After months of hearing public opinion on the potential new Philadelphia 76ers arena in the city’s China Town neighborhood, the city council committee has passed the proposal which will move to a final vote next week.
The council committee approved the arena in a 12-4 vote. This decision has been a long time coming, as the 76ers began the journey for a new arena months ago. China Town locals have been protesting the arena at every possible moment, organizing marches and assembling at City Council meetings. In an effort to appease the neighborhood, the council committee also approved $60 million in funding from the Community Benefits Agreement, paid for by the 76ers that goes directly to benefiting China Town residents.
Related: Philadelphia's Proposal for New 76ers Arena Location Met with Protests
Following the vote, Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker released a statement that read, “Today, City Council took monumental action on this $1.3 billion economic development project for Philadelphia that, as I have consistently said, extends far beyond the basketball. I first want to commend City Council for all of the due diligence and hard work that it brought to this process before it voted in the Committee of the Whole to report favorably from committee the key legislative pieces necessary for the arena project to move forward."
According to Fox29 News, the final vote “needs to happen then as they only have one more session before Christmas, which would be the 19th and they could add one after that.”
China Town locals who spoke up at previous city council meetings expressed concerns over traffic, gentrification and emergency response times to the neighborhood if the new arena were to be approved. However there have been supporters of the planned arena throughout the entire process as well, especially from those who stand to gain employment from the new arena.
“We're having conversations with the Sixers and members on how best to proceed and move forward. We want this deal to work, we think it's good for the city of Philadelphia," said Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.
