A rendering provided by The Kraft Group shows a potential new stadium in Everett for the New England Revolution proposed for the site of a decommissioned power plant on the Everett waterfront. Image courtesy of The Kraft Group
Democrats plan next week to finish their work on a stalled jobs bill designed to supercharge the state’s economy, especially the life sciences and climate technology industries.
But it’s unclear if the bill has a provision vital to the prospects of a planned New England Revolution stadium in Everett.
More than three months after they ended scheduled formal sessions for the term without a deal in place, negotiators announced Thursday an “agreement in principle that resolves the differences between the House and Senate versions of the economic development bill.”
They provided no details about the scope of the final package nor which of the many high-profile policy riders survived private talks. It was also unclear Thursday afternoon when the compromise bill itself would emerge.
“We are confident that the conference committee report will be filed soon, so our chambers can bring it to the floor next week and send the bill to the Governor’s desk,” lead negotiators Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Barry Finegold said in a joint statement around 1 p.m. “We are gratified by the cooperative conversations that have resulted in an affordable, inclusive, strategic blueprint for strengthening our statewide economy, outpacing our competition, and ensuring opportunity for our fellow residents.”
Legislative leaders were unavailable to take questions about the agreement or the process that lawmakers will use to consider it.
Thursday’s announcement also tees up a major clean energy bill to reach Gov. Maura Healey next week. The Senate on Oct. 24 approved the 139-page compromise on a 38-2 vote. With House
Republicans also pushing for a recorded roll call vote, House Speaker Ron Mariano opted to wait and pursue action simultaneously on the energy bill and the economic development bill, rather than call in Democrats to form a quorum at an informal session.
Both branches adjourned Thursday for a four-day holiday weekend and plan to return Tuesday. The House intends to meet in an informal session, so it appears unlikely the pair of compromise bills will emerge for votes until at least Wednesday.
The original House and Senate economic development proposals combined billions of dollars of borrowing authorization with a suite of policy changes, ranging from raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to local-option happy hour to project labor agreement requirements.
The final compromise will determine the duration and amount of ongoing state support to the life sciences industry, which elected officials view as a cornerstone sector to the Bay State’s economy, and outline similar investments in the burgeoning climate tech field.
It will also impact the fate of a proposed professional soccer stadium on a parcel of blighted land along the Mystic River in Everett. The Kraft family, which owns the New England Revolution, and their allies have been moving to build a new stadium there to host the team, which currently plays at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
The Senate bill included language clearing the way for that development, which needs legislative action because the land is in a designated port area, but the House version did not.
Conservation groups oppose the measure, citing a need to go through the more laborious, traditional path for removing land from a designated port area. They also say the land could be important for future offshore wind or other green energy infrastructure.
And Boston Mayor Michelle Wu had criticized the bill due to potential traffic impacts on Boston’s Sullivan Square. The stadium site currently has no high-capacity mass transit service, although the MBTA is in the process of designing an extension of its Silver Line bus rapid transit service nearby.
