The Sixers’ pitch to build a $1.5 billion arena in Center City hits its second anniversary this month with little to show beyond slick renderings and millions of dollars spent on lobbying.
Why it matters: The transformational project can potentially turn around the struggling Market East neighborhood but has divided residents and fueled concerns about quality-of-life issues and displacement.
State of play: All eyes remain on PIDC. The public-private development agency has yet to complete independent studies on the economic and community impacts of the plan, known as 76 Place.
Key legislators and officials have said they’re awaiting the completion of those studies before moving forward, including with legislation needed to kickstart the project.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of Black Music Month. The celebration of African American musicians and their contribution to American culture is the brainchild of music mogul and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Gamble, radio personality and media coach Dyana Williams and Cleveland DJ Ed Wright.
The first celebration was held on June 7, 1979. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter hosted a dinner and concert on the White House’s South Lawn.
I love music. I also love transparency and accountability in government. Sunshine is said to be the best disinfectant (h/t Louis Brandeis). So Black Music Month and, indeed, every month, let the sunshine in.
The Philadelphia Art Commission falls under the Department of Planning and Development. When questioned by Valerie Russ of The Philadelphia Inquirer about the short notice given for the Art Commission’s May 8, 2024 meeting, Department spokesperson Bruce Bohri said, “Public notice for this Art Commission meeting is compliant with the Sunshine Act.”
Under the Sunshine Act, public agencies must provide at least three days advance notice of a regular public meeting. Art Commission staff met with Midwood Investment & Development’s art curator for over a year but the public was given the minimum notice.
Tellingly, Bohri is silent about whether Odili Donald Odita’s concept design is compliant with Section 14-702(5) of the Philadelphia Zoning Code:
The items or programs provided to earn this bonus must meet the definition of “On-site Public Art” or “On-site Cultural Programming” in Chapter 14-200 (Definitions). It is not the intention of these requirements to allow decorative, ornamental, or functional elements of the building or public space that are not designed by an artist and created specifically for the site, nor to have landscaped areas or other furnishings or elements required by this Zoning Code, to qualify as part of the public art requirement.
After 40 minutes of “deliberation,” Commissioners gave final approval to Odita’s repetitive design that has been installed on walls from Philadelphia to Venice, Italy. The only thing new about Odita’s “Newfound Forms” is the medium. This would be his first public sculpture.
To be honest, I question whether Odita ever visited the site. If he had, he would know that 12th Street is one way and the correct SEPTA bus route.
Bohri claimed the review was “consistent with longstanding Art Commission procedure.” But get this: In their submission to the Art Commission, Midwood acknowledged that “this will be the first public art erected pursuant to this zoning bonus.” The 40 minutes from presentation of the concept design to final approval by the Commissioners is without precedent.
In a letter to the editor published by The Inquirer on December 31, 2020, Midwood CEO John Usdan promised “to properly honor the memory and legacy of Gloria Casarez, the LGBTQ community, and Henry Minton on this site.”
A nameless representative told The Inquirer Midwood’s offer to recreate the Gloria Casarez mural “still stands.” Will Mayor Cherelle L. Parker hold Usdan to his promise to honor Black abolitionist Henry Minton?
On the eve of Black History Month 2021, Midwood Investment & Development demolished one of the few extant buildings associated with the Underground Railroad. The New York City-based developer demolished the former home of Henry Minton, an elite caterer and abolitionist who played host to icons of American history, including John Brown, Frederick Douglass and William Still.
The Henry Minton House had been the subject of a heated discussion at the Philadelphia Historical Commission in 2019. The road to demolition was paved by the Commissioners who ignored the unanimous recommendation of the Committee on Historic Designation.
Before demolishing the Henry Minton House, Midwood had painted over a mural honoring LGBTQ+ activist Gloria Casarez which adorned a wall of the 12th Street Gym.
The whitewashing of Gloria’s mural triggered a media firestorm. Midwood CEO John Usdan promised “to properly honor the memory and legacy of Gloria Casarez, the LGBTQ community, and Henry Minton on this site.”
Demolition of the Henry Minton House and 12th Street Gym was not the end of the story. Midwood has a conditional public art density bonus that allows the developer to build more cookie-cutter apartments on the site. 210 S 12th Street is in the footprint of the Henry Minton House and 12th Street Gym. The public art zoning density bonus is site-specific and must be approved by the Philadelphia Art Commission.
Fast forward to April 24, 2024, the law firm that represented Midwood at the contentious Historical Commission meeting asked to be placed on the Art Commission’s May 8, 2024 agenda. The Commission’s response: Done.
While Art Commission Director Alex Smith met with Midwood’s art curator “over the past year,” the public was given three business days’ notice. The agenda was posted on Friday, May 3, 2024. The Art Commission meeting was held on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.
