Big breaking news in the Sixers arena battle. Mayor Parker came out in support of the project Wednesday afternoon:

“This agreement represents more than $1.3 billion dollars of private investment in our city. It will mean hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenues for our city of Philadelphia and our school district. It will also mean, and this is important, hundreds and hundreds of jobs for Philadelphians. It means an economic opportunity plan, quite frankly, the likes of which has never been seen in our city. And it represents the start of an unprecedent revival of Market Street.”

That’s the crux of the message right there, and the most important facet of this entire process. Ryan Boyer and the trades helped Mayor Parker win office. They are loyal to her and she is loyal to them. So if you took the last two years of bickering and fighting at face value, Parker backing the arena was always the obvious outcome. The economic boost, job creation, and support from union labor were key.

It’s good that she spoke to Chinatown directly in that video. My guess is that these meetings with Chinatown leaders were an effort to assuage concerns and that the bulk of the Sixers’ $50 million community benefits agreement will go to the community. Obviously there will be more details to come, and we can go from there, but with mayoral support, we’ve entered a phase now where councilman Mark Squilla has to introduce the legislation for an official vote. What happens is that the Sixers’ lawyers draft the legislation, the city law department approves it, Squila introduces, it goes to council committee, then full council votes TWICE, before going to mayor for signature. So it’s not a done deal right now, there are steps remaining to be taken.

EDIT – statement from a Sixers spokesperson: “We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council” ..and statement from Dan Hilferty of Comcast-Spectacor: “Regardless of the outcome of the City’s negotiations with HBSE, our door will always be open for the 76ers to join us in South Philadelphia if they ever conclude that is what is best for their team. Alongside the Phillies, we are creating the dynamic and accessible destination for sports and entertainment that will create thousands of jobs, amplify our City, and create numerous community benefits. Either way, we always want what is best for Philadelphia.”