Plan To Remake Area Around Its Current Home Will Have ‘No Bearing’ On 76ers Relocation Designs

Despite some speculation that a proposed $2.5B overhaul at the Philadelphia 76ers current home base might sway the team to stay put, the NBA team’s arena developer says it has no intention of doing so and remains adamant about pursuing its own $1.5B plan in Center City.

David Adelman, 76 Devcorp CEO and 76ers part owner, said the team's plan to relocate to Center City will not be affected by Comcast Spectacor’s announcement two weeks ago that it would redevelop the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, home to the Wells Fargo Center, where the professional basketball team currently plays.

“I'm tired of this fight being about me and Comcast, my landlord. It's not,” Adelman said at Bisnow's Construction and Development Summit held at The Bellevue Hotel Tuesday.

“They unveiled a great project in South Philadelphia. While they've deemed it aspirational, I hope it moves from aspirational to reality, because we need all the jobs we can get in Philadelphia. And I really hope that you all join me in supporting them and seeing if it happens in South Philly,” Adelman added. “But that doesn't mean that me and the Sixers shouldn't have our own home. We control our own destiny. We're the only city in the top 12 that doesn't have two arenas.”

Comcast Spectacor has floated several steps along the way to realizing a $2.5B  project that will primarily rise on existing parking lots outside the complex’s stadiums and arenas, including the Wells Fargo Center. 

Comcast Spectacor’s Phase 1 plan will span Lots G and H of the complex and will include upgrades to Xfinity Live! prior to the World Cup games being held there in 2026. Plans also call for a more than 5000-seat concert venue, a hotel, new retail and restaurants, and an outdoor plaza, with a goal of a 2028 completion date, according to the company.

But Spectator's second phase is still an “aspirational vision for what’s possible,” Comcast Spectacor Chairman and CEO Daniel J. Hilferty told Bisnow. 

“We are building key stakeholder support and would need to seek approval for development rights,” he said.

Phase 2’s new live-work-play district would add even more retail and restaurants, residences, office space and green space. Hilferty said Comcast Spectacor has put itself on a 10-year timeline to make it happen “if everything is on track.”

At the Bisnow event, Adelman positioned the 76ers arena project as an answer to ongoing disinvestment in Center City, touting 76 Place as part of the solution, one that would bring thousands of jobs to the area and have a multiplier effect on the city's economy.

“That 1.5B becomes $10B, $15B, $20B. But it's gotta start somewhere. So, I'm happy to eat the daily shit sandwiches on all of your behalf,” Adelman said, referring to the criticism he has taken for the project. 

Since the project was first announced almost two years ago, 76 Place has drawn controversy and criticism from a coalition of community groups for its site choice near Chinatown, which some say will cause displacement of the Asian community in the area.

76 Devcorp, the entity formed by the team to lead the arena effort, has offered to spend $50M on a community benefits agreement. A Comcast Spectacor spokesperson said it helps fund the nonprofit Sports Complex Special Services District, which acts as a community advocacy group for surrounding neighborhoods and has a standing community benefits agreement in place.

Meanwhile, a new Axios poll of readers found that 81% of more than 1,100 respondents preferred Comcast's South Philly redesign compared to 19% for the Sixers' arena plan. A large majority also said they wanted to keep the sports teams in one place and believed new amenities could draw people beyond fans. 

But a 76 Place spokeswoman told Bisnow that, while wishing it well, any new development in South Philadelphia has no relation to its plans in Center City.

“While Comcast Spectacor has not engaged the 76ers directly about the development plans announced for the Sports Complex, our team is one of the largest tenants of the Wells Fargo Center and has experienced the limitations of the current building and site,” she said.

“Although this announcement has no bearing whatsoever on our plans to move to Market East when our lease expires in 2031— a move that will support the revitalization of Market East and create approximately $1B in new tax revenue for the City and School District — we believe it is critical to discuss how development proposals such as this may serve as a catalyst for the future growth of Philadelphia, particularly if they are privately funded and have robust, meaningful benefits to the community and surrounding neighborhoods. We wish them well in their pursuits.”

UPDATE, MARCH 13, 10:30 A.M. ET: This story has been updated to include comments from a Comcast Spectacor spokesperson.