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Josh Kraft calls on Wu to ‘immediately halt’ White Stadium demolition
Mayor Wu's plan to remake White Stadium through a partnership with a pro women's soccer team could play a pivotal role in the mayoral race.
Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft continued to make the controversial redevelopment of White Stadium in Franklin Park a key component of his campaign this week.
Kraft, who is challenging Mayor Michelle Wu, called on her to stop demolition work at the stadium until legal proceedings concerning the project are resolved. On Wednesday, he appeared at a rally near the construction site in Franklin Park organized by opponents of the plan.
Wu, who is seeking her second term this fall, is a driving force behind the plan. Efforts to rehabilitate the dilapidated stadium stalled under previous administrations, so Wu is pursuing a public-private partnership with a professional women’s soccer team to remake the stadium and the surrounding area.
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The White Stadium renovation is expected to cost about $200 million, to be split evenly between the city of Boston and the soccer team, currently known as BOS Nation FC. Boston student athletes would share the stadium with the pro team. The city will control the stadium and receive about $400,000 a year in rent from BOS Nation FC. Demolition began last month.
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Fans of the project say the partnership with BOS Nation FC presents an unparalleled opportunity to make a modern stadium, with upgraded locker rooms and other facilities. More BPS students across a variety of sports will be able to use the stadium, they say, and the development will also support local businesses and rejuvenate green space within the park for decades. An online petition supporting the renovation has more than 450 signatures.
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But there is high-profile opposition, being channeled mainly through groups like the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Franklin Park Defenders. They accuse the Wu administration of rushing through the process, ignoring concerns from those who live nearby. Opponents take issue with the incorporation of the pro soccer team, arguing that a fully-public stadium that would not sideline BPS students can be built for less money.
The two groups sued the city last year, claiming that the project violates protections for public open space enshrined in the state constitution. A trial is scheduled to begin in March.
Boston City Council is also divided on the project. A resolution urging the administration to pause renovation work narrowly failed to pass during a meeting in January.
In the meantime, Kraft’s nascent campaign is focusing heavily on the perception that Wu is out of touch with voters, claiming she “acts as if she alone has all the answers.” The White Stadium project, therefore, will likely play a central role in the mayoral race.
In a release this week, Kraft said he recently attended a meeting hosted by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Dozens of residents expressed concerns about the potential immediate loss of green space and mature trees, the increasing costs for taxpayers, and the possibility of increasing congestion and pollution.
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“There are legitimate legal matters before the courts that deserve to be heard and adjudicated before any trees are removed and any demolition of the current structure occurs,” Kraft said in a statement. “The communities around Franklin Park and the people of Boston are not on board with Mayor Wu’s plan to pour more than $100 million in public money into a project that primarily benefits a private commercial interest. To race ahead in this moment when there are so many legitimate community concerns would be a total failure of leadership.”
A key challenge for Kraft, the son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, will be overcoming perceptions of entitlement and excess that go along with his famous last name. Kraft clearly sees an opportunity to do so when talking about White Stadium, instead painting Wu as the candidate beholden to wealthy outsiders.
“Given Mayor Wu’s actions on White Stadium, where she is standing with ultra-wealthy private interests at the expense of the community, her actions don’t match her rhetoric,” Kraft said.
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