Plan unveiled for soccer stadium in Everett

Smokestacks would make way for soccer stands in the designs for a new waterfront stadium unveiled by the Kraft Group on Tuesday. The Krafts’ New England Revolution offered the first glimpses of their proposed home on the Mystic River in Everett to coincide with a public hearing on state legislation that would enable the approximately $500 million project to move forward. The two-hour hearing, held Tuesday afternoon by the Legislature’s economic development committee, drew mostly supporters, though some speakers expressed concerns — mainly with traffic the project would generate. Since their launch in 1996, the Revs have shared a home in Foxborough with the Kraft-owned New England Patriots. But as Major League Soccer has grown, many clubs have built more urban, soccer-specific stadiums. Today the Revs are one of just four MLS teams in the United States to play in a stadium built for American football. Building a standalone stadium in or near Boston has been a longtime goal of the Krafts. Revs president Brian Bilello said it would attract more fans, particularly from the immigrant communities in and around the city. The Kraft Group also aims to provide a more intimate experience in a stadium more appropriate for soccer. Seating would be closer to the field than at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and an area behind one of the goals would be designed as standing-room only for diehard fans. Bilello expects the stadium would seat as many as 25,000 fans, though no final number has been established. — JON CHESTO