Sixers Abandon Center City Plans, Staying in South Philly

Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty

A massive move to center city has been halted, as the Philadelphia Sixers Abandon their new arena layout in center city and decide to stay in South Philly.

This reversal comes just a four months after Mayor Cherelle Parker approved the Sixers move, and a month after bills were passed out of Philadelphia council’s Committee to advance the project.

The $1.3 billion proposed arena set to be built in the city’s Market East section — on Market and Filbert streets at 10th and 11th streets — would replace part of Fashion District Philadelphia.

The Sixers decided it was best to keep the nest in place and remain playing at Wells Fargo Center at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

Philadelphia City Council Minority Leader Kendra Brooks and Minority Whip Nicolas O’Rourke, members of the Working Families Party and opponents of the arena proposal, said in a statement Sunday that keeping the Sixers in South Philadelphia “has always made the most sense,” and called the decision not to build in Market East “a historic win.”

“Over the last two years, the Minority Party in Council stood firmly with the community to oppose this plan because it never made sense for Philadelphia,” Brooks and O’Rourke said in part. “Community members and organizations raised critical questions about the arena that went unanswered and are now fully vindicated for doubting the 76ers’ commitment to cherished neighborhoods. This outcome would not have been possible without the courage and dedication of community leaders, organizers, and Philadelphians who spoke up and fought back.”

But. not of the City’s council was happy about the mishap. Councilmember Jim Harrity expressed his frustration with the decision.

“I feel completely bamboozled,” Harrity said. “I’m not going to forget this… I feel they not only bamboozled me but bamboozled the citizens of Philadelphia and I’m not going to forget that.”

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who voted against the Center City arena legislation, said the team staying in South Philly is what’s best for the city but she’s not thrilled with how the Sixers handled the deal.

“What a waste of city resources, what a waste of time. How disrespectful to everyone who came and made their voices heard about this,” she said. “I think the Sixers have a lot of apologizing to do, actually, for the position that they put the city of Philadelphia in.”

The arena was scheduled to open in time for the 2031-2032 NBA season, with construction slated to begin in 2026.

Information from this article was sourced from CBS Philly.

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Sixers Abandon Center City Plans, Staying in South Philly was originally published on rnbphilly.com