The Philadelphia 76ers finally decided to stay in Philly. Also, Mayor Parker made this announcement on X. In her tweet, the Philadelphian 100th Mayor expressed how the project will benefit Philadelphia. Thus, how did the Chinatown residents react to the Major’s decision?
Mayor Parker’s Decision on Philadelphia 76ers’ New Arena
The Mayor of Philadelphia and the Sixers came to an agreement on the new arena for the franchise. On 18 September, the Mayor shared a tweet in support of the new Sixers stadium. Before that day, rumors had it that the Philadelphia 76ers’ new arena could be in Candem, New Jersey.
New Jersey’s deal was attractive to the Sixers. Thus, the franchise proposed that they might consider moving to New Jersey. Yet, Mayor Parker expressed that she will make sure the Sixers stay in Philly.
Following this, Candem released a rendition of the new Sixers stadium that was viral on social media. What seemed like a fluke took baby steps into reality. However, Mayor Parker’s latest endorsement of the ‘76 Place’ dwindled New Jersey’s hope of bringing the new arena to their city.
As a result, mixed feelings emerged from the Philadelphians. Also, most of the reactions came from the people of Chinatown. Some reactions from Chinatown were positive while some were negative. The people of Chinatown opposed the project due to its impact on the community.
The major impacts of the project on Chinatown were cultural and economic. In the cultural impact, the project will affect the community’s core identity and significance. While economically, it would lead to business displacement of some Chinatown residents.
A resident of Chinatown, Houyi Shang expressed his feelings about the Mayor’s decision. According to the Inquirer, Shang led the project to create Chinatown Community Park. The commercial corridor manager for PCDC said that “Mayor Parker seemed to be advocating for and listening to us during the community meeting at the convention center.” Also, Shang posited that the Mayor didn’t understand their concerns despite the majority’s disapproval of the project.
Despite the major disapproval from Chinatown, the Mayor got her flowers from some Philadelphians. The positive impact of building a new arena in Center City is 1.9 billion dollars in direct spending and 710 job opportunities. Also, Mayor Parker “wholeheartedly believes this is the right deal for the People of Philadelphia.” Therefore, the Philadelphia 76ers will start the 2031-32 season in their new arena, ‘76 Place’.
Final Thoughts
Mayor Parker’s earlier support of the Sixers staying in Philly was an obvious indicator that Center City would be the new location. The Sixers should stay in Philly rather than move to Candem. Now, will there be taxpayer support from Chinatown residents when the Philadelphia 76ers move to Center City? This was also part of the concerns of Chinatown activists. But time will tell if the new arena is a blessing or burden to the people of Chinatown.
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