The Philadelphia 76ers' efforts to open a new arena in downtown Philly, 76 Place at Market East, are reaching a critical point in their timeline. Amid the return of the new-look city council, the election of new mayor Cherelle Parker and the ongoing studies into the impact of the proposed arena, the project has garnered support in a new petition with over 30,000 signatures.

The team's petition represents 55 ZIP codes and contains over 26,000 signatures from Philadelphia residents and 4,000 from commuters, according to a press release from the 76 DevCo, the team's arena development company.

David Adelman, a 76ers co-owner and the chairman of 76 DevCo, said in the release that “canvassing allows our team to meet people where they are to provide facts and answer questions. This $1.55B private investment in Market East is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help revitalize the heart of our City and give the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans the arena they deserve – at no cost to city taxpayers. We are glad to see that tens of thousands of Philadelphians see our vision as a slam dunk that will deliver substantial benefits to the City and beyond.”

In addition to holding virtual meetings this summer and over 100 previous meetings with community stakeholders, 76 DevCo held a public, in-person meeting this past November to share information and answer questions about its plans.

Organizations such as the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, the Building Industry Association and the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware support the 76ers' proposed 18,500-seat arena. Local organizations see a major opportunity in the project due to its economic impact on the city, notably its creation of job opportunities that will use unionized labor and new tax revenues for the city, which are estimated to be worth $1.5 billion.

In its press release, 76 DevCo voiced its commitment to “making an upwards of $50 million legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which will be the largest in the history of Philadelphia and one of the largest in the United States for a sports and entertainment project.”

Previously, 76 DevCo announced plans to build a housing unit in addition to the new arena, which would utilize the part of the Fashion District Mall located on Market Street and between 10th Street and 11th Street. The team aims to have Black-owned businesses account for 40 percent of 76 Place's food and beverage vendors, improve public safety in the area and invest in transportation/parking services to minimize transportation issues.

The 76ers' lease at the Wells Fargo Center — which is owned by Comcast Spectacor, the company that also owns the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers — ends after the 2030-31 NBA season. The team wants to have its own home in a more populated area of the city and has promised not to utilize city taxpayer dollars. A new arena, the press release said, would also allow Philadelphia as a whole to host more events.

Opponents of the 76ers' arena project have vocalized concern for Philadelphia's Chinatown, which neighbors the site of the proposed venue. In addition to mutual grievances with Comcast Spectator, local activists have protested 76 Place and its developers in various settings since its announcement in July of 2022, stating that it would negatively impact the local community’s way of life.

Councilman Mark Squilla, who oversees the district inhabiting 76 Place’s proposed location and Chinatown, said in a community meeting that he would not allow legislation for the arena until the developers have made a legally binding commitment to not accept public funding of any type.

However, he clarified that he only has authority over city taxpayer money and not state or federal subsidies, according to Sean Collins Walsh of the Philadelphia Inquirer. 76 DevCo said previously that it is “not actively pursuing” government funding but remains open to the idea of using existing programs. Adelman voiced the same stance at the November meeting.

“I planned to thank Councilman Squilla for pledging to avoid the mistakes of other places, and committing to prevent 76 Place from taking any public money – city, state, or federal,” said Mohan Seshadri, the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, in a statement from the Save Chinatown Coalition. “Unfortunately, when Councilman Squilla started walking back that promise, he showed us that all this rhetoric about a 100% privately-funded arena is just window dressing. 76 Place could be taxpayer subsidized if Councilman Squilla doesn’t keep his word.”

The impact of the 76ers' proposed arena is in the process of being studied by consultants chosen by the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation who were paid for by the team. The Sixers paid the bill to ensure the project remained privately funded but opponents view the independent studies with a major sense of skepticism. The studies were expected to be completed by the end of 2023 but in late December, the deadline was pushed back to this year.