Philadelphia City Council’s Sixers Arena Decision Delayed Until Thursday
Protesters and proponents of the Philadelphia 76ers' East Market arena proposal came out in force Wednesday afternoon in a last-ditch attempt to sway lawmakers who had been set to vote on the proposal.
Instead, Philadelphia City Council’s Committee of the Whole postponed a vote on the project until early Thursday, eliciting a chorus of boos and jeers after a day of delays.
A 9 a.m. meeting where a vote was expected was rescheduled for 4 p.m. at the last minute. Council President Kenyatta Johnson showed up nearly an hour late in the afternoon and postponed the vote again, this time bumping it to an ad hoc meeting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
He was delayed by ongoing negotiations with the Sixers, a council spokesman told reporters at the meeting.
“It's a bad deal and you don't have the votes,” arena detractors chanted as they streamed out of the council’s chambers Wednesday night.
The vote, scheduled for Thursday morning, will not be final, but because the Committee of the Whole includes every council member, it’s seen as a clear indicator of what will happen in the coming days.
City law says the body needs to wait at least a week before conducting a final vote, which could happen as soon as Dec. 19.
Reporters also received the latest edition of the community benefits agreement proposed by Johnson.
It includes $20.5M for an Arena Special Services District, $12M for affordable housing in Chinatown and $10M for a business disruption fund, according to a document a representative for the council distributed to reporters. There’s also $7M allocated for the School District of Philadelphia’s extended day/year program and $3M of support for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the Port Authority Transit Corp.
While many organized labor advocates came out in support of the arena on Wednesday, anti-arena protesters stole the show.
They chanted continuously for more than 30 minutes as citizens and other city council members waited for Johnson to arrive.
Activists have also organized a car caravan meant to simulate the additional traffic the arena could bring to Center City at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Crossing Broad reported.
“Gridlock is guaranteed if more than 40% of spectators drive – a likely reality given that 85% of spectators currently drive to Wells Fargo Center,” activists said in a statement obtained by the outlet. “The arena developers have yet to provide a plan to address and manage what is near-certain gridlock around the arena, which would impede access to Jefferson Hospital and jam up commuters.”
