What comes next for City Council after Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s Sixers arena endorsement

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday officially endorsed the 76ers’ proposal to build an arena in Center City. Her announcement leaves enough time for the project to be approved by City Council by the end of 2024 if a majority of lawmakers are in favor of it.

Her administration and the team have been hashing out the details of legislation and related agreements needed to approve the project for months. The mayor’s office will now send the bills to Council.

» READ MORE: Live coverage: Philly Mayor Parker backs Sixers arena in Center City: opponents protest outside City Hall

City Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes the proposed site and who will be the point person for legislation enabling the arena, has promised to make drafts of the bills public for 30 days before he officially introduces them. That means they cannot be introduced sooner than Council’s Oct. 24 meeting.

The bills will then be sent to the Committee of the Whole, which includes all Council members and is employed to handle major proposals, Squilla has said. There will likely be multiple days of hearings in which stakeholders and members of the public can testify.

The bills would likely have to be voted out of committee by Dec. 4 in order to pass by the end of the year. Council’s final day before lawmakers go on a monthlong winter break is Dec. 12.

So far only four of the 17 Council members have taken public positions on the arena. Councilmembers Nicolas O’Rourke, Kendra Brooks, and Jeffery Young Jr. are opposed to the project as currently proposed, while Councilmember Jimmy Harrity has come out in favor of it.

» READ MORE: The Sixers arena took center stage as City Council returned to session. A vote could come this fall.

Staff writer Jeff Gammage contributed to this article.