatown's countless small businesses, restaurants, stores and markets mean the streets are well- lit. There's people out and about late at night and plenty of spaces to duck into if you need help. The smaller streets in this neighborhood and slower moving cars make it easier for the youth, the elderly and the physically disabled to walk safely. The development of this arena has been economically or physically predicted to destroy countless Chinatown businesses. The destruction of these businesses means that these streets will only reduce foot traffic and consequently will reduce the number of people and eyes on the street, that sense of safety and community that are crucial for that idea of collective safety. Fundamentally, this arena is going to turn our streets into a wasteland. And we've heard a lot about gridlock, so I also want to add between gridlock and the amount of unsafe driving that will increase with people trying to get to these time-sensitive events is going to make it way more dangerous to walk. So how can you claim an arena is going to revitalize this city when it will destroy a vital community hub that already does keep people safe each and every day. (Applause.)
Good evening, Councilmembers and attendees. My name is Cindy Miller and I'm a 40-year Philadelphia resident from Southwest Philadelphia. Y'all probably noticed the amazing levels of organization and support that our No 13 Arena in Chinatown Coalition has put together. In addition to our original founding groups, we also have No Arena West Philly, No Arena Gayborhood, No Arena Washington West, Black Philly for Chinatown. We have a dedicated research group. We have a visual arts coalition. We have had community meetings in public halls and private gatherings in people's homes. We've gone door-to-door and set up information tables to spread our message. We have consistently visited City Councilmembers and we have -- I'm losing my -- and we have printed material, including these wonderful t-shirts. We have had large protest marches. We have a music committee. We have resident photographers and videographers. In other words, we are incredibly, highly organized and ready to fight back so we are putting you on notice. If this bill 16 is passed, it will not end here. We're ready to keep going. Remember the slogan, No justice, no peace. (Applause.)
Will Sofia Fasullo, Tahir Farid, Sarah Gross, Sharon Chen, Elaine McGuire, Anthony Carter, Christina Vick-Kell, Mark Person, Jordan Hall, Lurline Jones, Steven DeLuca, Amina Perez, Nehemiah Devine, please come forward. (Witnesses approached podium.)
Ma'am, you may state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
My name is Sarah Pincus. I'm a very proud union member and public school teacher in the city. I stand in the strongest opposition to the proposed arena. This arena will rob our public schools of the property taxes they deserve. I used to teach in the suburbs where property taxes provided my public school with a beautiful library with a full-time librarian, a band and orchestra, a vibrant theater department, three languages on offer and a gorgeous new building. My school in the city has no library. In fact, my English classroom had absolutely no books when I first arrived. My school has no art program, no theater program and I'm currently in the midst of painting my classroom in my own time because the room hasn't been painted in over 30 years. I take SEPTA to and from school every day and so do the vast majority of my students. I see them on the bus and it's very sweet. This project will put me and the kids sitting in gridlock and it will allow predatory billionaires to evade property taxes and rob the children of Philadelphia of the futures that they deserve. Thank you. (Applause.)
My name is Elizabeth Connor. This is not a clergy collar. It's my No Arena collar topped by my POWER collar. I'm throwing away my script because most of it has been addressed already, but I still have questions and I haven't heard answers except build it. I watched on TV a representative from the 76ers was asked, why this location by one of you, why this location, it could be built somewhere else, why this location. And the answer, the first thing he said was that's because this is where we wanted to build it. That's not an answer. They were asked about the timeline and the answer was because that's our timeline. And that's not an answer. And tonight I've heard so many people address the question about health care and emergency healthcare in particular, and we've heard build it. We've heard about traffic, build it. We've heard about stress on Chinatown, build it. I hope, City Council, you won't take build it as the answer. (Applause.)
My name is Jordan Hall. I'm a proud member of Sunrise Movements Philly Chapter and a former member of the IUE-CWA Local 8148, optical union. And I just wanted to say to all the union people here like when in the history of ever has bending the knee for billionaires and licking their boots helped any of us. When has it ever helped us? Like, come on now. Unions used to oppose exploitative corporations and now y'all bend the knee, now y'all bend the knee. Everybody here, everybody here who has been against the arena has said we want y'all to have jobs, we want things to be built. Just not here, not here. Last but not least, to the young lady who said I got love for Chinatown but you don't look like me so you're out of luck. I'm a Black man. That's racist garbage. That's racist garbage, you know. No 5 arena. (Applause.)
