Revs stadium plan will finally get its day on Beacon Hill
tion’s early years in the 1990s. It’s a safe bet that more than a few of them wanted to be somewhere else — and not because the Revs ended up losing to Toronto.
After all, hope springs eternal among many fans that Revs owner The Kraft Group can finally build a new stadium for the team. One built with soccer in mind instead of football. Located in the heart of Greater Boston, not out in Foxborough.
Whether that actually happens could be up to the state Legislature. State Senator Sal DiDomenico filed a bill in December that would open up a former power plant property on the Mystic River in Everett for a new Revs home by removing it from a state-regulated designated port area, a necessary step for anything other than industrial uses to go there. The Senate referred DiDomenico’s bill to the economic development committee almost immediately. And last week, just a few days before the Revs home-opener, the House concurred.
That procedural move doesn’t actually mean the House is on board yet. But it does something important: It sets the clock ticking for a public hearing.
State House rules say one must be held within 30 days. When that happens remains unclear; a hearing was initially scheduled for Thursday, then scratched.
Nonetheless, Revs fans should view this as a positive sign in the Krafts’ long quest. Similar bills previously came before the Legislature in 2022 and then in 2023. Both times, they were late-hour additions to much bigger legislative packages, and later dropped during final House-Senate negotiations.
Until now, though, the proposal never had an actual public hearing at the State House, fueling criticism that some sort of backroom deal was afoot. Finally, a hearing is in the works.
That’s not to say this will be all smooth sailing for the Krafts and allies such as Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria and Encore Boston Harbor operator Wynn Resorts, which owns the nearly
45-acre property across the street from its casino.
The Conservation Law Foundation remains opposed, partly because the group doesn’t like lawmakers removing parcels from DPAs individually and instead prefers a thorough regulatory review. There are also concerns about competition for concerts with Delaware North’s TD Garden and Fenway Sports Group’s Fenway Park, two similarly sized venues. And Boston Mayor Michelle Wu expressed frustration in November
Until now, the proposal never had an actual public hearing at the State House, fueling criticism that some sort of backroom deal was afoot.
after details of a community benefits agreement became public without her administration’s involvement, as the project would be on Boston’s doorstep and generate traffic in Charlestown.
DeMaria sees the roughly 25,000-seat soccer stadium as a crucial piece in his ongoing effort to convert old industrial properties along Lower Broadway into hospitality and entertainment destinations — to bring in new tax revenue and jobs, open access to the riverfront, and clean up contaminated sites.
Everett planning director Matt Lattanzi said his boss plans to speak at the public hearing. DeMaria should expect to field questions about the community benefits agreement he signed with The Kraft Group that calls for, among other things, a 4-acre public park, $10 million for a housing fund, and $5 million for a community center, all in Everett, along with $750,000 for park improvements across the Mystic in Charlestown.
Then there’s that unusual cap of 75 parking spaces at the stadium, also spelled out in the agreement between DeMaria and the Krafts.
So how would everyone get to the games and concerts there?
The nearest T station, at Sullivan Square, is about three-quarters of a mile away from the stadium site’s edge. Lattanzi said there likely would be shuttle buses to that station. He also pointed to plans for a pedestrian bridge over the Mystic to connect Encore and Assembly Row, one stop north on the Orange Line, as well as hopes for an extension of Silver Line bus rapid transit service down Lower Broadway in Everett. City officials, he noted, are also in talks with the state Department of Transportation about opening a commuter rail stop along the tracks that run through the city, with a subsidy from Wynn.
DeMaria presumably will argue that DPA removal doesn’t bypass the usual land-use reviews, including state Chapter 91 oversight to promote waterfront access. But DeMaria might want to be ready for questions about the impact in Boston. City staffers recently met with their counterparts at the Boston Planning & Development Agency, brought together by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, to go over the legislation — a discussion Lattanzi described as productive.
The hearing won’t just consist of happy talk. Brad Campbell, the Conservation Law Foundation’s president, said he expects CLF will be there to highlight the traffic and pollution that the stadium would bring and argue why carving out port areas piecemeal — essentially waterfront spot zoning — is a bad idea. Neither operator of the two big rival venues in Boston — Delaware North or the Red Sox — would comment about the hearing.
So how would the bill ultimately fare? Governor Maura Healey is a fan. So is the Senate leadership. What about the House?
Representative Jerry Parisella, the House cochair of the economic development committee, said the public hearing will be an important part of the House’s due diligence. House Majority Leader Mike Moran, a state rep from Boston and Wu ally, said it will give people whose voices haven’t been heard a chance to speak, and also to vet issues of interest to Boston such as traffic, environmental concerns, impact on existing sports and concert venues, and community investments.
Reps for the Revolution may also attend to make their case. Over the last decade or so, the Krafts kept a low profile in their hunt for a stadium site, rarely commenting as sites ranging from Roxbury to Revere came up for consideration.
This time, though, they need the Legislature’s help, to pull a high-profile property on the Boston-Everett line out of a state-designated port area — a measure that calls for a healthy public debate. The upcoming hearing could help bring these discussions out of the shadows, and into the light.