Current:Home > ContactMassachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution -EverVision Finance
Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:30:41
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are planning to vote this week on a bill that would clear the way for the construction of a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution in Everett, within sight of Boston and across the street from a casino and hotel complex.
The 43-acre (17-hectare) site is currently the location of the now defunct Mystic Generating Station along the Mystic River.
The team has been sharing Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Boston, with the New England Patriots. Both teams are owned by Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group, which has been searching for space closer to Boston to build the stadium.
A representative for the Revolution declined to comment until after lawmakers vote.
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka said Wednesday that the stadium deal was part of negotiations between the state House and Senate on a larger $4 billion economic development bill. The bill prohibits the use of public dollars for construction of the stadium.
The project has several upsides including helping clean up a toxic waste site, opening up the coastline for more recreation, creating jobs for building and maintaining the stadium and helping boost tourism, according to Spilka.
“Sports is really big in Massachusetts,” she said.
Officials in Everett, including Mayor Carlo DeMaria, have backed the proposal as a way to help boost the economy of the city of about 50,000.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has remained skeptical of the project, saying she’s concerned about how traffic to and from the stadium may clog city streets in the nearby Boston neighborhood of Charlestown.
Spilka said part of the language in the agreement focuses on helping address the traffic issues near the new stadium and the existing Encore Boston Harbor casino, which opened in 2019.
As part of the deal, the site would no longer be considered a “designated port area” — a designation where only industrial uses are allowed.
House and Senate leaders are expected to call members back into the Statehouse to pass the bill.
While the deal bars the use of public money for construction of the stadium, it does allows for public funds to be used for infrastructure work related to the project provided there are matching private funds.
The bill also would pump money into key economic areas primed for additional growth in Massachusetts, including the life sciences, climate-tech and artificial intelligence sectors, lawmakers said.
The bill would also rename the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center after former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and set aside up to $7 million in tax credits for live theatrical productions, similar to those for the film industry.
Among the ideas that failed to make it into the final bill was a proposal to end the state’s ban on “happy hour” discounts on drinks.
veryGood! (27)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Red and blue states look to Medicaid to improve the health of people leaving prison
- Some Starbucks workers say Pride Month decorations banned at stores, but the company says that's not true
- Biden to receive AFL-CIO endorsement this week
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Dakota Pipeline Protest Camp Is Cleared, at Least 40 Arrested
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams Calls Out Reckless and Irresponsible Paparazzi After Harry and Meghan Incident
- Sydney Sweeney Knows Euphoria Fans Want Cassie to Get Her S--t Together for Season 3
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- 5 Science Teams Racing Climate Change as the Ecosystems They Study Disappear
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- ICN Expands Summer Journalism Institute for Teens
- Risks for chemical spills are high, but here's how to protect yourself
- Japan’s Post-Quake Solar Power Dream Alluring for Investors
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Over-the-counter Narcan will save lives, experts say. But the cost will affect access
- People who think they're attractive are less likely to wear masks, a study shows
- Benzene Emissions on the Perimeters of Ten Refineries Exceed EPA Limits
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Clean Economy Jobs Grow in Most Major U.S. Cities, Study Reveals
5 dogs killed in fire inside RV day before Florida dog show
Rise of Energy-Saving LEDs in Lighting Market Seen as Unstoppable
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
Fossil Fuels (Not Wildfires) Biggest Source of a Key Arctic Climate Pollutant, Study Finds
Uber and Lyft Are Convenient, Competitive and Highly Carbon Intensive
Avalanches Menace Colorado as Climate Change Raises the Risk