After a surprise change of heart Sunday found planners behind a $1.3 billion new Center City arena project for the Philadelphia 76ers throwing the project away, officials with the city and Philly's sports teams, gathered to discuss what happened and what comes next.
On Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker joined City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, Sixers’ owner Josh Harris, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and other business and sports leaders to discuss the Sixers decision to throw out years of planning and discussion on the arena proposal that dates back to 2022 and, instead, back a plan for a new arena for the Sixers and Flyers in the city's South Philly stadium complex.
“This is about a win, win, win, win for Philadelphia here on today,” Parker said as she was surrounded by officials at City Hall.
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Officials celebrate ‘exciting’ partnership for new arena
In a release shared by organizers ahead of the day's event, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment -- which owns the Sixers -- announced that it has entered a "binding agreement" with Comcast Spectacor to bring a "world-class, state-of-the-art arena" to the South Philadelphia sports complex that would serve as a new home for the basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers.
In addressing the switch from an approved plan for Center City to this partnership for a new stadium in South Philly, 76ers co-owner David Adelman noted that there could be some confusion swirling about the move.
But, he said, this decision will result in a world-class arena for the sports teams and would still provide revitalization efforts for the city's Market East community.
“Though plans have changed, the one thing that has not changed is our commitment to do something good for the Sixers, our fans and, most importantly, our city," said Adelman.
The statement also claims that Comcast will take a minority stake in the 76ers and will join with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment "to bid to bring a WNBA team to the city."
The chance at the city getting a WNBA franchise was one of the goals that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver -- attending via video-link -- said was one of Parker's goals when he spoke with her in July of last year.
And, he said, the "exciting" partnership between the Sixers and Comcast could help forward that effort.
"This new collaboration will result in real tangible benefits for the people of Philadelphia” Silver said.
Until recently, Josh Harris, co-owner of the Sixers, said that the team had planned on “going a different direction." But, he said that, over the last two weeks talking with Comcast, they decided to work together on two projects instead of one: a new home for the Sixers and Flyers and a venue for concerts and events in South Philly and an effort to revitalize Market East.
“The journey to the best solution doesn’t always go in a straight line,” said Harris. “But, I am certain that today we have found an incredibly positive solution for Philly.”
In discussing this partnership, Brian Roberts, the chairman and CEO of Comcast, said Philadelphia is home and that, as this situation unraveled, he wanted to put the city first.
“We wanted to imagine our city with a vibrancy with economic development and with vision,” he said.
Also, officials acknowledged the desire to bring a WNBA franchise to the city and, on hand to discuss the idea, comedian and fan of the WNBA, Wanda Sykes, said that she is helping make it a reality.
"I don't think our odds could be anymore favorable than they are today," Sykes said.
She also squeezed in a special "Go Birds," in her comments, as well, with an apology to Harris who owns the Philadelphia Eagles' rival Washington Commanders.
The long, winding road to a new South Philly arena plan
Parker also addressed the "curveball that none of us saw coming" -- the new new plan.
She had long supported the plan to bring the proposed arena, 76 Place, to the area of the intersection of Market and Filbert streets at 10th and 11th streets, even touting the proposed plans as "a historic agreement" before heading on a citywide tour to talk to communities across Philadelphia about the proposal late last year.
City councilmembers seemingly took more convincing, holding a wealth of hearings on the proposal over several weeks last year, before eventually, approving the plan on Dec. 19, 2024 by an overwhelming majority.
Also, over the course of last year, New Jersey officials courted the Sixers ownership, trying to get them to bring the team to Camden -- even offering up to $400 million in tax credits to help sway the team out of Philly.
Yet, in the end, as confirmed over the weekend, the team worked out a new deal with Comcast Spectacor that would see the Wells Fargo Center demolished and a new arena built in South Philadelphia for the Sixers and Flyers.
Parker said she approved of the original proposal, and she still feels it would have been a historic deal.
This new plan, however, could be bigger, better and could get done faster, the first-term Democrat said.
Parker noted that the change means that the city lost a $60 million community benefits agreement and a $1.3 billion private investment into Center City with the loss of the approved arena project for Market East.
But, "now we are here," she said, saying there will still be a revitalization of Market East and the Sixers will still stay in Philadelphia.
She also said the city would still honor a $20 million commitment to invest in affordable housing and other projects in the city's Chinatown neighborhood.
"This opportunity is packed with potential," Parker said.
Philadelphia City Council president Kenyatta Johnson agreed, noting that he’s been working with the organizations involved all throughout the legislative process and said that the day’s announcement meant the city may be losing the Center City proposal, but it would gain a new arena as well as a revitalization effort.
“This is a win-win because Plan B is better than Plan A," said Johnson.
Though, any details on what this new arena may cost, just where it would be constructed, if it would be built with taxpayer funds, when construction would begin and when the Wells Fargo Center could come down, have all not yet been made public.
And, Parker said, nothing would be released until the city had done "the same amount of homework" with the new project that officials did for the abandoned Center City arena plan.
"Nothing that we did is going to be in vain," said Parker.
In a joint post on social media, the Sixers did hint that they plan to create a new "world-class arena" in partnership with the Flyers by 2031.
As for the now abandoned Center City arena plan, it was also set to open in 2031.
Comcast is the parent company of NBC10 and NBC Universal.
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