as a state legislator As they consider whether to fast-track Everett Soccer Stadium on the Mystic River, Boston officials across the waterway are wary that the venue, with little parking, will be close to Interstate 93. There are growing concerns that it could cause congestion in the immediate area. north end of town.
Part of the parcel that will house the stadium and Waterfront Park is within Boston's boundaries, and the rest is in Everett. Everett officials, including Mayor Carlo DeMaria, are pushing special legislation that would strip the area of its “designated port area” status and allow for faster construction of the stadium.
The Kraft Group, best known as the owner of the New England Patriots, has been looking for a place for its New England Revolution football team to play for years, and is interested in the 43-acre contaminated site, mostly occupied by a shuttered power plant. have. The soccer team currently plays at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
At Tuesday's hearing, lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Economic Development said the union, Kraft Group executives and Kraft Corp., which had an agreement to work on the project, “have the funds to get rid of the mess.” We heard Mr. de Maria's support for this proposal. Industrial applications we have had to coexist with for too long. ” The stadium will also bring economic benefits to the region, they added.
But Mayor Michelle Wu's aides and City Council members expressed concerns about traffic and parking and said they want Boston to come to the negotiating table. When asked what the seats and tables would look like, they deferred to Congress.
“All I can say is it's going to start with some real outreach from the Kraft family and their representatives. We didn't have that,” said Arthur Jemison, director of planning at Woo. said. “That would be a great start.”
Other than a “vague” conversation with representatives of Kraft from the Mintz Levin law firm late last year, Jemison added, “We have had no substantive contact.”
Regarding the potential removal of the parcel's status as a designated port area (DPA), Jemison said, “For anything to be removed from it, there are concerns about the environmental impact and the precedent that is being set.'' We need to do that.”
This is the same argument put forward by the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy group that denounces the move as a “backroom deal.”
Stadium supporters say participants will primarily use public transport to get to and from the area. But Boston City Councilwoman Sharon Durkan, whose district includes TD Garden and Fenway Park, venues that could potentially compete with the soccer stadium, said that if events were held at Everett Stadium and nearby TD Garden at the same time, traffic would be He said it could become a “nightmare” of traffic congestion.
“I know there are discussions about the Silver Line and other expansions,” Jemison added of potential transit upgrades. “But today, if you want to go there and don't have a car, you'll be dropped off there.” [the Orange Line] Walk in Sullivan Square [a half-mile or so] Cross the Alford Bridge. ”
Asked by a reporter if a phone call from someone in the Kraft family would resolve the situation, Jemison said, “Listen, we don't need to resolve the situation. We need someone to engage with us to talk. is necessary.”
Craft executives said they hope those discussions will take place after the DPA lapses and the state's environmental review process begins, including any necessary approvals for the stadium.
“We really want to engage in a public input process,” said Brian Bilello, president of the New England Revolution. But he said, “That cannot happen until the DPA is lifted.” That's actually the first thing you have to do before you start the process. ”
Rep. Gerard Parisella, chairman of the House Economic Development Committee, said Boston “certainly should have a seat at the table.” Asked what that would mean, Parisella said lawmakers were considering adding language to the bill that would “request some input” from Boston.
“It's going to impact the surrounding area,” he said.
Garrett Dash Nelson, director of the Leventhal Center for Maps and Education at the Boston Public Library, wrote in a recent article: commonwealth beacon The paper used the soccer stadium debate as an example of the drawbacks of having decision-making about large-scale development projects determined entirely by municipal boundaries.
State Sen. Sal DiDomenico of Everett, the sponsor of the DPA bill, said he is hopeful the two sides can reach an agreement.
He called for lifting the designated port area status through a supplemental budget last year, but that language was withdrawn by House and Senate negotiators before the budget went to Gov. Maura Healey's desk last fall. . Mr. DiDomenico then introduced a standalone bill that will be the subject of a public hearing on Tuesday.
