⛹️ Sixers get their Center City arena approved

🏟️ Councilmembers Say Yes to Arena

• City Council voted 12-4 to clear the way for the 76ers to play on Market Street in Center City, next to Chinatown, in 2031. After indicating they wanted the Sixers to increase its $50 million payment to $100 million, council members settled for just $60 million. They also scuttled a requirement that the Sixers give tickets to Philly public school kids. Opponents of the arena, particularly in Chinatown, are furious. City Council will make the deal official with a final vote next Thursday. [🔒 The Inquirer]
• Ryan Boyer, leader of the Building Trades Council, was a staunch and important supporter of the proposed arena. Turns out he’s also paid to sit on the board of an investment firm that was co-founded by the lead developer of the arena. [🔒 The Inquirer]

📱 SEPTA App Redesign

A new version of the SEPTA App is now available, offering an enhanced user experience with a redesigned trip planner. The updated app provides multiple route options, improved color coding, revised language, and automatic schedule updates. [PhillyVoice]

🍗 🧀 Chicken Man vs. Cheesball Man

Philly’s own Chicken Man, a.k.a Alexander Tominsky, is fed up with New York City’s Cheeseball Man, a.k.a Anthony Po (this is a sentence I never expected to write). Tominsky, known for eating chicken in front of an adoring crowd at an abandoned Delaware Avenue pier, claims Po is trying to “emulate him in a tacky way” – and has challenged him to a boxing match. Who do you have your money on … chicken or cheese? [X, YouTube, 🔒 The Inquirer]

📝 Get Outta My Zone

A new zoning bill in City Council could reshape a section of the zoning code known as “nonconformities.” Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. wants stricter enforcement of properties that violate zoning laws, but some are concerned that this change could have adverse effects on thousands of long-time property owners. [WHYY]

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