Title
Authorizing the City of Philadelphia to organize an authority to be known as The Arena Services District Authority, pursuant to the terms of the Pennsylvania Municipality Authorities Act, all under certain terms and conditions.
Body
WHEREAS, The construction and use of an arena at Market East will have a significant impact on the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, Upon completion, every year, thousands of people will attend events at the arena; and
WHEREAS, The City wishes to minimize negative impacts of the arena and provide for the upkeep and improvement of the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, The City wishes to ensure coordination between the arena operators and government entities to manage traffic congestion and encourage the use of public transportation; and
WHEREAS, The creation of a public authority charged with making improvements, maintaining cleanliness, commissioning studies, supporting small businesses, coordinating the delivery of services, developing plans to manage traffic and congestion, managing traffic and congestion, promoting safety, and otherwise mitigating impacts of the construction and use of the arena located at Market East, as permitted by the Municipality Authorities Act, will benefit the health, safety, and general welfare of the communities surrounding the arena and the City as a whole, now, therefore
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. The municipal authorities of the City of Philadelphia are authorized to organize an Authority pursuant to the Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa. C.S. § 5601 et seq. The Authority’s purpose shall be to make improvements, maintain cleanliness, commission studies, support small businesses, coordinate the delivery of services, develop plans to manage traffic and congestion, managing traffic and congestion, promoting safety, and otherwise mitigate impacts of the construction and use of the arena located at Market East.
SECTION 2. The name of the Authority shall be The Arena Services District Authority.
SECTION 3. Services District. It is hereby declared that the services provided by the Authority shall be limited to an area bounded as follows:
Beginning at the point of intersection of the centerlines of Broad Street and Pine Street; thence continuing northward along the centerline of Broad Street to the point of intersection with the centerline of South Penn Square; thence continuing northward along the centerline of South Penn Square to the point of intersection with the centerline of East Penn Square; thence continuing northward along the centerline of East Penn Square to the point of intersection with the centerline of John F. Kennedy Boulevard; thence continuing west along the centerline of John F. Kennedy Boulevard to the point of intersection with the centerline of Broad Street; thence continuing north along the centerline of Broad Street to the point of intersection with the centerline of Spring Garden Avenue; thence continuing east along the centerline of Spring Garden Avenue to the point of intersection with the centerline of 8th Street; thence continuing south along the centerline of 8th Street to the point of intersection with the centerline of Pine Street; thence continuing west along the centerline of Pine Street to the point of intersection with the centerline of Broad Street.
A map of the Arena Services District is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
SECTION 4. The Authority shall be solely funded by monies paid to the City of Philadelphia by the operator of the arena and subsequently granted to the Authority by the City. The Authority shall not levy any tax, fee, or assessment on any property within the Services District.
SECTION 5. The Chief Clerk of the Council, acting for the municipal authorities of the City of Philadelphia, is hereby authorized and directed to cause notice of the ordinance to be published, to the extent required by and in accordance with the Municipality Authorities Act.
SECTION 6. The City Solicitor, acting for the municipal authorities of the City of Philadelphia, is hereby authorized and directed to file the necessary Articles of Incorporation on behalf of the Authority in substantially the following form:
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
OF
THE ARENA SERVICES DISTRICT AUTHORITY
TO THE SECRETARY OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA:
In compliance with the Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa. C.S. § 5601 et seq., the undersigned Mayor and President of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to an ordinance duly adopted, desiring to organize a body corporate and politic under the aforesaid Act, do hereby certify:
(a) The name of the Authority shall be The Arena Services District Authority.
(b) The Authority is formed under and by virtue of the Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa. C.S. § 5601 et seq.
(c) The City of Philadelphia has organized other authorities under Chapter 56 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, known as the Municipality Authorities Act, as well as under the act of June 28, 1935 (P.L. 463, No. 191) and the act of May 2, 1945 (P.L. 382, No. 164); such authorities continue to be in existence in and for the City of Philadelphia.
(d) The name of the incorporating municipality is the “City of Philadelphia.” The names and addresses of its municipal authorities are:
Mayor Cherelle Parker
215 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Council President Kenyatta Johnson
494 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Mark Squilla
332 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Jaime Gauthier
316 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr.
404 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Jeffrey Young, Jr.
586 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Michael Driscoll
313 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Quetzy Lozada
484 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Cindy Bass
508 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Anthony Phillips
594 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Brian J. O’Neill
562 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson
581 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas
330A City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Jim Harrity
408 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Nina Ahmad
577 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Rue Landau
592 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke
319A City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(e) The powers of the Authority shall be exercised by a governing body to be called “the Board of The Arena Services District Authority,” which shall consist of five members who shall be appointed by City Council upon nomination by the Mayor and who shall serve without compensation.
In order that the members serve on a staggered basis, Board members shall be appointed to Classes A, B, C, D, and E. The names, addresses and classes of the first members who shall serve from the date of incorporation to the date of termination as set forth below; future appointments to the Board shall be made by class for a term of five years:
Name Address Class Date of Termination
A One year after incorporation
B Two years after incorporation
C Three years after incorporation
D Four years after incorporation
E Five years after incorporation
(f) Upon the conclusion of the term of a member of the board, that member shall continue in office until the Mayor has nominated a replacement.
(g) The Authority shall exist for a term of 30 years, commencing on the date a certificate of incorporation is issued, as required by the provisions of the Act, by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, unless City Council shall, by ordinance, continue the term of the Authority.
(h) The City of Philadelphia has retained the right, which exists under the Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa. C.S. § 5601 et seq., to approve any plan submitted by the Authority pursuant to 53 Pa. C.S. § 5607(d)(27). Such approval shall be by ordinance of City Council.
In Witness Whereof, the City of Philadelphia Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has caused these Articles of Incorporation to be signed by the Mayor and the President of Council under its municipal seal this day of , 2024.
Cherelle Parker, Mayor
Kenyatta Johnson, President of City Council
SECTION 7. Members of the board shall be appointed by the Council upon nomination by the Mayor and their initial terms shall be as set forth in Section (e) of the Articles of Incorporation.
SECTION 8. The Authority shall convene and manage a Traffic Oversight Committee tasked with recommending to the Authority traffic management plans intended to reduce traffic congestion and encourage the use of public transportation by individuals attending events at the arena. The Committee shall recommend separate plans for the following time periods: preconstruction and demolition, construction, and operation of the arena. At a minimum, the Committee shall recommend, and the Authority shall adopt, a new traffic management plan every five years, with the first plan being adopted within 18 months after the incorporation of the Authority. The Traffic Oversight Committee shall have at least five but no more than nine members and shall include representatives of the arena operator and local government entities such as the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, the Philadelphia Police Department, SEPTA, and the Delaware River Port Authority.
SECTION 9. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.
Exhibit A
Map of Arena Services District
End