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Kraft soccer stadium in Everett gets closer in legislative deal
By adamg on Tue, 11/12/2024 - 10:24pm
The State House News Service reports a required land-use change for the Everett land where the Krafts want to build a home for the New England Revolution is included in an economic-development bill.
The stadium would get no state money and the Krafts would have to negotiate "community mitigation agreements" with both Everett and Boston - and would have to match any public spending on any road improvements around the stadium, near the Encore Casino and that weird little piece of Boston on the other side of the Mystic.
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Comments
So wait. Did Kraft's vision
So wait. Did Kraft's vision not see that including the Pro Women's Soccer also playing at this stadium instead of Franklin Park to be long term revenue in his business decision making. ? Neither did the Olympics
Sullivan Square is already a disaster
Traffic backs up on the 93 north offramp almost to the travel lanes. What crafty plan is going to solve that problem, not to mention Somerville, Charlestown and Everett gridlock on game days?
Don't drive
No need to drive - that's the point of this location.
The current construction blocks half the lanes both ways
The current bridge work that's being done in Sullivan square should be done by 2027(?) or so. That work is currently blocking half the lanes in each direction on the north side of Sullivan square. When this is done it should lessen the traffic at least a little bit. I don't foresee the stadium being done before the bridge work is done.
Additionally there is a whole redesign of the square that is supposed to be started at some point although I have no idea where the status of that project it. That project would change the square from a "rotary" to an actual grid-like layout.
A bridge is really needed from the Assembly T stop to Encore/the stadium if the design really wants to limit vehicle traffic.
Where is the site? The
Where is the site? The article says the issue was the land is designated for port uses, and Sen DiDomenico says it's the site of a power plant. Is it the big gas-burning plant off Alford Street that recently closed?
This had better include a footbridge from Assembly to Encore.
It's insane that walking from the nearest Orange Line station, and the upscale neighborhood it serves, is such a haul. Surely Wynn and Kraft have the wherewithal.
Ha
I had typed the same post but had a change of thought. I'd love to see the path built but public funding for projects like this is about to be massively cut and Kraft isn't to going to fund it entirely out of generosity. So if it wasn't part of the bill that was approved, chances are it will be put into the "possible future improvements" pile and left to rot. (Throwing salt on the wound, they'll still construct footpaths to where the bridge would terminate.)
I'm angry they won't let people walk across the Earhart dam. The walkways are there and the damn dam employees get to use it so why can't the public?
Earhart Dam
The DCR manages to keep the Charles River Dam open to the public and it has more openings and drains more water, but never expect the DCR to act in the public's interest!
That said, it wouldn't be any shorter of a trip than walking from Sullivan. Maybe Kraft could be convinced to open his pockets to throw money at the long-planned pedestrian bridge there, since in addition to better Orange Line access, it would mean the ability to use parking at Assembly for the soccer stadium (especially the MGB garage, which shouldn't overlap with soccer season too much).
What would be great to see would be a bridge from the Assembly headhouse across the river landing on the end of the casino property, and then a second, lower bridge (more of a boardwalk, high enough for the casino boat to get under) across the next little harbor and across Alford Street to the soccer site (would need to get the MWRA and/or BWSC to play ball with their property). Otherwise it's a longer walk and everyone has to cross Alford St at the casino which is a hellish crossing. If there was an elevated promenade across Alford Street and then a bridge over to Assembly it would be about 2300' from the Orange Line to the stadium, vs 3600' to Sullivan (with many more roads to cross). That's about an 8 minute walk, and only about 4 minutes further than Kenmore Square is to Fenway.
I agree
A footbridge is what's needed. But the dam is right there and ready to be used when the locks are closed so no reason not to make it available irrespective of the bridge.
Might be accessibility issues
If it hasn’t been open in 25 years and isn’t accessible, it probably couldn’t just be reopened.
Just a road?
Isn’t it just a road? Too steep maybe, but otherwise I don’t think there’s any possible issue.
but
I think this may be a case of "but 9/11" as the reason why you can't. Same reason why you no longer can go up the Hancock.
"Can't take that chance!"
So frustrating. It's a bogus excuse used by so many agencies to serve the public less.
There are a number of reservoirs in the central and western part of the state with nice service roads that would be fine for walking and cycling but are closed permanently for the same reason.
It would be trivial to jump or cut the fence if someone wanted to poison the water so the gates only keep out people who might notice someone doing something destructive and make it easier for the bad people to be bad.
Definitely can't rely on their vague promises or generosity.
IIRC, there was a "gentleman's agreement" on the footbridge when Encore (or Wynn, as I think it was called then) was proposed/approved. This would need to be baked into the paperwork this time around.
Going to a Revolution match
Going to a Revolution match in Everett(if that ever comes to fruition) will be like going to a Millwall match.