Philadelphia Sixers executives pitched the team’s planned $1 billion-plus arena to more members of Philadelphia’s Chinatown on Sunday.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers chief executive Tad Brown, developer David Adelman and other team leaders met with more than 200 members of the Philadelphia Chinese community Organization United umbrella group at the banquet room of Ocean City restaurant. They attempted to address community concerns in an hour-long presentation about the proposed arena.
The team announced its plans to build a new arena in the heart of Philadelphia’s Chinatown in July, prompting confusion and outrage from Chinatown residents. Wei Chen, the community engagement director for Asian Americans United, told The Washington Post no one had consulted the Chinatown community before making the announcement.
“It’s incredibly important that we have an opportunity to listen and learn, and that I understand how we can work with the community to secure what we believe is a very important opportunity for the city of Philadelphia,” Brown told the community members attending the meeting, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Chinatown residents are concerned about how the arena may impact foot traffic and safety in the area. The Sixers’ leadership has promised to provide an analysis of how the arena will affect Chinatown. It is unclear when the analysis will be completed.
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To see the future, all one needs to do is to visit Washington DC’s Chinatown which is the site of the Washington DC’s basketball stadium.