Philly’s mayor: ‘New 76ers arena in Center City is a done deal’
It appears that the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers will be tipping off on Market Street after all.
Despite a two-year protest over a proposed $1.3 billion dollar sports and entertainment center that would take over one-third of Macerich’s Fashion Square Mall, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has announced that an agreement had been reached for the project to go ahead.
A group called the Save Chinatown Coalition had stalled its approval with public protests led by business and community leaders from the Chinatown district near the project site. The cause was embraced by several city officials, stalling its construction.
Just two weeks ago, the city of Camden, N.J. made a play to capture the project, releasing renderings of an arena that could be built on the banks of the Delaware River, just across from Philadelphia over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge — a move that could have sparked the mayor’s and the city’s decision.
“I am proud to share that I have made my decision, and an agreement has been reached to ensure that our Sixers are staying home,” Mayor Parker announced in a video shared on X. “I wholeheartedly believe that this is the right deal for the people of Philadelphia. To the People of Chinatown, please know that I hear you. We have the best Chinatown in the United States, and I am committed to working together to support it.”
Her remarks drew an immediate response from Save Chinatown Coalition in a press release headlined, “This Fight is Far From Over.”
“Mayor Parker still hasn’t met with Chinatown after all this time, yet feels she can have a stance on whether our community should live or die,” said coalition member Debbie Wei in the release. “This was never about one person, and this fight is far from over. We are going to fight this, and we are going to the mat. It’s on.”
When the sports complex project was announced, 76ers managing partner Josh Harris stated that its presence was meant to reinvigorate Center City Philadelphia and strengthen the team’s ties with local communities “through investments that prioritize equity, inclusivity, and accessibility.”
If built, the new arena will not be christened until the 2031-32 season, after the Sixers’ current lease at Wells Fargo Center in South Philly will have expired.
