A Suffolk Superior Court judge has rejected a request to stop major renovations planned for Franklin Park's White Stadium. (Herald document photo)
A Suffolk Superior Court judge sees the major renovation planned for Franklin Park's White Stadium as a win for all Boston residents.
A joint effort between the city and a group seeking to bring a women's professional soccer team to the stadium got a boost in court Friday, when Judge Sarah Ellis rejected requests from residents and a group of supporters to cancel the project.
Ellis is seeking a temporary restraining order from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a nonprofit park advocacy group, and 21 city residents to prevent further action on the $80 million project. , filed a motion for preliminary injunction and lis pendens. .
Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group, won an expansion bid last September, becoming the 15th team in the National Women's Soccer League. The team is scheduled to take the field in 2026 at the long-neglected Franklin Park venue.
Gary Ronan, an attorney representing the city, emphasized at a hearing in the case earlier this month how a preliminary injunction could completely derail the project. He called the controversy an “attack” on the effort and an inaccurate depiction of what the public-private partnership with BUSP is trying to accomplish.
“Plaintiffs argue that the demolition and renovation of White Stadium precludes a preliminary injunction because the lease and license agreements entered into between the city and BUSP would negatively alter the character of White Stadium. “Plaintiffs contend that failure to do so would result in irreparable harm,” Ellis wrote in his decision. The stadium will limit public enjoyment and have an immediate negative impact on the neighborhoods adjacent to Franklin Park. ”
“I am not persuaded,” the judge added.
Renovations to the aging park and stadium, where half of the seats were destroyed in a fire decades ago, will triple the stadium's operating hours, 90% of which will be used by Boston Public Schools student-athletes and athletes. The money will be used for the players. , project supporters told the community.
Boston Unity plans to donate $30 million, and the city will contribute approximately $50 million.
“The court finds that this frivolous lawsuit by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy must not detract from our continued community commitment to delivering a generational investment in White Stadium and Franklin Park. We are thrilled to see a clear verdict,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement Friday night.
“For decades, Boston student-athletes and community members have watched plans to revitalize this historic facility disappear one after another with no visible progress,” she added. Ta. “For the first time since the stadium opened, the city has entered into a committed partnership to invest in and maintain the improvements that students, park enthusiasts, and neighborhood residents deserve.”
