Good news for Philly sports fans and folks interested in urban redevelopment. The owners of the Philadelphia 76ers have announced plans for a new arena to be built atop the Jefferson (formerly Market East) train station. (Developer website here, ESPN story here.)
For those not familiar with Philadelphia, Jefferson Station is at the heart of center city (i.e., downtown) and every SEPTA regional rail train travels through it. It also connects directly or within a short walk to three rapid transit lines. The current arena is located on South Broad Street, where there is a subway station, but also very good highway access and lots of surface parking. Not surprisingly, many of the comments posted on social media have been complaints that the new facility will aggravate congestion in center city and won’t have enough parking.
In fact, basketball arenas, like baseball stadiums, belong downtown, where they foster neighborhood revitalization, with lots of restaurants, bars, retail, and residential. Take a look, for instance, at the success of the Deer District in Milwaukee (website here) – and they don’t even have rapid transit! (Good New York Times story on the nationwide phenomenon here.)
FYI, the developer has posted some good goal statements for the project, including “Develop an environmentally sustainable arena,” “Preserve culture and identity of surrounding communities,” and “Preserve and promote affordability.” And they promise no city subsidy needed!
If the plan unfolds as laid out, this should be a big step forward for Philly.
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