Mayor Cherelle Parker — surrounded by leaders of the NBA, 76ers, Flyers, Comcast and City Council — told Philadelphians that the city’s new arena deal is a “win-win-win.”
The mayor called for a press conference just one day after news broke that the controversial plan to build a new 76ers arena in Center City was abruptly abandoned, and the city’s NBA team would instead compete in South Philadelphia.
“This is a lot. This is a curveball that none of us saw coming,” Parker said on Monday. “But nevertheless, we are here.”
Moving forward, the Philadelphia 76ers will now partner with Comcast to build a new arena within the South Philadelphia Sports Complex District — slated to open in 2031 — and also plan a revitalization project for Center City’s Market Street East location.
“We stand here today, being able to accomplish everything that we set out to do when we started this journey,” Parker said. “We talked about a revival of Market Street… and nothing about that commitment has changed, except we will now fast track and begin that process immediately.”
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 76ers, had originally proposed constructing an 18,500-seat arena on the edge of Chinatown, with a main entrance on Market Street. The venue would have replaced a section of the current Fashion District mall between 10th and 11th streets and sit atop SEPTA’s Jefferson Station.
The original proposal — a $1.3 billion project dubbed 76 Place at Market East — included a $60 million community benefits agreement, which became a significant talking point in discussions between lawmakers and the 76ers.
Chinatown advocates have ferociously opposed plans for the Center City arena — last month, many anti-arena demonstrators were dragged out of City Council chambers after lawmakers approved legislation for the proposal to move forward.
“We are so proud and so happy, and so relieved that there will not be an arena in the heart of our city,” a representative from No Arena Coalition said Monday. “We are so proud and happy and relieved that Chinatown — a 150 year old community — will stand strong.”
Parker did not provide any specifics as far as timeline or cost of the new project, stating, “We start from scratch with everything.”
The news comes after years of negotiations, protests, community meetings and eight City Council hearings that debated in painstaking detail —from traffic to SEPTA to the impact on local businesses — exactly how the proposed arena would affect Philadelphians.
“My members and I do not regret the eight hearings, the thousands of going back and forth, asking questions and getting responses,” said Council President Kenyatta Johnson. “I couldn’t be prouder of those 12 members who stepped up to the plate and said, ‘This is in the best interest of the city of Philadelphia.’”
A highly contested factor in the initial negotiations was the amount of the CBA, as legislative leaders pushed the 76ers to double their proposed $50 million community benefits agreement. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 76ers, and City Council eventually agreed upon $60 million.
Now, it’s back to square one.
“We have to negotiate the pilot, school district, and city of Philadelphia funding. And we also have to negotiate a community benefit agreement,” said Parker. “The great thing is — because we already went over this process — we have already done that homework.”
The 76ers and Comcast will work together on the new arena, as well as Market Street East revitalization plans. Organizers say there will be a 50-50 commitment to both projects.
“Both of these organizations love this city, and together we can do incredible things,” said Josh Harris, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. “The journey to the best solution doesn’t always go in a straight line. But I am certain that today we have found a very positive solution for Philly. And now it’s time to get to work.”
“From Day 1, the goal was to make sure we keep the Sixers in the City of Philadelphia. For me, it sounds better to have the Philadelphia 76ers than the New Jersey 76ers,” added Johnson. “But also the goal was making sure we revitalize Market Street East. Now we have two economic development projects, instead of one.”
