The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has stepped up its campaign to attract the Philadelphia 76ers to the city of Camden by setting out how a new arena could appear for the NBA franchise.
A rendering released yesterday (Thursday) details an arena situated on the Camden waterfront, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge, on a site that formerly housed a state prison. NJEDA CEO, Tim Sullivan, said in a statement: “The proposed project is more than just a state-of-the-art arena; it’s open space, new housing, restaurants, and office space, which will help bring new, good-paying jobs to the city.
“This transformational project will spur greater economic activity and a bustling, revitalised neighbourhood, resulting in a major economic opportunity for Camden and its residents for years to come.”
New Jersey this month stepped up its courtship of the Sixers by setting out details to the team’s owners of the land that could be used to house a new arena. Details of the proposal were included in a letter from Sullivan to Tad Brown, CEO of the Sixers’ parent company, HBSE.
A multi-billion-dollar mixed-use development scheme, that would include a new arena, has been earmarked for state-owned land adjacent to the Delaware River. The project would be self-financed by HBSE, but would be eligible for two Aspire tax credits worth up to $400m (£304.5m/€360.6m) each.
In addition, Governor Phil Murphy’s Office is said to be seeking to work with the Legislature to enable up to $500m of special-purpose bonds supported by fees and surcharges on tickets, concessions and parking to support the development of an arena.
Sullivan added to ROI-NJ: “You have a potentially iconic arena in a great location that could be something really special. Just close your eyes and imagine the tip-off on opening night in 2031: the eyes of the NBA world would be on Camden, seeing people hanging out in restaurants and bars nearby — and living in a new residential development.
“I think one of the things that makes the arena exciting — and makes us so excited about the potential — is that it’s more than just one team. You could have college basketball there, concerts — all kinds of event nights, which means a lot of business for restaurants, a lot of business for hotels, a lot of business for the city of Camden.”
The Sixers are focused on delivering a new arena in Philadelphia, but with local government approval yet to be secured, the team has been courted by the Governors of New Jersey and Delaware, Murphy and John Carney, for potential moves to Camden and Wilmington, respectively. The Sixers moved their corporate headquarters and training facility to Camden in 2016.
The City of Philadelphia last month publicly released four reports commissioned to study the Sixers’ proposed $1.55bn arena project. The delivery of the reports, eight months later than originally intended, came with the team having claimed that legislation on the scheme needs to be introduced in early September in order for the 18,500-seat arena to open on time.
The Sixers first announced plans to build a new arena in July 2022, with 76 DevCo set up to oversee the project. The arena, which will be privately funded, has been given the provisional name of 76 Place and would form part of the Fashion District Philadelphia.
It is hoped the arena will be completed in time for the 2031-32 NBA season. The original timeline for the project foresaw that construction would not begin until 2028, after the necessary approvals, design process and demolition work is carried out.
The NJEDA’s latest announcement came after Philadelphia Mayor, Cherelle Parker, held a town hall on Wednesday concerning the arena project. At the meeting, Parker reportedly said a decision on the scheme would be made “very soon”.
In June 2023, the Sixers revealed new renderings of 76 Place courtesy of Gensler and CBL Real Estate. The arena’s capacity of 18,500 would be slightly less than Wells Fargo Center, the team’s current home, which holds 20,478 fans.
The Sixers share Wells Fargo Center with NHL ice hockey franchise the Philadelphia Flyers. The arena is owned by Comcast Spectacor and the Sixers’ lease at the facility is due to expire in 2031.