In this shamelessly “corrupt and contented” city, the Art Commission conducted a sham review of Midwood’s concept design. In less than 40 minutes, the Commissioners voted to give final approval to a concept design that erased the African American and LGBTQ+ history of the site. The Commission approved a pig in a poke, e.g., “Rendered colors indicative only – Final color selection TBD in Design Development.”
The rendered colors’ similarity to the Pride Rainbow flag is a mere coincidence. Other than the medium, there is nothing new about “Newfound Forms.” Painter Odili Donald Odita’s repetitive design was installed in Philadelphia on a now-blocked mural, Cleveland, Richmond and Venice, among other cities.
Author E.A. Bucchianeri said, “Art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation.” Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder could see final approval of Odita’s repetitive design made a mockery of the site-specific public art density bonus.
I have submitted a Right-To-Know Law request that will shed light on the Art Commission’s perversion of the public art review process.
Back in the day, Shalamar had a hit with “The Second Time Around.” As the song goes, the second time around is “better than the first time.”
The first time that 76 Place at Market East development team presented their plan before Civic Design Review, the only people who said anything positive about the project are on the Sixers’ payroll. During the public comment period, no one spoke in support of 76 Place.
The development team will sing the same old song that 76 Place is a “win-win” for Philadelphia during their second time before CDR. However, the 106-page CDR Resubmission is no better than the one presented the first time around.
The updated plan leaves unanswered questions that have been asked for nearly two years, including who will pay for infrastructure and SEPTA upgrades? Who will pay to relocate the entrance to the Market-Frankford Line? Who will pay for the disruption in SEPTA service and ridership?
The Sixers propose using 12th and Chestnut Streets as rideshare pick-up and drop-off zones.
The narrow one-way streets are used by Routes 21 and 23, two of SEPTA’s highest ridership bus routes. Demolition, construction and game days would disrupt Route 33.
It is also the second time around for two government officials whose communications with the Sixers are the subject of my Right-To-Know Law Request: Philadelphia City Planning Commission Interim Executive Director Martine Decamp and PCPC Presenter Ian Litwin.
The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records ordered the City Planning Commission to turn over the records. Rather than comply with the OOR’s final determination, the Philadelphia Law Department filed an appeal with the Court of Common Pleas.
I have an appointment to watch paint dry so I will miss the Sixers’ dog and pony show on April 2. If you are interested in joining the Zoom meeting, you can register for the webinar here.
I nominated SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards for the Society for Professional Journalists’ 2024 Black Hole Award. The cash-strapped public transit agency has money to pay an outside law firm to fight the release of records as ordered by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.
In the OOR’s final determination, SEPTA was ordered to turn over records related to the Philadelphia 76ers’ proposal to build a basketball arena atop Jefferson Station. Like the transit agency she has run into the ground, Richards did not make the cut. The Black Hole Award went to the North Carolina General Assembly.
During Sunshine Week, I received notice that SEPTA submitted the Certified Record of my Right-To-Know Law Request to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. The legal maneuver is designed to delay compliance with the OOR order. Common sense suggests that if the records supported the Sixers’ claim that 76 Place is a “win-win” for SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia, they would have been released. It bears remembering what SEPTA Director of Media Relations Andrew Busch told NBC Sports Philadelphia in July 2022:
Yes, the Sixers have been in touch with SEPTA regarding their plans for the new arena. We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with the team, the city and other stakeholders moving forward.
There is still no timeline for release of the arena impact studies that were due in December 2023. Tellingly, the Sixers have not released their study that supports their factoid that 76 Place would generate $1.5 billion in new tax revenue. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
They have declined to share the calculations behind their tax figure. And they’ve made other bold claims, including the creation of 1,000 permanent jobs and $400 million in annual “economic output.” Meanwhile, the city-sponsored studies that are supposed to offer clarity to decision-makers are months overdue.
With an air of exasperation, City Councilmember Mark Squilla recently told CBS News Philadelphia: “By the end of this year, it will be determined whether we move forward or not.” The clock is ticking.
March 10-16, 2024 is Sunshine Week, a time to celebrate transparency, and the right to know what government officials are doing and saying behind closed doors. I used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Pennsylvania’s Right-To-Know Law to tell the story of the deteriorating condition of the John Coltrane House and the drama over ownership of the National Historic Landmark.
John Coltrane’s beloved “Cousin Mary,” Mary Alexander, sounded the alarm about the physical deterioration of the property as early as 1987.
From time to time I would check on the Coltrane House. Without access to the property, I reported illegal dumping and other violations visible from the public right of way. I am a cold weather person but on a hot and humid morning in August 2019, I felt an overwhelming urge to stop by the Coltrane House. I later learned that Cousin Mary joined the ancestors the same day that I was snooping around her former home. I vowed then that I would do whatever I could to preserve the historic landmark in public memory.
I successfully nominated the Coltrane House for inclusion on 2020 Pennsylvania At Risk. Designation does not bring any resources; instead, it brings renewed media attention to a historic landmark at risk of demolition by neglect.
