From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
In a stunning turn of events, the Philadelphia 76ers will remain at the sports complex in South Philadelphia instead of building a new basketball arena in Center City, according to multiple sources.
The decision is rooted in a deal struck with Comcast Spectacor, and comes more than two years after the team proposed the new arena for Center City. The NBA and the NFL helped broker the agreement.
Over the next decade, Comcast hopes to transform the sports complex into a year-round destination for work and play. The $2.5 billion proposal calls for new retail and restaurants, a music venue and a hotel.
For now, the plan doesn’t specifically call for a new arena but does leave room for one. Comcast recently completed a $400 million overhaul of the Wells Fargo Center, where the Sixers currently play.
A Comcast spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mayor Cherelle Parker, who strongly supported the arena project, is expected to hold a conference at 11 a.m. Monday. Greenlighting the arena was a defining moment of her first year in office.
In December, City Council passed legislation authorizing the $1.3 billion arena. The 12-5 vote ended a contentious legislative process featuring hours of public testimony, intense closed-door negotiations and the forcible removal of several arena opponents from council chambers.
Related Content
After protesters removed from chambers, Philly Council votes 12-5 to approve Sixers’ arena proposal
The controversial development is now on track to open in Center City in 2031.
3 weeks ago
With the approvals in hand, the Sixers planned to build a privately funded arena atop SEPTA’s Jefferson Station at 10th and Market streets. The 18,500-seat facility would have replaced a third of the Fashion District mall.
The team argued the arena would help revitalize Market East, a disjointed stretch of retail, government buildings and tourist attractions that has struggled to thrive for decades despite millions in investment. The decision to remain in South Philly comes days after Macy’s announced it was closing 66 stores across the country, including the company’s iconic store at 13th and Market streets. A Sixers spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
City Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke, who voted against the arena, decried the news in a statement on Sunday, calling the team’s deal with the city “bad from the beginning.”
“Anybody following this issue closely could clearly see this was a power struggle between billionaires and corporations. Their plans can change on a whim, and these latest developments are a clear example of why the Mayor and City Council should never waste precious time and resources prioritizing billionaire projects over the work Philadelphians elect us to do. And who knows how much time we’ll have to waste now undoing what Council just did?” said Brooks and O’Rourke.
Residents and business owners in Chinatown strongly opposed the arena, calling it an existential threat to the 150-year-old neighborhood.
Related Content
The march comes as Philadelphia City Council is expected to debate legislation on the proposal this fall.
4 months ago
Over the last two years, the Save Chinatown Coalition, an umbrella group representing more than 245 organizations, urged the Sixers, Parker and lawmakers to stop the project. Activists argued it would choke the neighborhood with traffic on game days, hurting hundreds of small businesses in the process.
The city’s building trades, meanwhile, strongly supported building an arena in Center City. The project was slated to create hundreds of jobs. The unions also echoed sentiments that it would be a much-needed economic engine for Market East.
Related Content
‘It isn’t just Chinatown’: Citywide poll shows little support for Sixers arena proposal
The results come as the team seeks the necessary legislation to move forward with demolition and construction.
4 months ago