The Philadelphia City Council has declared a recess until Thursday morning for a possible vote on the election 76ers’ proposed arena in Center City.
Earlier Wednesday, city council members proposed a $100 million Community Benefit Agreement to pass the deal, which would be a $50 million increase over the agreement. initial agreement the team had with Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration.
It’s unclear if the Sixers agree with that number.
Wednesday was a chaotic day at City Hall as council members were scheduled to vote on the election controversial $1.3 billion arena that was supposed to take place in the morning between 10th and 11th Streets on Market Street, but then a break was canceled until the afternoon. In the end, council members ultimately called another recess until Thursday for the project, which was proposed by the Sixers in 2022.
Protesters spent the day chanting, holding signs and making their presence known in the city council as conversations wound down to the wire.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said they will continue to work together on the arena negotiations and will be back Thursday.
“We are still working through the process and addressing the members’ issues and concerns and hopefully we will complete this tomorrow,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, protesters against the arena celebrated another postponement of the vote as a victory and said they will be back at City Hall on Thursday to make their voices heard.
“We know this is a bad deal for the city,” said Vivian Chang of the Save Chinatown Coalition. “This is a bad deal for Philly and they are ashamed of it.”
“It’s not over, it’s not over today,” said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. ‘It won’t be over tomorrow. There will be more fighting.”
City Council members Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke released a joint statement Wednesday after negotiations ended, saying they only support a CBA that includes $300 million.
“The $300 million CBA framework proposed by our offices is the only CBA currently under discussion that has received substantial support from stakeholders within and beyond Chinatown,” the statement said. “It was the only CBA proposal that received the support of PCDC, the Asian Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood RCOs and grassroots groups in the city. This is the way forward for the City Council and anything less than that does not meet the needs of Philadelphia.”
During a hearing earlier in Decemberthe Sixers declined the $300 million CBA.
The PCDC has previously drawn up plans calling for the CBA $163 million, which is more than triple the Sixers’ offer. It included a $63 million “Legacy Business” grant program, which PCDC officials said would provide up to $30,000 per year to about 105 businesses for up to 20 years that could be impacted by the arena.
There was also a call for the team and the city to fund a $100 million ‘Commercial Land Trust’. PCDC wrote that it would be used to “acquire commercial real estate and maintain long-term affordability.”
On Wednesday evening, Parker addressed Philadelphia residents at a community meeting in Society Hill about the arena.
“We are going to do our best to build support within the structure to ensure that Chinatown is protected and we will do that in partnership with the Philadelphia City Council,” Parker said.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking until the Sixers and the City Council can reach an agreement. The team has previously said the project must be approved by the end of the year so they can open 76 Place for the 2031-32 NBA season, when the team’s lease at the Wells Fargo Center expires.
Parker and supporters of the project, including labor unions, have said the arena would create jobs and revitalize Market East, while neighborhoods near the arena, such as Chinatown, strongly oppose the arena.
The Sixers have said they want to remain in Philadelphia, but with the project remaining in limbo, New Jersey officials, including Governor Phil Murphyoffered the team a deal to build an arena on the Camden Waterfront, including $800 million in tax incentives.
