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Boston and Everett officials have just three months to reach agreements with The Kraft Group over community benefits tied to construction of the New England Revolution’s future stadium on the Mystic River waterfront.

The Kraft Group agreed to a multi-million-dollar package with the city of Everett in 2023, including $10 million toward housing stabilization and $5 million for construction of a new community center.

Now the city of Boston is set to present its own wish list, armed with leverage granted by Beacon Hill lawmakers that places it on equal terms with Everett in the stadium talks.

“If there’s a limited pot of resources that the developer is willing and able to put forward in terms of community mitigation, and it’s now being split among two communities, there’s a possibility that it’s decreased on our end,” said Matt Lattanzi, Everett’s assistant city solicitor and director of planning and development.

Transit a Key Concern

With no on-site stadium parking planned, transportation has been cited as the top issue by officials in both cities. The specter of thousands of ride-sharing vehicles creating gridlock on game days points to a potential solution in directing Uber and Lyft drivers to designated drop-off spots at the MBTA’s Wellington station in Medford and Sullivan Square station in Charlestown on the Orange Line, Lattanzi said. Shuttle buses would handle the final leg of the journey.

Uber promotes its geofencing service – which bars vehicles from entering a perimeter around a site and diverts them to designated drop-off and pick-up areas – as an option for stadiums and concert venues that attract concentrated surges of riders.

The Everett stadium property is located just over the Boston city line, and both Everett and Boston officials have cited transportation as the biggest concern. Only 75 parking on-site spaces are proposed, placing the burden on the MBTA and ride-sharing services to deliver up to 24,000 fans to home games.

Boston and Everett officials will seek mitigation from The Kraft Group related to the New England Revolution soccer stadium proposed at the former Constellation Energy power plant property. Image courtesy of The Kraft Group

After Wynn Resorts acquired the former power plant property and The Kraft Group began stadium planning, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu raised concerns about Boston’s exclusion from the process.

But the state legislation approved in November that removed a zoning hurdle to the stadium construction gave Boston a guaranteed seat at the bargaining table. Boston faces the same May 1 deadline as Everett to reach a community benefits agreement with developers, or have the process referred to mediation.

The 2023 community benefits agreement with Everett included only one Boston-specific provision: a $750,000 donation to improve athletic fields in Charlestown. Everett’s share included the housing stability fund, community center funding and a 50 percent set-aside for Everett residents to receive stadium jobs in the first five years of operation.

Lattanzi said Everett officials expect to enter talks with Boston, either through The Kraft Group or directly, to discuss the overall community benefits strategy. The city of Everett is lobbying for long-term public transportation upgrades, including a potential MBTA commuter rail station near Santilli Circle and an accelerated timetable for construction of a pedestrian bridge across the Mystic River to Assembly station on the MBTA Orange Line.

The MBTA has also mooted an extension of its Silver Line bus rapid transit service from Chelsea to Sullivan Square via Everett’s casino-stadium district.

“Mayor Wu’s [transportation] concerns are incredibly valid and shared by us,” Lattanzi said.

The Boston mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the status of discussions.

The Davis Companies will propose multifamily housing this spring in the first phase of its Docklands Innovation District project in Everett. Image courtesy of The Davis Companies

Docklands Housing Proposal Due

The stadium project could be dwarfed by another nearby development site set to begin permitting this spring: The Davis Companies’ Docklands Innovation District.

The Boston-based developer is preparing to submit a master plan for the 100-acre property, a former fuel tank farm undergoing environmental cleanup to prepare for a 7.2 million-square-foot mixed-use development. Plans for the initial phase – including an undetermined number of housing units – will be submitted in late spring, according to a Davis Companies spokesperson.

The site also includes 20 acres on Beacham Street where Texas-based Jupiter Power plans to build a 700-megawatt battery storage facility.

Steve Adams

In a statement, Jupiter Power Senior Director of Development Hans Detwiler said the Trump administration’s ban on permitting for offshore wind projects will not affect its project, because the battery facility will tie directly into the existing electric grid. The project is expected to begin commercial operations “in the latter half of the decade,” according to the statement.

The project has attracted opposition from Everett Mayor Carlo DiMaria, who stated in a public comment letter that the battery facility has potential negative impacts on the environment, safety and traffic congestion.

And a company that operates a neighboring liquid asphalt storage facility warned the Jupiter Energy project would leave its own parcel at 43 Beacham St. landlocked.

“The [Jupiter Energy] project effectively seals the fate of Sprague’s 10 acres next door, by making it practically impossible for us to redevelop and attract investment and occupancy for mixed, urban uses,” Sprauge Operating Resources Head of Development Joseph Ginex wrote in a public comment to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office.

Individual buildings within the Docklands district would be approved by the Everett Planning Board under a new master plan zoning bylaw, giving city officials control of individual phases of the massive project. The master plan zoning allows a wide range of commercial uses, ranging from light industry to hotels, along with thousands of multifamily housing units.

Splitting the Pot on Everett Stadium

by Steve Adams time to read: 4 min
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