Philly City Council hears testimony from mayor's staff on 76ers' new arena plan

Philadelphia City Council’s Committee of the Whole began two days of testimony, this week, on the proposal for a Sixers arena in Center City on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.

The first day of hearings opened as officials with Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration testified on the arena proposal.

Opening the day, Tiffany Thurman, Mayor Parker's chief of staff, testified before council and discussed support of the legislative package that would allow developers to create the arena.

"Under this deal, we both keep our hometown 76ers playing in Philadelphia until at least 2026 and we jumpstart a broader, city-led focus on the preservation of Chinatown and the revitalization of Market East," said Thurman.

She began her comments talking about how the city has worked to create a "union-supporting agreement" for the arena and how they plan to focus on preserving and enhancing Chinatown "including by responding to longstanding challenges arising over many decades."

Thurman also noted that the proposal calls for the project to be completed without any taxpayer funding and would create over 1,000 construction and operation jobs. She also touted a $50 million community benefits agreement that is intended to "support nearby communities and make citywide investments in education and opportunity."

City Solicitor Renee Garcia also pushed for support of the arena proposal, telling City Councilmembers that the effort wouldn't only impact specific Center City communities.

She said that negotiated agreements would "ensure that the positive impact of this project reaches all corners of the city, especially those residents and businesses historically shut out from participation in large scale development projects."

Yet, during the day, City Councilmembers kept members of Parker's administration on the hot seat, as some members of council made it clear that they are still uncertain in supporting the plan or they oppose it outright.

Nicolas O'Rourke, a councilman at-large for the working families party, said that he needed more information on the project in order to make an educated decision.

"There are many shiny promises here but just as many details missing," he said.

Councilmembers expressed a number of concerns over the plan, including: Who might pay for upgrades to SEPTA's facilities near the stadium? What impact could the plan have on the nearby Jefferson Trauma Center? Is the $1.6 million grant -- included in the proposal to help support businesses nearest the proposed arena site -- enough to help small businesses during construction?

Fellow Councilmember at-large, Kendra Brooks, had similar concerns.

"I feel like it’s a bad deal for everyone other than the billionaires," she said. "And according to the election pollster 70% of Philadelphians say they don’t want this.”

And, while Parker wasn't in the room to answer councilmembers' concerns, Thurman worked to assure the gathered officials that the plan fit within Parker's stated goals of a safer, cleaner, greener Philadelphia, with economic opportunity for all.

"I can’t speak to the polls," said Thurman. "I can speak to the Mayor’s agenda.”

Upcoming hearings on the arena plan

In a second day of testimony set for Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, City Council plans to hear from officials for the Philadelphia 76ers. These officials are expected to detail reasons for wanting to bring this arena project to Center City.

There will be future hearings where members of the public will be able to provide testimony on the area plan to City Council as well. Officials said that there will be portions of hearings on Nov. 19, 20 and 26 that will include public testimony and there will be entire hearings on Nov. 21, 2024 and Dec. 2, 2024 that will be reserved for public testimony as well.

City Council is hearing testimony on a package of bills -- all submitted by City Councilmember Mark Squilla (D-1st dist.) -- that relate to the proposal to construct a $1.3 billion arena to Center City, between Market and Filbert streets at 10th and 11th streets.

Late last month, when this package of bills was first introduced, Philadelphia residents opposed to the arena plan interrupted the hearing, waving signs and leading chants of "no arena."

Many in the communities closest to the proposed site of the arena have long opposed the plan.

Also, City Council has also created a website to provide additional information on the ongoing Sixers arena deliberations. It's here: https://phlcouncil.com/arena-info/.

City officials said the website also gives the public information on how to sign up to testify and give public comments during the upcoming arena hearings.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.