In a letter from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the state is willing to offer the team $400 million in tax credits and plans for a complex mixed-use waterfront development. Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, wrote “Anchored by a world-class arena, we believe that this project will enable development of significant residential, commercial, and retail offerings within the City of Camden.” 

 

Residents in South Jersey speculate as reports on the impact of the 76ers training facility led to underwhelming contributions to Camden’s workforce with the city’s Camden Semiannual Residency Report showing that only 9 Camden residents are employed in the entire building as of June 2024.  Shirley Irizarry, a Camden resident since she was five years old, shared “I’m happy with the stadium moving to South Jersey but I’m not happy with the idea of displacing people.”

If a move to Camden is made, the proposed location for the 76ers arena would be built on top of the 16-acre site near the practice facility on the Camden Waterfront where a shuttered prison once stood. With a poverty rate of 29.8% according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Camden’s residents are finding it difficult to make the connection between tax incentives and the hiring of actual residents. A report in 2023 by Black in Jersey’s Charles Curtis showed that major businesses in Camden such as Holtec International, Subaru, and the Philadelphia 76ers have less than 5% of their workforce composed of Camden residents.

 

As fans on both sides of the Delaware River debate on the cultural impact of the arena’s final stop, business owners and life-long residents worry on whether their city’s government will listen to their concerns. A poll from the Save Chinatown Coalition and Cornell Belcher of Brilliant Corners Research & Strategy shows that 69% of Philadelphia residents do not agree with the proposed plans for the arena. Above all sentiments, the decision will be made by December when the lease for the current home of the Philadelphia 76ers expires and their new home will then be chosen and a new future is set for people from South Jersey to South Philly.