Mayor Cherelle Parker said she supports plans to keep the Sixers basketball team in South Philadelphia, instead of building a new arena in Center City.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said that the city will “start from scratch” on a new community benefits agreement, canceling the hotly debated plan with the 76ers and making way for a new one now that the arena is planned for South Philadelphia.

The team's deal with Comcast Spectacor in South Philly includes investments on East Market Street, but few details are known.

The team, whose ownership group is led by investor Josh Harris, said it had formed a 50-50 joint venture with Comcast to replace its arena in the South Philadelphia stadium district by 2031. Comcast will also take a minority stake in the team and work together on the WNBA bid, the parties said in a joint statement Monday.

The decision is rooted in a deal struck with Comcast Spectacor, which hopes to transform the South Philly sports complex over the next decade.

The Philadelphia 76ers are staying in South Philadelphia in the latest -- and likely final -- twist in their quest to build a new arena. The Josh Harris-owned 76ers and the NHL's Flyers (owned by Comcast Spectacor) made an announcement Monday morning that the two teams will continue sharing a home in the South Philly Stadium Complex and will build a new arena slated to open by 2031 in a "50-50 joint venture.

The Philadelphia 76ers will partner with Comcast Spectacor, their current landlord, to build a new arena in South Philadelphia and abandon a deal with the city to move

South Philly residents are sounding off after the Philadelphia 76ers announced they are abandoning the $1.3 billion plans to create an arena in Center City, moving the Sixers into a new arena in South Philly.