Good evening, Council, Council President. I'm a minority (inaudible), one of the things I do. But my proposal to this here -- oh, my name is Mark Person. You know, I know moving Chinatown will be like, you know, it's taking away from people. But my proposal is this here: In the late '70s we had a blighted issue up near Logan right off of the Roosevelt Expressway. That probably been sitting here for over 30 years. Nothing done. I think that would be a great place for the Sixers thing. Because you know what, instead of paying $1 million per home here, you maybe can pay these people 200,000. I think it's a six-block radius right there right off of Roosevelt Expressway. You got 76. You got I-95. You got all that. You ain't got to worry about no congestion. They can walk from Broad Street. It'll work. It'll work. Let me tell you something. On Lindbergh Boulevard, remember it used to be swamp land. What did they do, they put telephone poles down there and they built houses up there on Lindbergh. They got a post office up there. You telling me they can't do the same here? They paid people to move from out of that area. Most of them still live there up in Logan. So I mean, I'm proposing that, the one near Roosevelt Boulevard. (Applause.) UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Good evening, Councilpersons. Thank you for taking the time to hear from me. I just signed up this evening. I and my wife moved here to Philadelphia years ago. We've 5 been living abroad. Of every city 6 in the nation we chose to move here 7 because of the culture and because 8 of the transport. 9 And I'm a lifelong 10 Democrat and I'm on the lectern side 11 of the Democrats. In the last 12 election I did something I had never 13 done before. I voted for a 14 Republican for mayor. I knew David 15 Oh, talked to him. He was the only 16 candidate that after the primary 17 opposed the building of the stadium 18 in Chinatown. It was that important 19 to me so that's what I voted. 20 Times are getting that 21 way. People are voting for things 22 stepping outside the line because 23 something's important. Now, that 24 was that important to me. I'm in Ms. Gauthier's District and when I read the other day that she was not strictly opposed to it, she wanted to see a better plan, this Sunday in The Inquirer there was a great series of articles about that plan and what would be a good plan. In deference to her, I read the article, I read what -- okay. (Applause.) REVEREND McGUIRE: Good evening, Councilmen and Councilmembers. I am Reverend Elaine McGuire. I've been preaching the gospel for over 12 years. I am a IBEW member, which I have been for over 25 years. I am a resident of the city of Philadelphia for over 50 years. I stood here and I listened because I'm a product of the Philadelphia school system where we learn how to listen and have respect, so I listened and I heard people say they wanted to get affordable houses built with the City's money and with taxpayers money. They want to get schools built with the City money and taxpayers money. How about getting an arena built without the City's money and the taxpayers money. They're willing to build 76 Place with 76ers money. If you build it, if you build it, you have jobs. If you build it, you have the stability, you have waking up of Center City. Now, I'm talking about Center City. If you build it, if you build it, if you build it. (Applause.)
Good evening, City Council, everyone. Nehemiah Devine, 22-year member IBEW Local 98. Building 76ers Place is an opportunity that will enhance our city's cultural and recreational offerings. 76ers Place will boost local business and generate tax revenue that can be reinvested into our city. Building this project is an investment in our city's future, elevating our profile as a vibrant forward-thinking, green and clean city. Let's build it. (Applause.) UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Hello. Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Mr. President. Thanks to all Councilmembers. Thanks to everyone. We do understand that the arena itself has a capacity of 20,000, 23,000. Building it in such location is just as equivalent as bringing the airport to downtown. On the other hand, it's going to create traffic and everybody knows that. They're building on the capacity of SEPTA. We know that's going to put a burden on SEPTA and a funding must be put toward SEPTA. Otherwise I encourage the developer just find another location. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Hi. Sharon is not able to be here, but she ceded her time to me. My name is Apurva Tandon. Let's look into the future with an arena. I'm going to talk fast. I know. The property values skyrocket, small business owners sell to bigger landlords because rent is too high. Homeowners have been here for years, sell. Who moves in? People that can buy at a high price, upper class people. It's probably their second home. They don't live in the city full-time. They don't spend very often at the few small businesses that have held out until now. Those turn into chain stores. Diversity is a thing of the past. As the new property owners in the area mostly need generational wealth to purchase and we know who makes up the majority of that class. Except the only diversity you will see will be the Black and Brown folks coming into Center City on a broken transit system to work low-paying, part-time seasonal jobs to maintain the amenities that the wealthy, majority White people enjoy. The cycle we have been trying to break for generations continues. Now, imagine the future if you work with local community to build up Market East. Talk with Chinatown, the Gayborhood, the folks of color who feel excluded from the Gayborhood, the historians who steward Independence Hall's rich history, Reading Terminal. Ask, can we provide grants for you to open and sustain your small businesses. Can we provide affordable housing -- almost done -- so you can live here with stability and start building your life up instead of barely getting by. Imagine minority-owned small businesses, housing, community centers, community gardens, things that help our communities build generational wealth. What if the City Council was brave enough to break the cycle. (Applause.)
This concludes the business before the Committee of the Whole for today. I recognize Councilmember Squilla for a motion to recess the public hearing until Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the Committee of the Whole will be recessed until Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. This Council stands in recess until December 3, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Thank you everyone for your attendance and participation. (Committee of the Whole concluded at 9:28 p.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. __________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL