Before Thursday’s session began, anti-arena demonstrators locked arms on the Council floor and temporarily prevented Council President Kenyatta Johnson from gaveling in the start of the meeting.

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.

The future of Philadelphia’s Market East community in Center City is now crystal clear as City Council has voted to approve a $1.3 billion plan to bring a brand new arena for the Philadelphia Sixers to the neighborhood.