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.
Lawmakers recessed until 8:30 a.m. Thursday, after postponing two votes Wednesday. City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said he was continuing conversation with the 76ers.
Opponents of the arena, as they awaited a possible vote, turned the Council chambers into a makeshift rally, chanting “hey-hey, ho-ho, these billionaires have got to go” and “50 mil, 100 mil, the whole thing is a sellout deal” along with other slogans.
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.
CBA amendments floating around City Hall on Wednesday morning incorporated $12 million for housing support initiatives (up from $3 million) and $10 million for businesses impacted by the six-year construction (up from $1.6 million). More money was devoted to the arena special services district ($20.5 million, compared to $14 million).
The proposal also called for new funding that was not in the original agreement between the 76ers and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration.
Among those line items were $5 million for a community land trust; $5 million in grants for longstanding Chinatown businesses; $5 million for an apprenticeship program; $5 million for renovations to Department of Parks and Recreation facilities; and $7.5 million in grants for children’s programming through the Philadelphia City Fund.
Council’s CBA axed dollars that had been allocated in the initial deal for free 76ers tickets for public and charter school students, an expansion of a neighborhood basketball league, and a set number of days for community events at the arena.
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.
A decision about whether to advance the legislation out of the Committee of the Whole, which includes all members, 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.
“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.
