A Philadelphia organization made up of more than 2,100 architects and building design experts this week came out in opposition to the 76ers’ plan for a new downtown arena, saying it would not only fail to revitalize East Market Street but would also ”make matters worse” for the long-struggling Center City thoroughfare.
The Design Advocacy Group’s steering committee wrote in a statement that rather than “integrate itself into the fabric of the city,” the proposed arena, which would take up a footprint of 10th to 11th and Market to Filbert Streets, would “abolish Filbert Street, bury SEPTA’s Jefferson Regional Rail station, and wall off Chinatown.”
“Except for the 40-some times a year that the Sixers play, the arena will not fill the surrounding streets with activity,” the committee wrote, “and on those few busy nights, Sixers’ fans, who are not known to be devotees of public transportation, will clog the area in search of parking places.”
» READ MORE: The future of a new Sixers arena shifts to City Hall after a year of contention
76 Devcorp spokesperson Nicole Gainer said it was “disappointing that members of the Design Advocacy Group Steering Committee issued a statement with several glaring inaccuracies.”
Gainer’s response did not specify what in the group’s statement was inaccurate, but she said it glossed over the project’s potential benefits to the city and attempted to “minimize an unprecedented private sector development that will generate more than $1 billion in new tax revenues for the city, state and School District, create thousands of good new jobs and anchor the redevelopment of East Market Street.”
Gainer also referenced impact studies that the city has commissioned to evaluate the proposal. The 76ers are paying the city for the cost of those studies, which will be released this fall, leading opponents of the arena to question their independence.
“Fortunately, the City of Philadelphia has hired professionals to determine the feasibility of a new arena at East Market — studies we are certain will affirm our vision for the future of Center City,” Gainer said.
The 76ers are hoping to move into their own arena in 2031 when their lease expires at the Wells Fargo Center, which is owned by the Flyers’ parent company Comcast Spectacor.
The project has won support from some labor and business groups, including the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE; the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, a politically powerful coalition of construction unions; and the General Building Contractors Association.
The team has pitched its proposal, which would replace part of the Fashion District shopping mall, as a transformational opportunity to improve the stretch of East Market Street between City Hall and the Independence Mall area, which for decades has failed to attract the kind of development that has fueled growth in other parts of Center City.
Earlier this month, the team added a 20-floor residential tower to the designs for the arena site and said 20% of the units would be affordable housing.
The 76ers’ development arm says it needs to get City Council approval for the project this fall, and it is working on two fronts to build support: a major public relations and community outreach campaign, and a behind-the-scenes lobbying effort in City Hall.
Design Advocacy Group’s critique focuses on East Market Street
Much of the public opposition to the plan so far has been based around the concerns of advocates for Chinatown, who fear an arena at the edge of their neighborhood could displace Center City’s vibrant and historic Asian community.
The Design Advocacy Group’s statement, however, focused on the other side of the proposed site: East Market Street.
“What Market East needs is an influx of 24/7 street-oriented activity, preferably connecting with and amplifying the vibrancy of Chinatown,” the group wrote. “The published plans for the arena, although sketchy, suffice to show that the new structure will not generate what is required.”
The steering committee said that the 76ers’ “last-minute addition of an apartment tower” to the arena plan is “not enough to transform it into the kind of lively urban environment that we need and deserve.”
» READ MORE: New drawings of proposed Sixers arena include an apartment tower
The group describes itself as “a volunteer organization of more than 2,100 members from a broad spectrum of disciplines who share an interest in Philadelphia’s design, development and planning.”
It weighs in on major proposals like the redevelopment of the waterfront and advocates for high-quality design and urban planning. While the group does not wield significant political clout, it is viewed as a respected voice for experts in design and architecture.
Eli Storch, an architect who chairs the group’s steering committee, said the 76ers’ revisions to the arena plans over the last year have given him pause that the team is taking a “slap-dash” approach.
The recent unveiling of new renderings showing an apartment tower, he said, made it seem as if the team was saying, “Let’s tack on some housing, let’s tack on another thing that we heard people want.”
“That doesn’t give us any comfort that this is fully cooked or fully considered,” he said.