By Cary Shuman
Mayor Carlo DeMaria joined New England Revolution President Brian Bilello and team officials at a public meeting with residents, business owners, and local organizations to discuss the proposed new 25,000-seat soccer stadium Aug. 27 at the Edward G. Connolly Center.
DeMaria told the large gathering that when he learned that Revolution owner Bob Kraft was looking to build a new soccer stadium in either Boston or Somerville, he reached out to the team, “and lo behold, we’re here.”
The mayor addressed head-on what many Everett and Charlestown residents consider the No. 1 concern – heavy traffic on Revolution game nights – early in his remarks. DeMaria noted that there will not be many parking spaces on site, with most of those spots reserved for physically challenged individuals.
“We have finally gotten the approval from the MBTA to build a commuter rail station at the Encore [Boston Harbor] site,” DeMaria told the large gathering. “We will finally have a connection to the subway system for the first time since the 1950s and that’s a big deal. We also have the funding in place for the pedestrian footbridge over to Assembly Row (a mixed-use development in Somerville). That pedestrian bridge connects you to Assembly Row ‘T’ Station which connects you to the Orange Line.”
DeMaria added that plans are being made to construct an underpass “under the Alford Street Bridge to connect to a waterfront park that the Krafts are going to build as part of the stadium [project].”
DeMaria expects that the great majority of soccer fans will use public transportation to travel to Everett.
“This facility is going to be totally accessible by public transportation,” said DeMaria. “There will be no cars coming into the City of Everett. If cars do come, they will have no place to park.”
In closing his remarks, DeMaria thanked Sen. Sal DiDomenico, “for what he did to remove this parcel from the DPA [Designated Port Area], and that was a lot of work to do for about four years.”
As the mayor expressed, it was DiDomenico who championed and guided the legislation on Beacon Hill that allowed the Alford Street site to be developed for use for a soccer stadium and waterfront park. In a career highlighted by numerous legislative successes, DiDomenico’s diligent and persistent efforts on advancing the soccer stadium project will likely be heralded widely if the venue becomes a reality.
“I have put my cards on the table on this project,” said DiDomenico. “I am excited for the prospect of what it can bring to our community. I’m excited that we no longer have to look at these smokestacks, because our residents and our kids don’t deserve to live in a community that has been polluting our residents, our air, our water, and our land. There’s a new day for the citizens of Everett.
“We deserve something special in our community, and I believe with all my heart that this project is the right fit for our community. I wouldn’t have put three-and-a-half years of work into this if I didn’t fully believe that the new day that we deserve is with this project coming to fruition,” concluded DiDomenico.
Revs president Bilello
speaks at meeting
New England Revolution President Brian Bilello led a contingent of representatives from the team who spoke of the many positive experiences that Everett residents would enjoy by having a world-class soccer stadium and a waterfront park in the city.
“You will see this is not just a stadium, there is a park we’re looking to build – we’re looking for a lot of input – as to how to make this a great asset to the community,” said Bilello, adding that “there are many steps to go” in the state and local review process, “and public engagement is a part of all those processes.”
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Cathal Conlon spoke about what he called “the transformational nature of this project.”
[“This project] would give the people of Everett access [to the waterfront] that they haven’t had in decades,” said Conlon. “This waterfront is going to be open. That is real, that’s not a concept.”
Conlon added, “From a community standpoint, it’s really important for the Revolution soccer team to be good community partners. We don’t just want to move in here and build a stadium for our soccer matches. We want to make Everett our home. We need you to help us do that. We do 200-plus community events a year – these are free events that we do to try and engage with our communities. You will tell us where these events should be, who they should benefit, and how we should build them.”
In 2023, Conlon noted the New England Revolution, received the Major League Soccer [MLS] Community Impact Team of the Year Award.
One only to has to look next door to Chelsea, where the Kraft family, known internationally for its philantrophy, has made a tremendous impact on a community. While serving as executive director of the Boys and Girls Club in Chelsea, Josh Kraft directed a fundraising drive that led to the construction of a spectacular $11 million clubhouse that features a swimming pool, gymnasium, kitchen, computer lab, and theater space. Robert and Myra Kraft were major donors to the new facility. The club serves hundreds of youths in after-school programming in Chelsea.
Conlon credited Sen. DiDomenico for his work on the soccer stadium project, stating that “listening to the passion that you speak for the future of Everett is really, really exciting for us to have the option to be a part of that process, so hopefully we can deliver the project and everything that comes along with it.”
Plenty of support expressed
for the soccer stadium
A resident named Adam began the procession of residents who spoke favorably about the project.
“I am very excited about this project,” said Adam. “I really do appreciate all the work that everybody has done so far on the project. I run and bike down by this area pretty much every day and it’s a mess. So, to have something like this in the City of Everett is absolutely amazing.”
Adam asked for area improvements in the bike lanes and in the maintenance of the sidewalks. He also requested an update on the pedestrian bridge project.
