New Jersey court Sixers over Camden mixed-use

Image: Philadelphia 76ers

Officials from the State of New Jersey sent details to the owners of the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Philadelphia 76ers (US) regarding an opportunity to use the State-owned land in Camden for a massive mixed-use development that would include a world-class arena as well as commercial, residential and retail offerings.

‘roi-nj.com’ stated that the multibillion dollar project, championed by the Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy and supported by the Legislature, would be built on the former State prison site area that is adjacent to the Delaware River and North of the Ben Franklin Bridge.

The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, is an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area (US). The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

The 21,000-capacity Wells Fargo Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia (US). It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

‘roi-nj.com’ further stated that the project, which would be self-financed by the Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (the entity that owns the Sixers), would be eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives.

Camden (US)-based Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment LLC (HBSE) is an American sports and venue management company founded by investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer in September 2017.

Because the project would contain both an arena and a full-scale mixed-use component, the HBSE could be eligible to receive two Aspire tax credits worth up to $400 million each.

Aspire is a financial incentive program administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) that awards transferable, pledgeable State tax credits to eligible redevelopment projects.

Trenton (US)-based the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) serves as the State’s principal agency for driving economic growth. The NJEDA is committed to making New Jersey a national model for inclusive and sustainable economic development by focusing on key strategies to help build strong and dynamic communities, create good jobs for the New Jersey residents and provide pathways to a stronger and fairer economy.

In addition, the Governor’s Office aims to work with the Legislature to enable the structuring of up to $500 million of special-purpose bonds supported by fees and surcharges on tickets, concessions and parking (meaning there will be no impact to the New Jersey taxpayers) to support the development of an arena.

Details of the proposal were included in a letter emailed from Tim Sullivan, the head honcho of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), to Tad Brown, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HBSE, recently – “We envision a multibillion-dollar, privately-led comprehensive mixed-use development North of the Ben Franklin Bridge that would serve as a transformative catalyst for Camden and New Jersey. “Anchored by a world-class arena, we believe that this project will enable development of significant residential, commercial and retail offerings within the City of Camden.”

A spokesperson for the Sixers said the team will give the State’s proposal a “serious” look.

The spokesperson added, “We have worked tirelessly for the past five years to build an arena in Philadelphia and negotiations remain ongoing with the City leadership regarding our proposal at Market East. The reality is we are running out of time to reach an agreement that will allow the 76ers to open our new home in time for the 2031-2032 NBA seasons. As a result, we must take all potential options seriously, including this one.”

New York (US)-based the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams. It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world.

The State Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Clark), the Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Woodbridge), Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge), the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and the Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Voorhees) said they would welcome a move by the Philadelphia 76ers to Camden “with open arms”.

“Bringing the 76ers to the Camden waterfront would be a game-changer for the City of Camden and the State of New Jersey and we strongly support Governor (Phil) Murphy’s efforts to pursue this once-in-a-generation opportunity,” they said in a joint statement.

The State’s letter marks an escalation of a push to bring the NBA team from Philadelphia to New Jersey.

The Sixers, which moved their corporate headquarters and training facility to Camden in 2016, have struggled for more than five years to gain approval from the City of Philadelphia to build a new arena in the City.

The HBSE’s offer to self-finance 76 Place, a $1.3 billion proposed facility in Philadelphia’s Center City, has not progressed since it was announced in July 2022.

The 18,500-capacity 76 Place at Market East is a proposed indoor arena in Center City, Philadelphia (US). It would be the future home of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is planned to open in 2031.

Relocating to New Jersey seemingly makes sense for the Sixers for a number of reasons.

For starters, the HBSE also owns the NHL team New Jersey Devils and their home arena – the 16,755-capacity Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey – so it already has a solid working relationship with the State officials. In addition, Murphy has a longstanding relationship with the HBSE Co-Founder David Blitzer and speaks with him regularly.

Having the talks pick up in urgency makes sense, too.

The Sixers, whose current lease at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia ends after the 2030-2031 seasons, previously have said they need to have a deal in place for a new arena by the end of 2024 (and to begin building in 2025) to meet their timeline.

The New Jersey officials, sensing an opening, have been meeting with representatives of the Sixers on a regular basis. The letter, in addition to putting the essence of the talks in writing, details the State’s continued willingness to work with the team, something the team has found officials in Philadelphia less willing to do.

Writes Sullivan, “We recognize that implementing a vision of the scale we have jointly discussed will require a comprehensive planning effort. We are committed to working collaboratively with you (as well as the City, the County and the Regional Governments) to develop a tailored approach to traffic and transportation planning, including needed infrastructure investments which will ensure a smooth fan experience as well as mitigate the impacts of additional visitors and residents to the City of Camden.”

The proposal to move to Camden comes with two other advantages.

The potential parcels of land, which could be acquired for little or no cost, the letter said, also are believed to be shovel-ready – so, construction could be ramped up quickly.

Then, there’s this: The State recently committed $300 million to a revision of the Walter Rand Transportation Center in downtown Camden, a vital link to the City of Philadelphia and a major regional transit hub, which could be seen as a first step in solving public transportation access to the facility.

Sullivan, in the letter, also stressed the strong support of Murphy, a noted sports fan who would like to add the relocation of an NBA team to the State to a sports résumé that includes bringing the final of the FIFA 2026 World Cup™ to New Jersey.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup™, marketed as the FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23^rd FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11^th to July 19^th, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 Cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations and the first North American World Cup since 1994. Argentina is the defending champion.

Sullivan wrote that Murphy has committed to a “whole of Government” approach to the project, particularly as it relates to infrastructure, transportation, land use, property assemblage, and any required environmental remediation to facilitate this project.

Sullivan concluded, “I am confident that as you identify potential locations for the new home of the 76ers you will find no better partner than the State of New Jersey and the City of Camden.”

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