After more than two years of contentious debate, months of negotiations, and one final protest that briefly disrupted proceedings, Philadelphia City Council on Thursday approved the 76ers’ proposal to build a new $1.

In a contentious scene, Philadelphia’s city council gave the green light to the Philadelphia 76ers for a basketball arena to be built on East Market Street.

The mayor and labor unions touted the economic promise of the $1.3 billion project. Opponents said the arena would decimate the city’s storied Chinatown.