As Chinatown advocates see ‘betrayal’ in 76ers arena win, others see economic opportunity for Philadelphia

Mya Son has worked in Chinatown for nearly 10 years at QT Vietnamese Sandwich, which she proudly called a “hole in the wall.” Her graduation photo is displayed in the kitchen, and Friends is usually playing on the TV.

The 24-year-old is in line to take over the restaurant from her aging Vietnamese aunt and Chinese uncle in the coming years. And then, she said, the new Sixers arena that will almost certainly be built just over a block from the shop will be her “problem to deal with.”

More than two years after the owners of the 76ers announced the team’s desire to build a $1.3 billion arena in the heart of Center City’s Market East neighborhood, Council has cleared the way for the project to move ahead.

City Council members on Thursday morning gave preliminary approval to legislation enabling the 76ers to build in a critical committee vote that had been delayed multiple times in recent weeks.

Council gave the go-ahead vote after approving an amendment for a $60 million community benefits agreement, which is meant to fund programs that benefit communities affected by the project. Lawmakers had wanted the team to contribute substantially more.

Protests at Thursday’s Council session were boisterous, with Chinatown community members and business owners donning red “No Arena” T-shirts.

“I want to say what happened today in Council was a disgrace, it was a disappointment, it was a betrayal,” said protester Xu Lin.

Lin, who owns Bubblefish, a restaurant at Ninth and Arch Streets, said the arena is going to destroy his business.

“We will not survive,” he told reporters after the vote. “I have four family members who live in Chinatown. They will have to relocate.”

But even as protesters crowded City Hall, others spoke in support of the project. The project was supported by the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP, the politically powerful Philadelphia Building Trades, and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, along with other — but not all — Black community leaders.

“This is about the city as a whole, not just one community or one ethnic group,” said Catherine Hicks, president of the Philadelphia NAACP chapter. “This can benefit the city of Philadelphia in its entirety.”

Pastor Carl Day of Culture Changing Christians Worship Center came out early in support of the arena development, touting its job opportunities for Black Philadelphians, specifically the building trades’ commitment to hiring Black union laborers and the Sixers’ commitment to designating a portion of arena vendors to Black-owned businesses. On Thursday, he called the passage of the arena bills “the right thing.”

“I’m very much in support of Black opportunity, and I believe the city needed this,” Day said. “Nothing else huge is coming to Philadelphia, and I think this will be a domino effect of other big projects coming to the city.”

Day stressed the need for equitable, family-sustaining employment for Black Philadelphians as the cost of living in the city rises amid a decline in the city’s Black population.

“The equity in this deal was being overlooked and also downplayed,” Day said. “Nobody cared about how we would end up in this deal.”

Many business owners and employees in Chinatown did not want to speak on the record about the project this week. Some feared sharing opinions that were not outright against the project, with some noting that the increased foot traffic could be good for business. Others did not have an opinion on the arena while still others shared private concerns about traffic, parking, and disruptive sports fans.

Son, of QT Vietnamese Sandwich, is a fan of Philly sports teams, including the Sixers. But while wearing an Eagles sweatshirt in her small shop on Wednesday, she said her family’s business was offered a spot in the arena but turned it down, in part because the hours wouldn’t be consistent enough and they’d have to raise their prices.

Adreyanna Ross, a receptionist at Four Seasons Nail on Filbert Street, next to where the arena would be built, said customers from all over the city already struggle to make it to their appointments on time because of traffic, and she thinks increased congestion could make them think twice before continuing to patronize the salon.

“I just feel like it’s just too much going on, you know what I mean? And there’s so many other places you can build an arena, I don’t know why they would want to build it here,” Ross said.

While Ross and nail techs at her salon said they were against the arena, she said she doesn’t hear much chatter about it at the salon.

Personal services businesses in Chinatown like the salon are expected to see varied effects from the arena, according to an impact study commissioned by the city.

Last week Chinatown leaders crafted a $163 million list of demands to protect businesses and neighborhood affordability. Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Nicolas O’Rourke, and Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr. pushed for a $300 million CBA that would include significant resources for Chinatown, a number drastically higher than what Council and the 76ers agreed to.