Philadelphia 76ers drop plans for $250M apartment tower in Center City arena proposal
A spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the Philadelphia 76ers scrapped plans to build a $250 million apartment tower above their controversial proposed Center City arena.
In September, City Councilmember Mark Squilla said residents in Chinatown, which would border 76 Place, saw the apartments above the arena as a "middle finger" to the neighborhood.
Squilla said he requested the removal of the tower from the Sixers' development plan.
"Some members of the Chinatown community did not see this as a development that was affordable or benefited to them," Squilla said in a statement on Tuesday. "They thought that the plan was an insult and disingenuous that the developer added the tower for the Chinatown community."
In August 2023, the Sixers released renderings of the proposed arena, including plans for a high-rise, mixed-use building labeled as "76 Tower" that would've included residential space next to the proposed arena. The plans included 395 units, and 20% of them would've been designated as "affordable housing," according to the Sixers.
The Save Chinatown Coalition has strongly opposed the arena's construction, saying the development would harm the neighborhood.
"The billionaires behind the arena don't care about affordable housing and the tower was always a PR sham," a spokesperson for the Save Chinatown Coalition said on Tuesday night in a statement. "Councilman Squilla gave fuel to their lies and is pushing the Mayor's disgraceful deal that secures exactly $0 for the housing trust fund and affordable housing. They're letting rich developers off the hook despite housing being a central mission of the city and a stated priority for this Mayor. The city's getting taken for a ride, and Mayor Parker and Councilman Squilla are helping push the cart, lowering the bar for every development yet to come."
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker endorsed the Sixers' controversial plan to build a $1.3 billion arena on Market Street. She believes building the arena would be the "right deal for the people of Philadelphia."
The legislation for the proposed arena can be introduced as early as Thursday, Oct. 24. It needs nine members to vote in favor before heading to Parker's desk for the final sign-off.
The Sixers have remained committed to bringing a new arena to Philly, but New Jersey believes it's in the mix after the proposal stalled for years.
New Jersey officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy, gave Sixers ownership a tour of the site to build a new arena on the Camden waterfront earlier this month. Before that, the Garden State offered $800 million in tax incentives, $500 million in bonds and a vacant piece of land on the Camden waterfront just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge.
The Sixers have previously said they're running out of time for the arena's approval if they want to open it by the 2031-32 NBA season. The team's lease at the Wells Fargo Center, owned by Comcast Spectacor, ends in 2031.
The proposed arena has been met with opposition from several neighborhoods on the proposed site in Market East, especially Chinatown.
In late August, the city released four highly anticipated independent studies on the impacts of the proposed arena.
The reports found that the Sixers' proposed arena could indirectly displace businesses and residents in Chinatown and that public transportation would be key for the arena to succeed.
The Sixers and others who support the proposed arena, including the Philadelphia Building Construction Trades Council, IBEW Local Union 98 and the NAACP Philadephia, said it would revitalize Market East and create jobs.