Massive signs, helipad sought for Sixers complex
The Philadelphia 76ers want to send a message with their planned complex on Camden's Waterfront.
A developer wants city approval for a massive sign atop a three-story office building and a smaller sign on an adjacent practice facility for the team. Preliminary plans also include a helipad.
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Camden's planning board will consider the requests Monday as it reviews the proposed Sixers complex, on the southeast corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Delaware Avenue. The three-acre site currently holds a parking lot.
The team wants want a 4,000-square-foot sign — with letters up to nine feet high — atop the 65,000-square-foot office building, according to a notice for the upcoming meeting.
Plans also call for a 1,069-square-foot sign on the 64,700-square-foot practice facility. Both signs would require the board's approval because they do not comply with zoning rules.
Similarly, a developer is also requesting the board's OK for a helipad at the downtown site.
A 76ers spokesman did not respond Tuesday to a request for additional information, including whether the sign is intended to be seen from nearby Philadelphia. The planning board's offices were closed for Veterans Day.
The state Economic Development Authority, which in June approved an $82 million tax break for the complex, submitted the requests to the planning board.
"More specifics will be available as part of the planning board process," said Erin Gold, an EDA spokeswoman. "We do not have anything additional to share at this point."
The practice facility will hold the Sixers' headquarters, as well as two basketball courts and accommodations for the team's players and coaches.
The office building is intended to provide additional office and storage space for the team, as well as "future expansion space" for shops, offices or other uses, according to information released by the EDA in June.
The planning board's special meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.
Reach Jim Walsh at jwalsh@courierpostonline.com or (856) 486-2646. Tweet him @jimwalsh_cp.