Debate Over White Stadium Redevelopment Intensifies as Demolition Begins

The City of Boston is to spend at least $91 million in tax dollars on a complete overhaul of Franklin Park’s White Stadium in a $200 million joint venture with the BOS Nation women’s soccer club. The plan will include demolishing 95% of the existing stadium to construct a professional “world-class stadium for all.” However, a growing number of locals feel their public park has been sold to a private company.

At a February 14 community meeting of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a non-profit organization that seeks to serve as stewards for the park system, community feedback on an alternative plan was received. They were joined by the Defenders of Franklin Park, a group of citizen advocates joined in a lawsuit alleging the city of Boston’s unconstitutional transfer of public land to BOS Nation.

The Public Park Concept for White Stadium was published in January. It contains a proposal to renovate the field for only $28.9 million, better serving Boston Public School athletes and the Dorchester community while keeping the park publicly owned.

Where the city’s plan includes 11,000 seats, a beer garden, and 21 weeks a year of limited access that encompasses the entire regular season of BPS football (before considering additional days the facility would be closed for concerts), the Public Concept includes 5,500 seats, preservation of half the original stadium, and 365 days of public access, all while boasting a more environmentally conscious design.

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy maintains flexibility. “We do not see this as the only alternative, just one idea for an alternative,” reads the proposal. “Any final plan for White Stadium should be guided by deep community input, not dictated by one organization.”

Franklin Park Defender Jean Macguire started the conversation by pointing out that while BPS football would be heavily restricted by the city’s plan, further restrictions may be imposed.

“On that soccer team game days, a large swathe with the area around the stadium is going to be closed off if you’re not a ticket holder,” she said. “Festivals, gatherings, or celebrations will not be allowed to take place on game days.”

Former state senator Dianne Wilkerson followed, speaking in support of the Public Park Concept. “This is a political battle not supported by fact, wisdom, or reason because someone promised someone that they could have our park.”

Wilkerson further called out progressive groups across Boston. “You can’t not support this and then support the people who support this and call yourself a progressive,” she said, positing that this money could be put to better use supporting BPS schools, Madison Park High School specifically.

Domingos DaRosa criticized the city’s framing that the new stadium would support young people, specifically athletes. He referenced North Eastern’s 2015 reconstruction of Carter Playground. The park, developed in a public-private partnership between the university and the city, is theoretically open to the public. Still, DaRosa noted that its availability to BPS sports teams is restricted.

DaRosa was also concerned about the state of BPS sports. He suspects that Boston Latin School and Boston Latin Academy will be the only teams able to use White Stadium.

Having worked with young people for the past 30 years as a football coach, DaRosa urged the community to get more young people into their meetings. He also encouraged louder advocacy through phone banks. “Let’s call [Mayor Michelle Wu’s] office for the next week and a half, and don’t give her a minute to do photo ops with her one-month-old,” he said.

One resident, Grace Richardson, was grateful for the planned development. “Thank you, mother, Mayor Wu, for investing in the black community after 66 years of neglect while every other neighborhood had investments that ours didn’t.”

Richardson also spoke about the potential business, vending, and staffing opportunities and was critical of other arguments against the stadium, most notably the Franklin Park Defender’s emphasis on the number of trees that would be cut down.

“If we truly care about our kids, ask our teachers what they can do with $100 million. We don’t even have the right programs in [our schools] for them to even use the facility,” responded Franklin Park Defender Renee Stacey Welch. “ I’m not saying that we should give them sports. What I am saying is we could do better than this.”

Welch found Richardson’s comments about Boston’s “Mother Mayor” off-putting and urged listeners not to deify public figures for doing anything when they could be doing so much more.

Welch additionally noted the meaningful disparities between BPS and schools in suburban towns like Wellesley and Needham. She posited that the city’s money for a new stadium could be used for any number of other projects that would truly improve the quality of life for children in Dorchester.

“History shows isn’t for us… It’s about time we got people in this community right now, white, black, brown, and just coming together and to fight for us,” she concluded.

Despite their disagreement, the two women acknowledge that this community deserves better than it has received—a sentiment shared by many across the city marginalized by gentrification.

Mayoral Candidate and billionaire philanthropist Josh Kraft was also present for part of the meeting. Kraft recommended taking a serious pause for two reasons. “One, the amount of money being spent – public money for a project that primarily benefits a private organization, a private entity. Secondly, the consistent unequivocal concern of those impacted,” he said. “This would be made for the public; it is supposed to be for the public, and we have to respect that.”

The demolition of White Stadium began on February 15, and the upcoming lawsuit will not stop it. The trial is set to start on March 28.