The MLS team, New England Revolution, hopes to build a new soccer stadium on the site of an old Boston power plant, but tensions are rising between team leadership and the city leaders in Boston and Everett.
According to WCVB, the potential stadium would seat 25,000 people and construction would take about three years.
However, Boston mayor Michelle Wu has said that so far, everything the Kraft Group — which owns the Revolution — has offered for the project has been a “non-starter,” including the $750,000 investment offer. Wu called that figure an “unserious proposal,” in the face of a $68 million mitigation package paid by a neighboring facility that was constructed a few years ago.
To this day, the Kraft Group has provided the city with no meaningful technical information," Wu said. "What we've heard has stayed at the conceptual level. That is insufficient for any serious negotiation."
Wu voiced concerns regarding traffic management, noise levels, climate impact and the local workforce in her press conference on Monday.
"This Kraft Group offer does not come close to reflecting the strain the stadium would place on our infrastructure, our transportation systems, and on our neighborhoods," Wu said.
Brian Bilello, president of the New England Revolution, shot back after Wu’s Monday remarks. “It's become abundantly clear to us that despite what progress we're making in our discussions with the city [of Boston], another version of events that will be told publicly will prioritize politics over getting a fair agreement done in order to complete this project for the benefit of the city of Everett and the region at large,” Bilello said.
The cities of Boston and Everett have until December to come to an agreement with the Kraft Group before the deal moves to binding arbitration. If approved before December, the permitting process would take about one year before demolition and construction can begin.
