Philadelphia City Council postpones vote on 76ers proposed arena until Thursday
Philadelphia City Council has called a recess until Thursday morning for a potential vote on the 76ers' proposed arena in Center City.
Earlier Wednesday, city councilmembers proposed the Community Benefits Agreement be $100 million in order to get the deal passed, which would be a $50 million increase from the initial agreement the team had with Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration.
It's unclear if the Sixers are on board with that number.
Wednesday was a chaotic day inside City Hall as councilmembers were set to vote on the controversial $1.3 billion arena that would sit on Market Street between 10th and 11th streets in the morning, but then a recess was called until the afternoon. Ultimately, councilmembers ended up calling another recess until Thursday on the project, which was proposed by the Sixers in 2022.
Protesters were chanting, holding signs and making their presence known in City Council all day as talks came down to the wire.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said they will continue to work together on the arena negotiations and be back on Thursday.
"We're still going through the process and addressing issues and concerns of members and hopefully we'll wrap this up tomorrow," Johnson said.
Meanwhile, protesters against the arena celebrated another delay in the vote as a victory and said they'll be back on Thursday at City Hall to make their voices heard.
"We know this is a bad deal for the city," Vivian Chang, of the Save Chinatown Coalition, said. "This is a bad deal for Philly and they're embarrassed about it."
City Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O'Rourke released a joint statement following the end of negotiations on Wednesday, saying they only support a CBA that includes $300 million.
"The $300 million CBA framework our offices proposed is the only CBA in discussion that has received substantial support from stakeholders in and outside of Chinatown," the statement read. "It was the only CBA proposal that had the support of Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, the Asian Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood RCOs, and grassroots groups across the City. This is the path forward for City Council and anything short of that does not meet the needs of Philadelphia."
During a hearing earlier in December, the Sixers balked at the $300 million CBA.
The PCDC has previously laid out plans requesting the CBA to be $163 million, which is more than triple the Sixers' offer. It included a $63 million "Legacy Business" grant program that PCDC officials say would provide up to $30,000 a year to around 105 businesses for up to 20 years that could be impacted by the arena.
There was also a call for the team and city to fund a $100 million "Commercial Land Trust." PCDC wrote it would be used to "acquire commercial properties and preserve long-term affordability."
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for the Sixers and City Council to come to an agreement. The team has previously said the project would need to be approved by the end of the year in order for them to open 76 Place for the 2031-32 NBA season, which is when the team's lease ends at the Wells Fargo Center.
Parker and supporters of the project, including labor unions, have said arena would bring jobs and revitalize the Market East, while neighborhoods near the arena like Chinatown strongly oppose the arena.
The Sixers have said they want to remain in Philadelphia, but as the project remains in limbo, New Jersey officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy, offered the team a deal to build an arena on the Camden Waterfront that includes $800 million in tax incentives.