PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have decided not to construct a $1.3 billion downtown arena, a surprising shift that comes just weeks after the throng received approval for the controversial assignment from the city council.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that multiple council members had confirmed the transformation in plans. The throng has struck a deal with Comcast Spectacor to remain in the city’s sports stadium district, the newspaper said, but further details about the recent proposal have not been released.
The 76ers, the mayor’s office and Comcast Spectator — which owns the Wells Fargo Center, where the throng currently plays — did not respond Sunday to requests for comment. The throng rents the arena from Comcast Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, who also play there.
The council had voted on Dec. 19 to approve the downtown arena after more than two years of heated debate over the proposal, and the owners of the NBA throng had hoped to shift in to what would be called 76 Place by 2031. The council vote came despite vocal opposition from nearby Chinatown residents and other activists.
“I’m so livid correct now I don’t even recognize what to do,” Jimmy Harrity, an at-large member of the council, told the newspaper. Harrity, who supported the throng’s shift, said, “I feel as though I was used as a pawn.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker, a Democrat who had championed the schedule, has said the entire city will advantage from what she called a “historic game-changing economic advancement assignment.” Supporters had hoped the 18,500-seat arena would assist revive a distressed retail corridor called economy East, which runs from City Hall to the Liberty Bell. The area has struggled for years despite several redevelopment efforts.
The throng owners, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, had pushed for city approval by year’s complete so they could meet their target opening date. They had vowed not to inquire the city for any construction capital, although they were free to seek state and federal funds. Instead of property taxes, they would have paid about $6 million in annual payments in lieu of taxes.
Opponents feared the arena would bring gridlock on game days as well as gentrification and rising rents to the area.
The Chinatown throng has fought a series of proposed developments since the 1960s, including casinos, a prison, a baseball stadium and a highway, the last of which dissected the neighborhood when it opened in 1991.