A longtime Everett resident said he was very excited about the project and suggested the greenspace area near the stadium “could become our version of Lawn on D [South Boston], The Tall Ship in East Boston, or Salem Willows.”
“The public use of that park is what really is the win,” he said.
Councilor Rogers wants concession jobs to be
paid positions
Reiterating her previous remarks at a City Council meeting, Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers said she would like to see “at least 50 percent of the people that work at the stadium be from Everett.”
“I don’t want to see volunteer labor used for stadium operations which I know is something that happens at Gillette Stadium in exchange for various causes – we want to make sure that people are actually getting full-time paid jobs,” continued Rogers, adding that preference for outside vendors should go to Everett-based, diverse, women, minority, and veteran-owned small businesses.”
“We need to address our transportation. It’s fair to say that’s our No. 1 concern, and I know there’s a lot in the process right now to improve the MBTA,” said Rogers, while also requesting a dedicated intra-city shuttle service so that Everett soccer fans can get to and from the stadium, and the building of a new fire and public safety station on Lower Broadway.
McColaugh expresses
support
Stephanie McColaugh, creator of the Cleanup Everett group, lauded Mayor DeMaria for hosting a third stadium meeting, saying, “thank you for the [public] engagement.”
McColaugh asked some relevant “yes-no” questions about the project, to which Mayor DeMaria responded that the parcel has been vacant for a few years; there have been no offers from other developers for the Alford Street property; that the pedestrian bridge and commuter rail stop have been funded by the state and Encore Boston Harbor respectively and are not dependent on the construction of the soccer stadium; and that if the soccer stadium is not built, “the property, like the Monsanto Chemical plant, would sit for about 60 years until something ever comes to fruition, and there would be no waterfront access.”
“I want the stadium because I care about community and I care about continuous improvement and this is an improvement,” said McColaugh. “There’s nothing like rooting for a home team that builds community. It seems to me like our only option is the stadium, more heavy polluted industry or something, and I’ll take progress over perfection any day, so I am in support of this project.”
Councillor Van Campen wants a fund for
Everett businesses
Ward 5 Councilor Robert Van Campen requested Mayor DeMaria to “ask the Kraft Group specifically to create a permanent fund that is financed on an annual basis so our small businesses, many of whom feel somewhat left behind when these massive developments happen, whether it’s for façade improvements, interior renovations – let’s just not fire up the commercial triangle, let’s use the Kraft Group to fire up small businesses in Everett Square, Glendale Square, and everywhere else.”
Van Campen also requested that residents have walking and vehicular access to the four-acre park on the waterfront, and an update on the mayor’s negotiations with the Kraft Group.
Councilor Smith says
she is ‘a huge soccer fan’
Councilor-at-Large Stephanie Smith recalled being a member of the first girls’ soccer team to ever win the Commissioner’s Cup of Massachusetts, and a four-year varsity player and soccer team captain at Everett High School.
“My kids play soccer, and I’m a huge fan of all soccer. I’m really excited about the soccer stadium possibilities here,” said Smith, who is an officer in the Everett Little League and an advocate for all youth sports. “I would like an Everett-run community center built by the Kraft Group. I grew up at the [Everett] Rec. My kids are going to the Rec now. The team you [Mayor DeMaria] have assembled is doing a great job there. We need a space for the kids.”
Smith also asked that the Kraft Group fund other athletic fields in the city and that concession stands and bathroom facilities [like the installations at Sacramone Park] be added to those facilities, “so our youth [sports] groups can all have amazing parks.”
Councilor DiPierro calls
project ‘a game changer’
Ward 3 Councilor Anthony DiPierro said, “If this project doesn’t move forward, we’re going to be stuck with what’s there for a long time, and I don’t think Encore Phase II happens without this project.”
DiPierro noted that the Kraft Group and the Revolution are looking at MLS soccer stadiums “as models to compare to in terms of public transit options and how to make it work.”
“I’ll wrap it up just by saying that for those who want to say ‘no’ just for the sake of saying ‘no,’ I ask that you just sit back and let this process play out. This is indeed a game-changer for our community, not just for tomorrow, but for generations to come,” said DiPierro.
A successful meeting All in all, the public meeting was a huge success for the Revolution (President Brian Belillo stayed for the entire three-plus hours of discussion) and for Mayor DeMaria, who stood at the podium and maintained his composure and professionalism in the heat of some criticism from a few residents while reaffirming that the soccer stadium process will continue to be one of wide community input. In fact, DeMaria announced that the next community meeting will be held later this month. Sen. DiDomenico also stood out with his presence at the meeting, as he advances what inarguably would be a world-class soccer stadium built by the Kraft Group in the majestic way that Gillette Stadium has put the town of Foxborough on the national map. The 2026 FIFA World Cup – with Gillette Stadium hosting seven games – will no doubt ignite the passion of soccer fans in Everett and across the state, country, and world next year. The United States Men’s National Team [USMNT] has never won a World Cup.