Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and other city officials are expected to provide a 'very detailed' update to the ongoing effort to bring a new arena for the 76ers to Center City on Wednesday.
Parker promised on Tuesday that she would provide an update to an agreement that would "cross every T and dot every I," to ensure that the Philadelphia Sixers stay in the City of Brotherly Love.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker is expected to join city officials to provide more details on an agreement that would bring a new arena complex for the Philadelphia 76ers to Center City. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. and it will be livestreamed at the top of this story.
Wednesday's event comes about a week after Parker made a surprise announcement on social media that an agreement had been reached for the 76 Place plan to bring an arena for the Sixers to Market Street in Center City.
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As your Mayor, I'm speaking from my City Hall office with a very important announcement. I am proud to share that I have made my decision, and an agreement has been reached to ensure that our Sixers are staying home.
— Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (@PhillyMayor) September 18, 2024
I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the People… pic.twitter.com/Fnj19mrBOV
The plan to bring 76 Place at Market East -- a $1.3 billion arena that would be home to the Philadelphia 76ers -- to Center City has had a long-winding and contentious history, with many of those who live closest to the proposed location for the arena vocal in their opposition of the arena.
Parker has not yet said how this deal was reached, if any concessions were made by the city or organizers to ensure the plan could move forward, or if steps were made to quell the concerns that opponents of the plan have expressed.
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But, she said in a statement that she had heard the concerns and was committed to working with the community of the city's nearby Chinatown neighborhood.
"I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the People of Philadelphia. To the People of Chinatown, please know that I hear you. We have the best Chinatown in the United States, and I am committed to working together to support it. I'll have a lot more to say in a formal presentation coming soon," Parker said.
Chinatown leaders said they have invited Mayor Parker to Chinatown several times to discuss this issue, but she has not come to their turf.
Officials will gather on Wednesday afternoon, at about 5:30 p.m., at the Pennsylvania Convention Center to announce the details of the agreement for 76 Place.
The majority of people who showed up the Convention Center are supporters of the proposed arena. They are part of the 76 development team or union members who could get construction jobs from the project.
The people of Chinatown, who largely oppose this area, told NBC10 that they were not personally invited to this public meeting so they will not be attending.
The arena does have the support of several groups in Philadelphia including: labor unions like IBEW, African American organizations like NAACP, the Black Clergy and the African American Chamber of Commerce.
The groups cite tax revenue and thre revitalization of Market Street among their reasons for supporting the project.
What happens next
Even with Mayor Cherelle Parker's approval, the proposed 76ers arena in Center City is not a done deal.
City Council has the final vote.
Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district where the arena would be built, told NBC10 that he has not seen the agreement yet.
"Councilmember Squilla has said, if neighborhoods oppose this thing, it's not gonna happen. And so the fact that City Hall is continuing to advance this reckless timeline, it's deeply concerning, not just for our community, but for how things should work in Philly," Mohan Seshadri, of the Save Chinatown Coalition said.
76 DevCo proposal
The 76 DevCo first proposed this project more than two years ago in July of 2022.
They said that they want to build the arena in part of the Fashion District Mall from 10th to 11th on Market Street.
The building would have a 25-floor apartment building complex above it with a fifth of the units being used for affordable housing.
76 DevCo promised to build this at no cost to taxpayers by bringing in $1.55 billion through private money.
They said it would create more than 9,100 construction jobs for Philadelphia residents and generate more than $1.5 billion in tax revenue over the next 30 years.
The 76 DevCo also promised to give a collective $50 million to surrounding neighborhoods and communities of color including $2 million to Black-owned businesses.
The Save Chinatown Coalition said that the studies that the city of Philadelphia have done are inadequate.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
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