Squilla believes Philadelphia 76ers might need to change CBA for proposed arena to pass in City Council
Philadelphia City Council has final say on whether a Sixers arena in Center City will become a reality. There's a lot of uncertainty among councilmembers over whether the $1.3 billion project will help or hurt the city.
On the second day of hearings on 76 Place at Market East on Wednesday, many council members asked the team to provide additional funding to the Community Benefits Agreement.
Currently, the Sixers have agreed to a $50 million Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) to be spent on assisting the surrounding community through the construction phase and beyond.
During a break in the hearing, Councilman Mark Squilla said: "I think we heard from a lot of the council members and I believe if there is no changes in the CBA, I don't think there's enough votes to pass this legislation."
All 17 members of council will vote on the arena legislation, which could happen in December. The deal needs nine votes to pass.
It remains unclear who will pay for the additional SEPTA services needed once the arena is up and running. When council members pressed the Sixers representatives on the issue, they said they would remain in talks with SEPTA but would not commit to additional funding for future operational costs.
"When there's a game, after the you know, the let-out, who's paying for all that? Is that going to be you, is it SEPTA?" City Councilmember Cindy Bass asked.
"We've seen the report that you're referencing, SEPTA shared it with us, we've asked a number of questions regarding some of their assumptions," said Alex Kafenbaum of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Sixers. "We're not sure that all of them are accurate in relation to our plan. Our expectation is that we would be treated the same as all of the other teams and private companies and businesses in the city and the region,"
Meanwhile, according to the current agreement, the Sixers would begin the demolition at the site in 2026 and the arena would be complete by 2031.
Public hearings pick back up next Tuesday with time for public comment.