February 28, 2024
Provided Image/Comcast Spectacor
Comcast Spectacor's $2.5 billion master plan for the Sports Complex in South Philly features a new concert venue, a hotel, restaurants, retail and other amenities to be built in the next several years. Further down the line, the company also aims to build apartments and offices.
Comcast Spectacor has unveiled its latest vision to bring new amenities to the Sports Complex in South Philadelphia, with plans for a 5,500-seat concert venue, new restaurants and retail, and a 250-room hotel that could be completed by 2028.
Renderings of the $2.5 billion master plan show multiple new buildings proposed in areas of the Sports Complex where Comcast Spectacor, the entertainment arm of Comcast, holds land development rights on existing parking lots. An aspirational second phase of the master plan — which would require city approval for development rights — calls for a new stadium district that would include thousands of apartments, new offices and green spaces.
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On Tuesday, Comcast Spectacor also said it will soon begin a $12 million renovation of Xfinity Live!, bringing new outdoor seating areas, terraces and other upgrades to the game-day hub that opened in 2012. Work on that project is expected to be finished by early 2026.
“We believe this vision for the new Sports Complex can be a transformative project, serving as a stronger connection to South Philadelphia while bringing more jobs, residents, workers and visitors to the area,” Comcast Spectacor CEO Dan Hilferty said in a statement.
An overview of Comcast Spectacor's proposed development at the Sports Complex.
A rendering shows a revamped outdoor area of the Sports Complex envisioned by Comcast Spectacor.
Comcast Spectacor plans to build a 5,500-seat concert venue at the Sports Complex.
A rendering shows the concourse of the proposed concert venue.
Comcast Spectacor's master plan for the Sports Complex includes a 250-room hotel.
The release of the master plan comes against the backdrop of the 76ers' proposal to build a new arena in Center City and move there in 2031, when the team's lease at the Wells Fargo Center ends. Comcast Spectacor, which owns the existing arena and the Flyers, has tried to persuade the Sixers to partner on a long-term development plan at the Sports Complex that would include a future arena for both teams.
Comcast Spectacor recently completed a $400 million renovation of the Wells Fargo Center, with additional plans for lighting upgrades on the exterior of the building. The company told the Inquirer that its long-term vision includes building a new arena to replace the Wells Fargo Center when it has reached the end of its useful life. The new arena would be located on a lot between the Wells Fargo Center and Lincoln Financial Field.
A 76ers spokesperson said the master plan revealed this week will not affect the team's commitment to building its own arena.
In the past, Comcast Spectacor officials have said they want to transform the Sports Complex into a community and entertainment district that emulates similar development projects built around sports venues in cities like Toronto, Milwaukee and Atlanta. The aspirational phase of the master plan could take at least a decade to complete "if everything is on track," the company said.
The master plan is Comcast Spectacor's newest version of a blueprint to transform the Sports Complex. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had outlined plans to construct an esports arena and an office building along Pattison Avenue, but those projects were later tabled.
