76ers and Flyers unveil privately funded arena plans for Philadelphia
The proposed South Philadelphia venue is targeted to open before the city’s expansion WNBA team begins play in 2030.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers have unveiled renderings for a proposed arena on the former Spectrum site in South Philadelphia, with the organisations targeting an opening before the WNBA season in 2030.
The 76ers would partner with Comcast Spectacor on a 50-50 basis. The organisations describe the project as fully privately funded and say it would be the largest project of its kind in Philadelphia’s history, a claim reported by ESPN.
The design draws on the Spectrum’s legacy, including more than half an acre of outdoor gathering space, fan plazas, food and beverage facilities and a large entrance staircase inspired by the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
For the Flyers, the proposal would return the club to the grounds where it began play in 1967 and won its two Stanley Cups. The 76ers have been tenants of Comcast Spectacor for more than a decade.
The organisations project that the arena would create nearly 15,000 jobs, generate nearly US$6 billion in economic activity over 10 years and produce hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue for the city and the School District of Philadelphia. Those figures are projections and were not independently verified in the supplied material.
The 2030 opening remains a target, with the supplied plans providing no detail on construction or planning approvals.
