The first sod for the construction of the future Sixers hall is not about to be given! Announced with great fanfare a year ago, this future enclosure should cost around $1.5 billion and emerge from the ground in 2031. While awaiting approval from town hall, management has chosen the city center as the location, but the obstacles have been multiplying for months.
Starting with the opposition of the local population, and more specifically the residents of Chinatown, a neighborhood close to the future work. Faced with the almost weekly demonstrations, the city decided to launch an independent audit to assess “the design of the building, the impact on the community and urban planning, the economic impact and on parking and traffic”.
The Wells Fargo Center stripped of its tenants, but also of shows
For the Sixers, the residents are manipulated by… Comcast Spectacor, the firm that owns the Wells Fargo Center, and sports subsidiary of the giant Comcast.
Owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the Sixers are unhappy with the aging but renovated Wells Fargo Center, which therefore belongs to Comcast Spectacor, also owner of the Flyers (NHL). Like the Warriors, the leaders of the Sixers want their own room, to exploit it and above all to promote the franchise. The future name of the room says it all: 76 Place.
Led by billionaire Brian L. Roberts, Comcast Spectacor obviously does not want the Sixers to leave since the NBA franchise actively participates in the venue’s turnover. They are even the first tenants, in front of the concerts and shows. Result: if the Sixers leave, the Wells Fargo Center would become an almost empty shell, since the future hall would at the same time become a competing venue to host shows and concerts.
Building affordable housing to make a difference
The ball is in the court of the municipal council and the billionaires of each camp intend to use all means to win the vote. “I have never been so solicited by both parties on a given subject,” reveals Mark Squillaa member of the city council, who will play an essential role in the outcome of the procedure, because his constituency includes the future location of the hall. “My meetings have tripled since the project was announced. »
To convince the city council, the Sixers have already announced that they would build hundreds of housing units above the hall, 20% of which would be offered at affordable rates.
