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The Philadelphia Inquirer: After two years, the clock is ticking on the Sixers plan to build a Center City arena
A fall deadline for decision-making has been called crucial.
By Jeff Gammage
In July 2022 the Sixers announced their intention to construct a world-class showplace on East Market Street, a billion-dollar project they said would not only benefit the team but bring new life and economic vitality to the struggling business corridor.
What followed has been 24 months of broken or delayed deadlines and timelines, sharpening the stakes for all involved: a post-pandemic Philadelphia that is struggling to fill office buildings, retail stores, and public-transit lines; a Chinatown neighborhood that sees the arena as the seed of its destruction; and a Sixers ownership that stands to grow stronger and wealthier through control of its own venue.
Here at the two-year mark, we explain where things stand in what has become the city’s most divisive development battle in years.
When might the city actually consider whether to approve the project?
Fall. That’s the target, once City Council returns from its summer break Sept. 5. But don’t expect immediate passage of arena-enabling legislation.
Councilmember Mark Squilla, a key player, has promised that the public will have 30 days to review any legislation before it is introduced. Activists in Chinatown, which abuts the arena site at 10th and Market Streets, are sure to have objections. Public hearings could take time, given concerns that the arena will generate traffic, crowds,and trash.
And waiting in the wings for the completion of the government-approval process are lawyers from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the national civil-rights organization that has sued to protect Chinatowns in other cities.
Squilla, whose First District includes Chinatown and the arena site, said he expects a yes-or-no decision on the project by the end of the year.
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Read the article here: https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/commercial/sixers-arena-plans-two-years-later-20240725.html#loaded