With a newly submitted plan for 76 Place at Market East -- a $1.3 billion arena that would be home to the Philadelphia 76ers and would include mixed-income housing -- organizers behind the project say they are responding to concerns from neighbors.
According to a statement from David Adelman, a Philadelphia developer and co-owner of the 76ers, with the new proposal, the planners wanted to respond to community feedback.
"We have listened intently throughout the community engagement process and while we have already made many updates in response to community feedback, we are grateful for more opportunities to hear from Philadelphians about how further strengthen this project,” said David Adelman, in a statement. “We are eager to work together towards solutions for traffic concerns, showcase our vision for a street-level promenade that will activate Market Street, and show how we are addressing issues that were raised in community meetings as well as the last CDR meeting. We look forward to the continued dialogue around 76 Place and highlighting just how much the city and its residents stand to benefit from this transformative project.”
Included in the proposal are changes to closures along 10th and 11th streets -- instead of there being closures pre- and post-game, the proposal would only include lane closures after games -- along with added retail, food and beverage operations intended to increase foot traffic in that area year-round.
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Organizers also said that they tried to make changes in response to feedback they heard at a civic design review meeting back in December.
But, according to members of the Save Chinatown Coalition, which has been vocal in its opposition of the arena plan, the new proposal doesn't address the most serious concerns that neighbors in the coalition have with 76 Place at Market East -- it's proposed location.
"Not a single person spoke favorably of this project in the last six hour meeting, and developers still fail to address the most persistent public feedback on 76 Place: it’s in the wrong location," Vivian Chang, Executive Director of Asian Americans United and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition said in a statement. "With 76 Place developers’ baseless assumptions about fans’ change in travel, significant street closures, and refusal to answer who will pay for needed changes to infrastructure and SEPTA, this document raises more questions than answers."
Organizers expect to receive further input on the plan at a second civic design review meeting on April 2, 2024 at 9:30 a.m..
During the meeting, members of the public will be invited to, as noted by organizers, "hear from members of the development team and experts who will provide updates on the proposal, including changes made in response to feedback from the CDR meeting in December 2023."
Those interested can register to attend the meeting over Zoom and submit concerns to the civic design review committee.
More information can be found at: www.phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-city-planning-commission/public-meetings.
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