It's been a long road peppered with a lot of discussion over a proposal to bring a $1.3 billion arena for the Philadelphia 76ers to Center City the past few weeks.
But, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, that all comes to an end as City Council's Committee of the Whole held the final legislative hearing on the plan -- just one day after council provided, what could be, the final opportunity for members of the public to provide input before the plan heads to a vote.
And, during Tuesday's hearing, the weight of the impending decision was not lost on City Councilman At-Large Nicolas O'Rourke.
"The decisions that we’re making today, that we will make around this, will have lasting consequences for our city," he said. "And, it's essential that we address every outstanding concern thoroughly and transparently."
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During the day's hearing, members of council spent hours questioning Sixers ownership executives about the plan, often pushing for more funds in a Community Benefits Agreement than the $50 million that has been previously proposed.
And, during the day, some councilmembers seemed to exhibit frustration during conversations with the Sixers ownership.
"I'm a little stunned that you're coming back here without answers to our questions again," said City Councilmember Rue Landau (D-At-Large).
Yet, Sixers officials said they are considering boosting the $50 million CBA agreement.
"We are considering adjustments to the CBA in conversations with this body as well as with the administration," said David Gould of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
Though, Gould said -- when a councilmember hinted at a $300 million CBA agreement -- that $300 million would be too much for the developers to agree to and would make the project not financially viable.
Yet, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson (D-2nd dist.) told NBC10's Lauren Mayk that the developers showing some sign of being willing to negotiate may make more members of council more comfortable with supporting the plan.
"They started off with a ‘no’ a couple weeks ago and now they are talking about having negotiations," Johnson said.
Also, during the morning, discussions revolved around the cash-strapped SEPTA and how the mass transit provider would be able to cover needed renovation at Jefferson Station to accommodate the proposed arena.
Yet, Alex Kafenbaum of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment told councilmembers that they had just spoken to SEPTA representatives on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, in order to hash out ways to mitigate costs.
"We presented to SEPTA, as recently as yesterday, how those costs could be lowered," he said.
If the plan moves out of committee after Tuesday's hearing, the bill package on the arena could go before City Council during a meeting scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
It could then move to a final vote during the City Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
Also, while council is focused on this legislation, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker will host a community meeting to discuss the arena proposal on Tuesday evening.
The mayor's arena community meeting was at the Church of Christian Compassion, located at 6121 Cedar Ave., in West Philadelphia.
At the meeting, Mayor Parker stood firm in her support for the proposed arena, saying it'll improve the quality of life for people in Center City, Chinatown and the entire city.
“Philadelphia, if we going to be a first-class city, we deserve to have high-quality amenities in our city on Market Street so that we can access them," she said.
This is her office's second time holding a community meeting about the proposal and Parker took time to explain the financial breakdown of the proposed $50 million Community Benefits Agreement.
“We’ve been working with council to make adjustments to the CBA and we will continue to do that because that’s what the legislative process is—that’s what it calls for," Parker said.
$23 million of the money will go to citywide service, $21 million will go to Chinatown and $5 million has not been announced.
The city says that money will go toward things like community programs like internships for young people and small businesses.
“That money is all money that the Sixers themselves are benefiting from. It’s them who are profiting off of people’s cheap labor in the form of an internship. It doesn’t make sense to put that in CBA. It’s just a joke on its own," Anlin Wang, who is opposed to the arena proposal, said.
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