The Philadelphia 76ers have suddenly scrapped their controversial plans for a new $1.3 billion downtown arena, just weeks after getting the green light from city council.
Instead, the team is staying put in South Philadelphia, striking a new deal with their current landlords at Wells Fargo Center.
The decision marks a dramatic U-turn that has left many wondering: Why abandon ship after finally getting approval?
The Sixers currently share Wells Fargo Center with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, renting from Comcast Spectacor, who own both the building and the hockey team. Sources tell the Philadelphia Inquirer that a new arena might still be in the cards – just in South Philly instead of downtown.
For Chinatown residents and other opponents of the original plan, it’s a huge victory.
“We’re glad that the Sixers will remain in the stadium district where they best belong,” city council members Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau said in a joint statement. But they didn’t hold back their frustration, blasting the team for showing “a profound lack of respect” throughout the two-year debate.
The downtown project had some powerful backers, including city mayor Cherelle Parker. Supporters hoped it would breathe new life into the struggling Market East retail area.
But local groups fought hard against it. Chinatown residents, who’ve already seen their neighborhood split by highway construction in the 1990s, worried about game-day traffic nightmares and skyrocketing rents.
Philadelphia’s sports teams have traditionally called South Philadelphia home. The area has become the city’s dedicated stadium district, making the proposed downtown move even more controversial.
The team hasn’t revealed exactly what their new South Philadelphia plans might look like, but one thing’s clear: The Sixers won’t be headed to Market Street anytime soon.
