Members of Philadelphia’s building trades and blue-collar unions also voiced support for the arena, which is expected to create more than 9,000 construction jobs.
The project is also backed by the African-American Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity.
“You cannot grow without investment. We all see how this corridor looks. It is empty, it is blighted and businesses are leaving every day,” said Regina Hairston, the chamber’s president.
“It’s not only opportunity for a construction job, it’s opportunity for a sustainable future. Someone has the opportunity to get on this project and it can be the start of financial freedom, the start of a new life,” said Layla Bibi, council representative for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which is not a member of the building trades.
In the end, lawmakers voted decisively for the arena.
Councilmembers Johnson, Mark Squilla, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Cindy Bass, Nina Ahmad, Curtis Jones, Brian O’Neill, Quetcy Lozada, Jim Harrity, Michael Driscoll, Anthony Phillips and Isaiah Thomas voted in favor of the arena legislation.
Councilmembers Nicolas O’Rourke, Jamie Gauthier, Jeffrey Young, Rue Landau and Kendra Brooks voted against the arena, in part because they could not support the final version of the community benefits agreement
After the meeting, Brooks said the arena is “another terrible example of the city’s racing to the bottom to appease billionaires,” saying the vote will galvanize residents to take action for years to come.
“When power and money descend on our communities, we must stand up and fight back — even when the fight is impossible and difficult. The arena vote held today demonstrates how far we have to go to truly listen to and reflect the voices of our community instead of the voices of the wealthy few,” said Brooks
In a statement, Sixers part-owner David Adelman thanked lawmakers and the mayor for supporting the arena, calling Thursday’s vote a “critical milestone.”
“They recognize how important this project is for the revitalization of our city. We would also like to give a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our many supporters and partners over the past two years for championing this project. Although a lot of work has been done to get here, we know there is much more to do. We look forward to pursuing the remaining approvals to make 76Place a reality,” said Adelman.
