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Sixers Arena Successfully Voted Out of Committee, Paving the Way for Full Approval Next Week
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After several delays, Philadelphia City Council voted yes on Thursday to the package of legislation required to move the Sixers proposed Market Street arena out of committee and into full council for a final vote. It means that one week from now, on December 19th, 76 Place will be officially approved.
The negotiations came down to the final hours, and centered on the community benefits agreement, which was originally a $50 million offer from the Sixers. After council pushed for $100 million, both sides settled on $60 million. The final vote was 12 to 4 in favor, with councilmembers Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau, Jeffery Young, and Nicolas O’Rourke voting no. Kendra Brooks was absent.
We don’t have the final list of amendments yet, describing how the $60 million will be spent, but we will update the story with the final framework of the deal. It was mostly a shitshow in council chambers, with opposition yelling “sell out” at Mark Squilla and chanting throughout. Ultimately, the Sixers and the building trades came out on top.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com