City Council gives approval to Sixers' arena in Center City; protesters removed from chambers
The $1.3 billion project is expected to be completed for the 2031 NBA season.
Philadelphia's City Council on Thursday approved legislation to authorize the Sixers' proposal to build a new arena in Center City.
Police removed anti-arena demonstrators who disrupted the start of the meeting Thursday.
Last week, City Council gave preliminary approval to the project in a 12-4 vote, with one member absent.
The Sixers have said the new arena could open for the 2031 season if City Council approves the legislation needed to begin the project by the end of this year.
The South Philly sports complex could be reset if the Sixers depart to Center City.
City Council gives final approval to the 76ers’ Center City arena proposal
After more than two years of contentious debate, months of negotiations, and one final protest that briefly disrupted proceedings, Philadelphia City Council on Thursday approved the 76ers’ proposal to build a new arena in Center City, a $1.3 billion project touted as an opportunity to revitalize the Market East corridor and panned as an existential threat to nearby Chinatown.
The 76ers said they needed city approval for the arena by the end of the year in order to open it in time for the 2031-32 NBA season, when the team’s lease at the Wells Fargo Center expires. Council’s final vote came a week after a key committee vote to advance the project that all but guaranteed it would be approved.
Before Thursday’s session began, anti-arena demonstrators locked arms on the Council floor and temporarily prevented Council President Kenyatta Johnson from gaveling in the start of the meeting. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal personally appeared in Council chambers as officers and deputies handcuffed the demonstrators one by one and walked them out of City Hall.
Councilmembers react following approval of Sixers arena proposal
After the contentious meeting, City Council members who supported the project said they were proud to support a significant amount of private investment in Center City and praised the lengthy process of public hearings.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who oversaw the proceedings that capped his first year leading the chamber, said during a news conference that lawmakers “would have been fools” to turn down an arena deal.
"This $1.3 billion investment had to move forward," he said.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson says Sixers' arena proposal was a no-brainer
After City Council voted to approve the 76ers' Center City arena plan, Council President Kenyatta Johnson said supporting the project was a no-brainer.
"This $1.3 billion investment had to move forward," Johnson said at a City Hall news conference with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "If we would have turned down this particular deal, we would have been fools."
Johnson noted that the 76ers owners have not asked for any direct city subsidies for the project.
Mayor Parker says 'all of Philadelphia' will benefit from Sixers' Center City arena
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who championed the 76ers' proposal to build an arena in Center City, on Thursday afternoon thanked City Council members for voting to approve the $1.3 billion project.
"All of Philadelphia will benefit from this project," Parker said at a City Hall news conference, adding that it was a "historic game-changing economic development project."
In the final days of negotiations before the key committee vote approving the project last week, Parker personally lobbied Council members to vote for it.
Arena opponents say this is 'not over'
Opponents of the arena said during a news conference after the vote they’re exploring legal action to try to block the project through the courts.
Mohan Seshadri. executive director at the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and a member of the No Arena Coalition, said more details would be released in the new year and vowed that their fight is “not over.”
Seshadri blasted the detainment of other advocates, saying “we just saw so many of our community advocates and organizers violently dragged out of Council for trying to make their voice heard.”
Sixers co-owner praises vote to approve Center City arena
76ers co-owner and lead developer David Adelman called Thursday's City Council vote "a critical milestone in the development of 76Place at Market East."
"The leadership that Council and the Mayor have displayed embodies a greater vision for Philadelphia," Adelman said in a statement. "They recognize how important this project is for the revitalization of our city. ... Although a lot of work has been done to get here, we know there is much more to do. We look forward to pursuing the remaining approvals to make 76Place a reality."
— Sean Collins Walsh
City Council approves all 11 bills related to Sixers arena proposal
All 11 bills related to the 76ers arena proposal have been approved.
Ten were approved in 12-5 votes, with Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau, Nicolas O'Rourke, Kendra Brooks, and Jeffery Young Jr. opposed.
One bill, creating a new Chinatown zoning overlay, was approved in a 14-3 vote, with Landau and Gauthier saying they were voting in favor of the measure despite opposing the arena because it would help protect Chinatown.
— Sean Collins Walsh
Building trade union leaders praise City Council's move to approve Sixers arena
Leaders of a coalition of building trades unions who were among the most vocal arena supporters praised the vote Thursday.
Mark Lynch Jr., business manager of the electricians union, applauded City Council for approving the 76ers' arena proposal.
