Legislation paving the way for the 76ers to build a $1.3 billion arena in Center City was formally introduced Thursday, but not before those opposed to the controversial project disrupted business as usual.
Members of a broad anti-arena coalition unfurled banners from the balcony inside City Council chambers and erupted into chants as the city clerk read the titles of bills transmitted by Mayor Cherelle Parker, who came out in favor of the development last month.
Almost all donned red T-shirts emblazoned with the words “no arena” designed in the style of the Allen Iverson-era 76ers logo. Two sheriff’s deputies removed longtime Chinatown activist Debbie Wei from the meeting room.
“This is unacceptable,” Wei, 67, said in a statement later Thursday. “It’s further proof of the hostility and disrespect City Hall has toward the people of this city, seniors, and any vision that differs from their own. They’re not carrying billionaires out, that’s for sure.”
At some point, affiliates of local construction unions – perhaps the most vocal supporters of the arena – responded by yelling “build it,” and the gallery resembled more of a football or wrestling crowd than a typical weekly Council audience.
Nonetheless, Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the proposed development site on East Market Street, offered 11 bills and two resolutions authorizing the project. He indicated that there were a few changes from the drafts Parker published in September.
Squilla introduced a measure crafting a Chinatown zoning overlay that could require builders to incorporate affordable housing in future projects. The policy may also mandate developers get a zoning variance to acquire large parcels of property, an attempt to preserve the neighborhood’s small businesses, Squilla said.
The details of those proposals, he told reporters following the Council meeting, are still being worked out.
Forthcoming legislation would create a Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, zone. Through the arrangement, increases in tax revenue from the Chinatown area would be directly reinvested into the neighborhood, instead of flowing into the city’s General Fund, according to Squilla’s team.
Another part of the package would create a special services district for the arena. A similar organization currently provides cleaning, tree-planting and other services for the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
A $50 million community benefits agreement, as previously outlined by Parker, remains, though dollars were shifted around to fund the special services district, Squilla said.
76ers ownership have also reportedly dropped a planned 380-unit apartment tower from the arena’s design, at the request of Squilla.
The No Arena in the Heart of Our City Coalition, which has been organizing opposition to the project, dismissed Squilla’s additions, characterizing them in a statement as “arena-centric, rather than community centered.”
An initial hearing on arena legislation is scheduled Tuesday, Nov. 12, according to Council’s online calendar. Team officials have said the bills must be approved by the end of the year in order to begin demolition in 2026 and open the facility for the 2031 NBA season.
“The Sixers had a timeline a couple of times,” Squilla said Thursday. “We’ll see. I don’t know if we’ll meet their specific timeline, but we will meet Council’s timeline on being able to do that, to make sure we’re following the process.”
76 Place, as the venue is called for now, would have a capacity of 18,500 and occupy a section of the current Fashion District mall between 10th and 11th streets from Market to Filbert streets. Arena developers have said they are not seeking municipal taxpayer money to finance the construction of 76 Place.
Parker, during a Sept. 25 presentation, revealed the CBA; an economic opportunity plan to ensure female and minority representation; and a vision for reigniting East Market Street.
She praised Squilla’s add-ons at a separate event Thursday, saying, “This is what the city of Philadelphia wants to see us do. They want us to be solutions-oriented and deliver for the city of Philadelphia.”
