PHILADELPHIA — Today, the City of Philadelphia announced the release of four separate reports from third-party consultants hired to conduct analyses of a proposal for a new Sixers arena in Center City have been completed. The four reports include: 1) a community impact assessment; 2) an economic impact analysis 3) a design consulting; and 4) a traffic, transportation and parking analysis.
“We are sharing these detailed reports so that the public can better understand the implications of such a multifaceted proposed project for Philadelphia,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “On behalf of the City, we thank the independent consultants who completed this work. Transparency is a core value to me as Mayor, which is why I wanted to ensure these reports were available to all interested stakeholders. These studies are important inputs as I consider this proposal.”
The City, in conjunction with its economic development partner PIDC engaged the expert community impact, economic analysis, traffic, and design consultants to understand and to evaluate the proposal. These consultants were selected in the summer of 2023 and commenced work soon thereafter. No taxpayer dollars were used on the studies.
The group that completed the community impact report include: BJH Advisors, Sojourner Consulting, Urban Partners, Drs. Susannah Laramee Kidd and Laureen Hom and AKRF. CSL International conducted the economic analysis. Convergence Design, LLC and Ian Smith Design Group were hired in October 2023 to advise the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) on arena design. JMT, an engineering firm already on retainer for the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, worked with the City, PennDOT, and SEPTA to evaluate potential traffic, transportation and parking impacts.
It is important to note that none of the consultant teams were expected to provide specific recommendations for or against the arena proposal, but to provide independent, neutral evaluations.
Background and Process
The requests for proposals (RFPs) for the separate analyses were released in April 2023 and proposals were submitted shortly thereafter. In summer 2023, an advisory committee was created to review and evaluate the responses and provide input and guidance to the City and PIDC as they selected the consultant teams. The committee included staff members within the City’s Department of Planning and Development, the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement, and PIDC. The committee consulted with community members, who provided input on the scope of the engagement.
To get the extensive studies the City needed done the right way and without taxpayers paying for them, the City required the developers to provide the funding which PIDC used to pay the independent consultants. The developer had no further involvement and PIDC and the City retained all control over selection and management of the consultants.
All four of the full reports, and additional context on the background and process of the reports, are available on the City’s website here. Translated versions of all reports are also available in Spanish and simplified Chinese on the same webpage.
As the Administration and key stakeholders consider next steps regarding the proposal, the public is encouraged to review the reports and to provide constructive and relevant feedback by submitting the form available on the City’s website here.