"76 Place," the controversial Center City arena plan, appears to be coming.
A week after a 12-4 vote to advance the proposal out of committee took place — Kendra Brooks was absent — 10 different bills relating to the construction of 76 Place passed by a 12-5 margin. 14 City Council members voted in favor of Bill No. 241062-A, which calls for the creation of a new Philadelphia Chinatown Overlay District. Only three voted against that. For any bills to pass, votes in the affirmative were needed from at least nine members of City Council.
Even though the vote was seen as a formality after last week, protesters still showed up at City Hall to make their voices heard a final time Thursday morning:
We have a human barricade of anti-arena activists who jumped the rail to prevent Council from starting. This week, the "Build It" chants are MUCH louder to cancel "council sellouts". This might take a while to get sorted. pic.twitter.com/iJWd7dWink
The Council President asked for the floor to be cleared. Protesters sat down. Now the arrests begin. pic.twitter.com/IZvE914mGn
Another warning by @CouncilmemberKJ and now more arrests. Wonder if @rochellebilal76 will come to support her officers in this operation. pic.twitter.com/WAss2Ag10r
— Marco Cerino (@CerinoRoyale) December 19, 2024
The sheriff is here in her jacket directing her deputies. The final protesters have been cleared and we are (possibly) ready to begin. pic.twitter.com/eTQSvpre2Z
Any remaining protests — many of those centered around concerns about the impact that the arena will have on the future of Chinatown — obviously fell on deaf ears.
Before votes took place, more than half an hour was dedicated to hearing from both supporters and critics via microphone, with each speaker getting a minute to voice their opinions.
David Adelman, the Chairman of 76 Place, issued the following statement on X following the votes:
— 76 Place (@76Place) December 19, 2024
As for what happens now, Dan O'Mara of FOX 29 provided this timeline before this morning's vote took place:
If the Sixers arena legislation passes, demolition of parts of the Fashion District would start in June 2026. Officials say construction would start in the summer of 2028 and the 18,500 seat arena is planned for completion in the summer of 2031.
From here, it seems a little difficult to imagine the gutting of the Fashion District while Philadelphia has increased visibility in the summer of 2026 because of America's 250th anniversary, but that's probably just nitpicking.
Back in September, Mayor Cherelle Parker endorsed the proposal, setting into motion today's events:
As your Mayor, I'm speaking from my City Hall office with a very important announcement. I am proud to share that I have made my decision, and an agreement has been reached to ensure that our Sixers are staying home.
I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the People… pic.twitter.com/Fnj19mrBOV
One of the key concessions made to get this passed was the Sixers increasing the community benefits agreement from $50 million to $60 million before last week's vote to advance the proposal out of committee. Critics argued that City Council members should have, at the very least, sought a larger increase in the CBA.
According to the 76 Place website, the Sixers plan to inject "$1.55 billion in private dollars to revamp the struggling Market East area," not asking for public funding.
