The franchise has provided scant information about the new facility since announcing its plans in January — less than a month after Council had authorized a separate proposal to build a new basketball arena in Center City near Chinatown.
The stunning decision to abandon that plan followed a string of daylong hearings, hours of closed-door negotiations and scores of protests, rallies and press conferences organized by arena opponents. Critics argued a Center City arena would clog surrounding streets with traffic, creating an “existential threat” to small businesses in Chinatown, as well as the neighborhood itself.
The proposal for the sports complex is expected to draw less controversy given the area’s longstanding identity as a destination for fans of the city’s four major sports teams. But the complex is poised for dramatic change in the coming years.
The new arena is considered a complement to an ambitious redevelopment plan Comcast announced last February. With help from other investors, the company hopes to spend the next decade transforming the sports complex into a year-round destination for work and play.
The $2.5 billion plan calls for new retail and restaurants, a music venue and a hotel to start. If the full plan is realized, it will also bring office buildings and new residential housing to the area.
For now, it’s unclear how the new facility might fit into this master plan, which leaves room for a new facility to replace the Xfinity Mobile Arena but provides no additional details. It’s also unclear how much the new arena will cost or whether the city or state will be asked, unlike the previous proposal for Center City, to contribute taxpayer dollars to help cover the cost of construction.
Council’s last regular meeting of the session is scheduled for Dec. 11.