Mayor Parker to discuss details of 76ers arena agreement in public meeting Wednesday
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker will host a public meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the details of the agreement between the city and Philadelphia 76ers to build a new arena in Center City.
Parker and members of her administration will host the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 121. Members of the public attending the meeting are asked to enter at Broad and Race Streets.
The meeting will be livestreamed in this article, on FOX29.com and on the FOX 29 YouTube page.
Wednesday’s meeting comes exactly one week after Parker announced the City of Philadelphia and the 76ers organization had reached an agreement to keep the team in town that included building a new downtown arena.
Paker made the afternoon last Wednesday, releasing a video on social media as she met with Chinatown community leaders to share the news.
"My administration has reached an agreement with the Sixers for an arena in Center City," Parker said during a video announcement. "It is the best financial deal ever entered into by a Philadelphia mayor for a local sports arena, and I wholeheartedly believe it's the right deal for the people of Philadelphia."
A legislative package will still need to be sent to Philadelphia City Council where it will need to be approved.
Featured
City of Philadelphia, 76ers reach agreement on arena in Center City, Mayor Parker says
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has announced the city has reached an agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers to keep the team in Philadelphia and build an arena in Center City.
Parker said the agreement promises $1.3B in private investments for Philadelphia, and "hundreds of millions" in new tax revenue for the city and it's school district. She estimates that the arena project, if approved, will also create 100s of new jobs in Philadelphia.
"It means an economic opportunity plan – quite frankly – the likes of which have never been seen in our city," Parker said. "And it represents the start of an unprecedented revival of Market Street, Philadelphia's very first commercial quarter, which we know can reign supreme again."
A spokesperson for the Sixers sent a statement that reads: "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."
The Save Chinatown Coalition also released a statement Wednesday afternoon following Mayor Parker's video announcement.
Featured
Sixers arena: Philly leaders, residents react after Mayor Parker endorses 76ers arena in Center City
FOX 29's Jeff Cole has reactions from Philadelphians after Mayor Cherelle Parker announced she is siding with the 76ers plan to place an arena in Center City.
"Mayor Parker still hasn’t met with Chinatown after all this time, yet feels she can have a stance on whether our community should live or die," said Debbie Wei, longtime Chinatown community member and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition. "This was never about one person, and this fight is far from over. We are going to fight this, and we are going to the mat. It’s on."
Back in 2022, the Sixers announced the plan to develop a new privately-funded arena in Center City.
Months later, in December 2022, members of Philadelphia's Chinatown community blocked the bill that could have fast tracked the plan for the new arena. Nearly 40 Chinatown leaders and supporters testified against the project.
While the Sixers continued to try and make strides toward finalizing the plan, the Chinatown community continued to voice their concerns in several protests and meetings.