News stories about the designation were published in February 2020. I had a conference call with Ravi Coltrane to explore next steps on March 13, 2020. I have not spoken with him since that conversation. However, news articles about the At-Risk designation were included as exhibits to the case that Ravi and Oran Coltrane filed to gain possession of the property on April 27, 2022.
Fast forward to May 2023, the parties reached an agreement in principle. The outcome was predetermined given the existence of a valid will. Under the terms of their grandmother’s will, Ravi and Oran should have gained possession of the property upon the death of Cousin Mary on August 31, 2019.
Norman Gadson is still listed as the owner on property and tax records. Last week, the New York Times reported the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “will assist in coordinating and financing the transfer of Coltrane’s home from its current owner back to his family.”
The Coltrane House is the first site selected for the new Descendants and Family Stewardship Initiative. Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund, said:
Descendants and families have been doing this work for centuries on an informal basis. The initiative is about empowering descendants and families through historic preservation more formally. Our role is to give them the resources and technical expertise they need to protect and preserve the physical evidence of the past and share their profound stories with the American public.
It has taken nearly four decades, but the John Coltrane House will finally be restored. As I told Valerie Russ of the Phliladelphia Inquirer, my work is done. Mission accomplished.
A picture is worth a thousand words. The Sixers have gone from meeting with government officials in corner offices to astroturfing in corner stores.
Axios Philadelphia reports the Sixers have spent more than $4.4 million lobbying for a basketball arena that few other than the 76ers’ billionaire owners want.
The Philadelphia 76ers publicly announced their proposal to build a basketball arena atop Jefferson Station on July 22, 2022. The billionaire owners’ “done deal” has devolved into an echo chamber of attacks and counterattacks by opponents and supporters of 76 Place. In the absence of facts, the Sixers’ communications team has filled the void with fanciful factoids like “76 Place is a slam dunk for Philly’s economy.” They claim an arena that would be closed more days than it would be open would generate $1.5 billion in new tax revenue.
Let’s break down the math.
$0 in taxpayer dollars. More than 30,000 jobs. Almost $1.5 Billion in new tax revenue – a portion of which goes directly to Philadelphia’s public schools.
A win for taxpayers. A win for small businesses. A win for our schools. A win for Philly. pic.twitter.com/EM9z8gtgN7
The Sixers’ math ain’t mathing. Study after study shows sports venues have a limited economic impact. In the most recent economic analysis, Dr. Arthur Acolin of the University of Washington found that 76 Place could cost Philadelphia and Pennsylvania more than $1 billion in lost tax revenue.
CBS News Philadelphia reports:
With zero self-awareness, Sixers’ limited partner David Adelman questions Prof. Acolin’s objectivity.
In the billionaire’s worldview, the public should be skeptical of an academic study but trust the economic analysis of a firm hired by PIDC and paid for by the Sixers. Records received in response to my Right-To-Know Law requests show then-PIDC president Sam Rhoads participated in “Philadelphia Weekly Connect” meetings with 76 Place representatives and government officials.
In their increasingly desperate quest for approval of their transit-oriented project in a city “without a viable transit system,” the Sixers have spent millions on lobbyists, advertising and canvassers. I recently spotted a 76 Place billboard on the Lit Brothers building. I did not take any photos because the digital images were as fleeting as the 76ers’ odds of getting past the second round of the NBA playoffs.
I shot the sheriff. But I didn’t shoot the deputy (h/t Bob Marley). You won’t read about it in the Philadelphia Inquirer or any news outlets because it didn’t happen. Nor will you read about Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s “record of accomplishment during her time in office.” The Inquirer reported:
But Bilal has been telling a different story on her campaign website. It features dozens of favorable headlines attributed to local news organizations such as NBC10, CBS3, WHYY, and The Inquirer, all listing the dates of publication.
“This page,” the site proclaims, “highlights Sheriff Bilal’s record of accomplishment during her time in office.”
One snag: No one can seem to find any of the supposed news stories
For an office plagued by corruption and shady deals, spreading fake news and wasting taxpayers’ money on Deputy Sheriff Justice are “accomplishments.”
The Sheriff’s mascot gives new meaning to no justice (read: transparency and accountability), no peace from investigative journalists.
UPDATE: Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal wasn’t tripping; ChatGPT was hallucinating. The Associated Press reports:
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s campaign removed more than 30 stories created by a consultant using the generative AI chatbot. The move came after a Philadelphia Inquirer story on Monday reported that local news outlets could not find the stories in their archives.
Experts say this type of misinformation can erode the public trust and threaten democracy. Bilal’s campaign said the stories were based on real events.
“Our campaign provided the outside consultant talking points which were then provided to the AI service,” the campaign said in a statement. “It is now clear that the artificial intelligence service generated fake news articles to support the initiatives that were part of the AI prompt.”
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