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, preliminary injunction and further action from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a nonprofit park advocacy group, and 21 city residents, as well as a massive $100 million project. filed a motion for a stay of action to prevent this from happening. .
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.
Louis Eliza, one of the plaintiffs and a member of the Garrison-Trotter Neighborhood Association, called the Ellis decision an 1857 Dred Scott lawsuit that upheld slavery in U.S. territories and denied the legitimacy of black citizenship in the United States. I compared it to
“The court's failure to consider concerns of possible harm or displacement is similar to the Dred Scott decision, which held that our rights as black citizens were not worthy of serious consideration or respect. That's how I see it,” Elisa said in a statement. “Nothing has changed in Boston.”
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 $50 million, and the city will match that investment.
“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.”
The plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the stadium redevelopment plan in their lawsuit, hearing, and supplemental response, saying they believed it would “privatize public land.”
It also emphasized that the stadium will be reserved exclusively for the new women's professional soccer team for 20 weekends from April to November (approximately 77% of Saturdays in the warmer months). This, they argued, could result in BPS football matches not being played at the venue.
Karen Mauney Brodeck, president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, said at a news conference last month that in filing the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are “asking the city to slow down and respect the public process.”
“While we support the renovation of White Stadium and Franklin Park, we do not support the necessary involvement of professional sports teams that will privatize and profit from this public resource while displacing local communities for the next 30 years. '' Mauney-Brodek said. . “This major redevelopment is moving forward at a rapid pace without sufficient community input or proper environmental consideration.”
Ronan fired back at the March 6 hearing, saying Boston Unity would be limited to 20 games and 20 practices per year, and that the team's practice schedule would be tailored around BPS students and athletics. He called this a “top priority.”
A facilities assessment carried out last year found the stadium needed improvements and expansion, with recommendations including larger staff offices, a modernized press box, improved locker rooms and an eight-lane track. .
BUSP expects its efforts to deliver broad economic benefits to the greater community. Construction will create more than 500 jobs, and workers will be employed on site for two years. According to the proposal, about 300 permanent jobs would be created once the stadium is renovated.
Ellis said in Friday's decision that the entire effort is a “clear benefit to BPS and the residents of Boston.”
A survey released earlier this month by the Franklin Park Coalition, a community-based parks advocacy group, showed that 56% of more than 700 respondents supported the project. Approximately 20% of park users responded that they were opposed.
The project is being reviewed by various public agencies and community stakeholders, including the Boston Planning and Development Authority, the Landmarks Commission, and the Parks Commission.
Initial site work will begin in April, with construction expected to begin in January next year.
“We invite the Emerald Necklace Conservancy to join us and welcome the opportunity to collaborate,” BUSP said in a statement Friday night. “We are proud to be part of a project that celebrates the legacy of White Stadium, ensuring that it continues to serve as a point of pride for generations to come.”