"What a wonderful early Christmas present for the City of Philadelphia!" Lynch said in a statement. "The majority of City Council voted today for progress and a future of limitless opportunities for our city.”
City Council approves first bill of Sixers arena deal
City Council has voted 12-5 to approve the first of 11 bills needed to approve the 76ers arena deal.
Supporters of the arena burst into applause after the vote, chanting, "Build it! Build it!"
Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau, Nicolas O'Rourke, Jeffery Young Jr., and Kendra Brooks voted no.
City Council about to vote on Sixers' arena proposal
Public comment has concluded, and City Council will soon vote on the legislation authorizing the 76ers arena.
The package of 11 bills includes measures that make zoning changes, authorize land transfers, and create a new special services district to provide public cleaning, public safety and other services near the arena.
— Sean Collins Walsh
Gates to City Council closed as protesters continue to delay proceedings
Protesters continue to delay start of City Council meeting
As officers detained demonstrators, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal personally appeared in City Council chambers.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson is still attempting to start the meeting and has threatened to have demonstrators in the galleries removed if they continue to drown out proceedings with chants and whistling.
“We understand there’s a lot of energy going on today,” Johnson told the crowd.
Anti-arena demonstrators handcuffed and removed from City Council chambers
All the anti-arena demonstrators who had linked arms to occupy the City Council floor have been handcuffed and removed from chambers, with sheriff’s deputies and cops walking them each out of City Hall.
As officers dragged out protesters in front of him, Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr., who opposes the arena, openly wept.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson is attempting to call the meeting to order, but scores of arena opponents have packed the galleries and are still chanting and whistling.
— Sean Collins Walsh
Police remove protesters ahead of final City Council vote on Sixers arena
Several dozen anti-76ers arena protesters have locked arms on the City Council floor and disrupting the start of a meeting in which lawmakers are expected to approve the project.
Council was scheduled at 10 a.m., and Council President Kenyatta Johnson asked for the floor to be cleared.
Police officers and sheriff’s deputies are pulling some anti-arena demonstrators off the Council floor one by one and handcuffing them.
Opponents of proposed Sixers arena pack into City Council chambers ahead of vote
In what has become a familiar scene, opponents of the 76ers' plan to build an arena in Center City once again packed City Council chambers on Thursday morning, chanting "Council sellouts" as lawmakers filed in chambers for a meeting in which they are expected to vote to give final approval to the $1.3 billion project.
The activists, who have been coming to Council meetings for months to criticize the arena, passed out fliers before the meeting, attacking the 76ers owners, Josh Harris, David Blitzer, and David Adelman, as well as the project.
"Philadelphians need housing, jobs, and healthcare – not to be sold out for the whims and scare tactics of billionaires," the flier said.
City Council to hold final vote on Sixers' proposed Center City arena
Philadelphia City Council is set to hold a final vote Thursday on legislation to allow the 76ers’ to move forward with their controversial proposal to build a new arena in Center City.
Today's City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The measure is all but guaranteed to pass.
Last week, City Council members voted 12-4 to give preliminary approval to the project, which will cost $1.3 billion. One councilmember — Kendra Brooks — was absent for the vote.
When would the proposed Sixers arena open in Center City?
If City Council votes Thursday to approve the legislation for the new Sixers arena in Center City, the team has said it could be ready to open for the 2031-32 NBA season.
The Sixers' plan would involve demolishing the western third of the Fashion District in 2026. Construction on the new arena would begin in 2028.
Until then, the Sixers will continue to play in the Wells Fargo Center, which is owned by Comcast Spectacor and shared with the Flyers. The Sixers’ lease at the Wells Fargo Center expires in 2031, and Comcast Spectacor has joined the Phillies in a plan to turn much of the sports complex into a fan district.
Map: Location of the proposed new Sixers' arena
What's the future of the South Philly sports complex if the Sixers' move to Center City?
Few cities have grouped all four teams together, though it’s common to put a couple of stadiums in the same place.
The Baltimore Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium sits adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In Seattle, it’s a five-minute walk from the Mariners’ T-Mobile Park to the Seahawks’ Lumen Field. And in Detroit, the Lions’ Ford Field stands beside the Tigers’ Comerica Park, with Little Caesars Arena, home of the Red Wings and Pistons, a half mile away.
“If you’re a city or a state or a county, if you’re going to invest in these stadiums and arenas, putting them in one area is pretty smart,” said Rick Eckstein, a professor of sociology at Villanova University and the coauthor of Public Dollars, Private Stadiums: The Battle over Building Sports Stadiums. “You get redundancies.”