Philadelphia City Council approved the 76ers’ proposal to build a new $1.3 billion arena in Center City by a 12-5 vote on Thursday, December 19, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The proposal has been advertised as a way to revitalize the Market East corridor and criticized as a threat to nearby Chinatown. Discussions have taken place for more than two years and included one final protest that briefly disrupted proceedings, The Inquirer said.

The 76ers intend to open the new facility for the 2031-32 NBA season when the team’s lease at the Wells Fargo Center expires. The arena will sit atop SEPTA’s Jefferson Station and will replace the western third of the Fashion District shopping mall.

1987 Cheltenham graduate Rue Landau of Philadelphia’s City Council was among those who voted against the proposal.

From the article:

The project was opposed by every major neighborhood group that borders it, including those in Chinatown and Washington Square West, and by the Design Advocacy Group, an organization of architects and urban planners who said an arena is unlikely to revive Market East. It also drew the ire of progressive activists, who criticized Council for doing the bidding of the 76ers’ billionaire owners, and of Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Wells Fargo Center and stands to lose out on the construction of a competing arena.

76ers co-owner and lead developer David Adelman called the vote “a critical milestone.”

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Rendering courtesy of City of Philadelphia/Gensler