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