Legislative timeline for new Sixers arena remains up in the air as lawmakers return to session

Have a question about Philly’s neighborhoods or the systems that shape them? PlanPhilly reporters want to hear from you! Ask us a question or send us a story idea you think we should cover.

It may be awhile before City Council considers legislation for a new Sixers arena in South Philadelphia.

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson told reporters Thursday that, for the moment, he had “no expectation” that lawmakers would be “doing anything” related to the development, which will also become the home of the Flyers.

“I don’t have any information in terms of when it’s moving forward. I’ll leave it there,” Johnson said after Council’s first regular meeting following the summer recess.

The Sixers, in partnership with Comcast Spectacor, have said they want to open a new arena inside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex by 2031. The teams currently play at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, which opened nearly 30 years ago and recently underwent a $400 million overhaul.

“The 76ers, Flyers, and Comcast have been working very hard to put together plans for Market Street East and for a new arena. We look forward to sharing more information as plans and timelines are solidified,” said a Sixers spokesperson in a statement.

The franchise has provided scant information about the new facility since announcing its plans in January — less than a month after Council had authorized a separate proposal to build a new basketball arena in Center City near Chinatown.

The stunning decision to abandon that plan followed a string of daylong hearings, hours of closed-door negotiations and scores of protests, rallies and press conferences organized by arena opponents. Critics argued a Center City arena would clog surrounding streets with traffic, creating an “existential threat” to small businesses in Chinatown, as well as the neighborhood itself.

The proposal for the sports complex is expected to draw less controversy given the area’s longstanding identity as a destination for fans of the city’s four major sports teams. But the complex is poised for dramatic change in the coming years.

The new arena is considered a complement to an ambitious redevelopment plan Comcast announced last February. With help from other investors, the company hopes to spend the next decade transforming the sports complex into a year-round destination for work and play.

The $2.5 billion plan calls for new retail and restaurants, a music venue and a hotel to start. If the full plan is realized, it will also bring office buildings and new residential housing to the area.

For now, it’s unclear how the new facility might fit into this master plan, which leaves room for a new facility to replace the Xfinity Mobile Arena but provides no additional details. It’s also unclear how much the new arena will cost or whether the city or state will be asked, unlike the previous proposal for Center City, to contribute taxpayer dollars to help cover the cost of construction.

Council’s last regular meeting of the session is scheduled for Dec. 11.

On Thursday, Johnson appeared to be more concerned with other issues.

“We’re working in partnership with the administration around the H.O.M.E. initiative. We wanna address the issue of housing and inequality in the city of Philadelphia,” Johnson said. “We also will be looking at, just from an advocacy standpoint, just educating the wider public in terms of the impact that the [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] cuts are going to have on our constituencies, as well as the Medicaid cuts.”

The Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., initiative is Mayor Cherelle Parker’s signature housing plan. The multifaceted effort, backed by $800 million in bonds, is designed to preserve and create 30,000 units of housing.

The initiative’s first program statement and budget is expected in the coming weeks.