Both sticking points boil down to funding. And it’s unclear if the Sixers are willing to spend more to make the Center City arena a reality.

If the arena project is to be approved by the end of the year — as the 76ers have requested and as Mayor Parker is aiming for ― lawmakers would have to vote it out of committee in just three weeks.

The first of two days of hearings this week on the plan for a new arena for the Sixers in Center City began at City Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. Officials from Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration testified.

Tuesday was a step in making the proposed Sixers arena a reality as City Council held its first public hearing.