Philadelphia City Council to host public hearings on Sixers arena proposal

Starting Tuesday, Philadelphia City Council will hold a series of public hearings to probe the 76ers’ arena proposal and hear from proponents and opponents of the $1.55 billion development.

The hearings, scheduled to wrap up on Dec. 3, will be held in Council chambers at City Hall and be led by the Committee of the Whole, a decision that enables all members of Council to participate.

Council members will have the chance to question members of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration, Sixers officials and community stakeholders. There will also be opportunities for anyone from the general public to weigh in on the controversial project, which would take over a portion of the Fashion District mall in Center City near Chinatown.

“I expect spirited Committee of the Whole hearings on this proposed arena,” said Council President Kenyatta Johnson in a statement.

Council will vote on the arena sometime after the hearings have concluded — possibly before the end of the year.

The hearings come roughly two weeks after Councilmember Mark Squilla introduced a legislative package on behalf of the Parker administration that contains the approvals the team needs to start construction. The move was met with boos and chants from community activists and full-throated support from private developers and members of the city’s building trades.

The package, drafts of which were posted online in September, consists of 11 bills and two resolutions. It contains legislation related to zoning and planning, as well as measures related to an existing neighborhood improvement district and financial arrangements tied to the Fashion District mall.

Squilla also introduced a pair of his own bills. One would create a special services district around the arena, a measure designed to give nearby residents some agency when it comes to the conduct of the arena. The other would create a new zoning overlay for Chinatown, in part to preserve the scale of the neighborhood.

“Forthcoming will be legislation for a cultural tax increment financing (TIF) intended to help preserve, support, maintain and improve the legacy and value of Chinatown to the City of Philadelphia,” said Squilla in a statement. “The TIF will capture increases in tax revenues to reinvest in the Chinatown community.”

Opponents view the arena proposal as an existential threat to Chinatown. They say the facility will generate traffic congestion that will cause people to avoid the area, hurting hundreds of small businesses in the neighborhood while creating a dangerous dilemma for ambulances trying to make their way to nearby hospitals.

Parker has touted the arena, saying it will generate new tax revenue, create hundreds of jobs and help revitalize Market East, a disjointed stretch of blocks east of City Hall that have struggled to thrive for decades.

“This is about access to economic opportunity for all in Philadelphia no matter your race, your class, your socioeconomic status and/or your ZIP code,” Parker said during a news conference in September.

The Sixers have made similar arguments. The team has said it needs Council to authorize the arena by the end of the year in order to stay on track with the project. The franchise hopes to open the arena in 2031, the year its lease ends at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.

The final session of Council is scheduled for Dec. 12.