Parker says Market East plan is open to input. Residents, scarred by Sixers arena fight, aren’t buying it.

Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled her vision to reverse the decadeslong decline of East Market Street on Friday, promising a process that will restore the corridor as Philadelphia's economic and cultural anchor while accounting for the interests of people who live in the area.

Some residents, who say they still are recovering from the trauma caused by the process of the 76ers' abandoned plans to build a new arena on East Market, feel this new situation is all too familiar.

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After months of lobbying the city to build their $1.3 billion arena at 10th and Market streets, the Sixers abruptly withdrew the plan in favor of partnering with Comcast Spectacor, their current landlord at Xfinity Mobile Arena, to build an arena in South Philly. The joint venture includes commitments to invest in East Market Street.

"After we all got over the shock and awe of what was not going to happen on Market East, I immediately shifted into my eternally optimistic view about how we are going to be able to move things forward," Parker said during a press conference at Jefferson Health's Honickman Center.

The Market East Corridor Planning and Advisory Commission, led by Brandywine Realty Trust CEO Jerry Sweeney, will be tasked with creating a redevelopment plan that stretches from City Hall to the Delaware River. The planning process is expected to take about a year.

"All of us have connections to Market East and a significant stake in remaking this corridor into a valuable asset for the city," Sweeney said.

Leaders from Comcast Spectacor, the 76ers and dozens of other institutions will now be responsible for planning construction, infrastructure upgrades and social services along a street that has had trouble keeping businesses in storefronts and has a large homeless population.

Parker said she learned from how she handled the contentious arena planning process, which drew resistance from communities in Chinatown and Washington Square West. She pledged to take a different approach to city planning that listens to government, businesses and residents.

"I don't want anyone leaving here today saying that there is a plan that is baked, that is cooked, that is done, and (that) it is a plan that will be shoved down the throats of Philadelphians," Parker said. "That is not what this is."

Demolition plans draw rebuke from critics

Neighborhood advocates at Friday's press conference said they have little faith that the city will follow through with its promises.

"There's not a clear accountability measure for making sure that the actual citizens of Philadelphia are heard in this process," said Katie Garth, a member of the Neighborhood Alliance of Washington Square West.

The Sixers and Comcast Spectacor already have plans to demolish several vacant buildings on the south side of Market Street, between Ninth and 10th streets, before the end of the year. The structures, which cover half the block, include the former Robinson department store and a former Reebok store.

Provided Image/Arielle Harris

The Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections has a demolition notice posted for the buildings at 1020-1024 Market St., which Comcast Spectactor and the Philadelphia 76ers plan to knock down in the coming months to make way for a World Cup pop-up next summer. Opponents of the plan taped signs next to the notice on Friday morning.

Comcast's chief legal officer, Thomas Reid, said the empty space will be used for activities related to the World Cup when the international soccer tournament comes to the city in June. He gave no other details, but said Comcast already has invested $60 million in properties on Market Street and will be a "turbocharged engine" for redevelopment as the city prepares to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary next year.

Beyond 2026, Comcast and the 76ers have not disclosed plans for the soon-to-be vacant lots.

"We think that that's going to further blight the neighborhood. It's going to make the situation worse with no real guarantees that it will get better," said Arielle Harris, with the historic preservation group RePoint Philadelphia.

The Design Advocacy Group, a volunteer organization of development and planning professionals in the city, published a letter last week calling the pending demolitions "impulsive." They questioned why it took nearly a year for Parker to convene the advisory group and said the city should consider "strategic reuse" of the buildings slated to be torn down.

Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice

Comcast Spectacor and the 76ers plan to soon demolish several buildings along the 1000 block of Market Street as part of a long-term plan to revitalize the corridor.

Neighborhood leaders in attendance Friday said the city's push for demolition is a bad start that shows little has been learned from the arena planning process, despite Parker's claim that plans on Market Street have not been finalized.

"We are still suffering from PTSD over the arena debacle, and there's a lot of deja vu happening right now," said Jenna Osman with NAWSW.

'All perspectives will have a full seat'

As the Market East commission's work gets underway, Parker said progress is already taking shape on East Market Street.

She pointed to the ongoing streetscape improvements along Market Street in Old City and the Philadelphia Parking Authority's plan to invest $13 million to renovate the former Greyhound bus terminal on Filbert Street. She also praised the Convention Center for investing nearly $1 million in new lighting along the corridor.

City Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose 1st District covers East Market Street, said he will create an online portal where residents can share ideas about Market Street's future.

"That allows us to take input from everybody, especially the adjoining communities that will be impacted the most," he said.

Sweeney anticipates there will be competing ideas and conflicts in the months to come.

"No doubt, through our public engagement process, many strong opinions will be expressed," he said. "All perspectives will have a full seat at the table to present ideas, raise concerns, share their hopes and aspirations, and then we will collectively determine our short- and long-term path forward."