City Council again delayed a preliminary vote authorizing the 76ers to move forward with their plan to build a $1.3 billion Center City arena, as legislative leaders push the team to double their proposed $50 million community benefits agreement.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson is said to believe members will pass a legislative package that includes a $100 million CBA. As of Wednesday morning, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 76ers, were only willing to go up to $60 million, according to Council sources.
Arena skeptics, including the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, and a few Council members, have said they will not support the project unless it carries a CBA worth at least $300 million.
The Committee of the Whole, which includes all Council members, was scheduled to reconvene at 4 p.m. after breaking just after 9 a.m. A decision about whether to advance the legislation has been postponed three times since hearings concluded Dec. 3.
“This is them trying to come up with some kind of middle ground to appease everybody,” Councilmember Jim Harrity told reporters Wednesday morning.
Following a committee tally, all bills, under typical procedure, need to be read into the record at two sessions on consecutive weeks prior to a final vote. Council’s last meeting before winter recess is currently scheduled for this Thursday, though legislative leaders are expected to hold an additional session Dec. 19, if necessary.
HBSE officials have said that the legislation needs to be passed before the end of the year in order for the arena to remain on track to open in time for the 2031-32 NBA season, when the 76ers’ lease expires at the Wells Fargo Center.
Team representatives declined to comment on negotiations ahead of the afternoon Council meeting.
The arena, known for now as 76 Place at Market East, would seat 18,500 and replace a section of the current Fashion District mall along Market Street between 10th and 11th streets.
Since being introduced two years ago, the proposal has drawn significant rebuke, particularly from activists in Chinatown, the neighborhood adjacent to the site. Construction-related labor union members have been among the most vocal supporters of the project.
An anti-arena crowd packed Council chambers Wednesday, and, when Johnson recessed the morning session, they led chants and held up signs featuring Mr. Monopoly.
“The people stalled this vote yet again,” said the No Arena Coalition, a group coordinating the fight against the project, in a statement. “No deal slapped together in the 11th hour is a good one for Philly. Council is selling out at a time when our people need champions — not Grinches.”
The No Arena Coalition is organizing a car caravan at rush hour Thursday afternoon in an attempt to simulate the traffic conditions they believe will result from 76 Place. A city-commissioned analysis found that gridlock is likely if more than 40% of fans drive in private vehicles.
