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Resolution for White Stadium construction pause narrowly fails in City Council
Deep divisions exist around the plan to renovate White Stadium in Franklin Park through a public-private partnership with a pro soccer team.
An effort to pause the renovation of White Stadium in Franklin Park narrowly failed to gain approval during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
The resolution, introduced by Councilor Julia Mejia, was nonbinding and did not carry legal weight. But the debate around it Thursday showed again the deep divisions among elected officials and the community at large over the nature of the $200 million project.
The dilapidated stadium would be fully revamped through a public-private partnership with a professional women’s soccer team, BOS Nation FC. The city would pay for half the total costs, around $100 million. Boston’s student athletes would share the stadium with the pro soccer team.
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Most agree that White Stadium, in its current shape, needs to be renovated in some way. Mayor Michelle Wu has thrown her full weight behind the major overhaul and the partnership with the soccer team. But cost estimates rose dramatically last year, prompting some leaders to call for the project’s termination. Frustrated residents are opposed to the idea of sharing the stadium with private interests and say the city has not fully engaged with the community. They worry about traffic congestion, parking accessibility, and the loss of green space.
Wu announced a finalized lease agreement in December, and demolition work began last week. The city does not currently have finalized plans for transportation, parking, or climate resilience, Mejia wrote in her resolution. It called for an immediate pause on demolition and construction until those plans are finalized, a fully public renovation alternative is presented, and community engagement concerns are addressed.
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After much discussion, City Council voted 6-6 on the resolution. Failing to get a majority of support, it was not adopted. Councilors Ben Weber, Gabriela Coletta Zapata, John FitzGerald, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana, and Sharon Durkan voted against it. Councilors Tania Fernandes Anderson, Brian Worrell, Ed Flynn, Erin Murphy and City Council president Ruthzee Louijeune joined Mejia in supporting it. Councilor Liz Breadon, who could have been the tiebreaking vote one way or the other, was absent.
“I do believe that everyone here believes that White Stadium should be renovated,” Mejia said. “The resolution that I filed today is not about supporting or opposing the project itself, or whether BOS Nation should use space in a public park … This is about making sure that we, as a City Council, are responsible stewards of our taxpayer dollars and making informed decisions with full transparency.”
Weber, who represents District 6 next to Franklin Park, spoke about his opposition to the resolution. While acknowledging the many opponents of the project, he drew attention to a petition that has been circulating in support of the current renovation plans that has been signed by almost 400 people. He said that some opponents to the project are confused about the nature of the lease, pointing out that the city will continue to own and control the stadium while receiving about $400,000 in rent a year from the soccer team.
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Weber said that officials have been receptive to community feedback.
“The stadium has been revised several times in response to community feedback,” he said. “There’s been a lot of process. I hope at some point we can get to a place where people feel they are OK with a community process where they don’t agree with the outcome.”
Worrell, whose District 4 abuts Franklin Park, said that he would like to see other renovation options seriously considered.
“Throughout this process, and especially at the most recent hearing, it has become clear that the community’s vision for White Stadium is different from the proposed plans,” he said. “The administration has mentioned alternative plans that will give the public full control over the space, and the community should absolutely have the opportunity to explore those options.”
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