Philadelphia City Council advances bills on 76ers arena; final vote could be held next week
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A new arena for the Philadelphia 76ers could be approved as soon as next week after a series of bills were advanced in City Council on Thursday.
A council committee passed the bills for 76 Place shortly before 10 a.m. By midday Thursday the bills had also passed a first reading before the full council.
The bills are now set to be brought up for a second reading and final approval in a special council session on Dec. 19.
One of the most notable changes is an increase to the Community Benefit Agreement or CBA.
The city and the Sixers have agreed on $60 million for the CBA. That's the amount of money the team will give the city over 30 years for various initiatives.
The team's original offer was $50 million, and the city asked for $100 million. Negotiations brought that number down overnight.
In addition to the $60 million, the city of Philadelphia has committed $20 million toward affordable housing. That commitment was made by Mayor Cherelle Parker, who commended City Council for approving the measure.
"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," Parker said.
"Having $20 million for affordable housing is a big deal that Chinatown does need and I think it'll help offset some of the impact of this arena," said Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents Chinatown the area where the arena would be built.
The money includes $5 million for a business disruption fund that would help impacted businesses in the proposed Center City location, including those in nearby Chinatown.
"There's an additional $48 million earmarked for people who live inside Chinatown," said Council President Kenyatta Johnson. "No deal is always a perfect deal, but through that deal we were able to address a variety of concerns."
"We want to fight for the preservation of Chinatown and that's why we fought to get more in the Community Benefit Agreement. But at the end of the day there's a whole city that needs this arena, and we did what we thought was best for the city," said Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., who voted to approve the arena.
Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier was among four members who voted against it. She said support for resources such as a community land trust and a legacy business program were stripped out.
"I don't understand why we would prioritize a flashy new arena over a special cultural asset that means so much to so many like Chinatown," Gauthier said.
Protesters say the deal amounts to the destruction of Chinatown.
"What happened at city council was a disgrace, was a disappointment, was a betrayal. It was a bad deal," said Chinatown business owner Xu Lin. "Stadiums will only make billionaires richer. If stadiums made sense for the people we would not be the poorest city in America."
Traffic congestion near the arena remains a concern for some.
The Sixers have said parking and transportation issues will be mitigated if a certain number of people use public transportation to get to the new arena. But some people just don't believe that's going to happen.
On Thursday night, some protesters drove through Center City to demonstrate gridlock.
"We've got maybe 100 cars out here right now," said Mohan Seshadri with Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance.
Opponents say they'll continue to protest at the meetings and are even considering legal action.
