The Boston City Council, previously split on halting the public-private White Stadium rehab that's backed by the mayor, is wading back into the project with Councilor Julia Mejia seeking support for review of the fully-public alternative bid.
Mejia, an occasional critic of Mayor Michelle Wu, has partnered with the Boston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), on a non-binding resolution relative to the controversial project that she plans to introduce at Wednesday's Council meeting.
"This resolution is not about stopping the redevelopment of White Stadium but about recognizing that too many questions remain unanswered," Mejia said in a Tuesday statement. "Boston deserves transparency around costs, equity in contracting, and a commitment to review all options including a fully public renovation plan."
The Council resolution calls for the city to consider the fully-public high-school-only alternative plan pitched earlier this month by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Franklin Park neighbors who oppose the pro soccer proposal. The ENC says a high school stadium can be rebuilt for just $64.6 million.
By comparison, the city's taxpayer-funded half of the $200 million public-private soccer plan grew late last year from $50 million to $91 million, and is expected to increase again when all aspects of construction are put out to bid later this year, Wu has said. The cost hike is due, in part, to federal tariffs, the mayor has said.
The mayor has championed the city's public-private partnership with Boston Unity Soccer Partners as being vital to rehabbing a dilapidated 76-year-old White Stadium for Boston Public Schools student-athletes after decades of neglect.
Most of the stadium has been torn down, with construction underway, but project opponents argue that there's still time to reverse course and adopt a fully-public plan at a lower cost to, and that entirely benefits, taxpayers.
Under the current proposal, BPS student-athletes are set to share use of a rebuilt stadium with Boston Legacy FC, the new National Women's Soccer League team owned by Boston Unity, beginning in 2027. The team has entered into a 10-year lease agreement with the city.
Mejia, in a statement shared by her office, argued that further review of the community alternative should be considered by the city, "in light of the unresolved cost, procurement, transparency, transportation and equity concerns in the redevelopment of White Stadium."
The councilor's resolution highlights that the city has yet to release a final project cost, despite moving ahead with phased bidding. The city has spent $7.5 million so far, but the majority of construction contracts remain outstanding, adding to cost uncertainty for taxpayers, according to a statement from Mejia's office.
Mejia also points to the community's concerns that the proposed 11,000-seat professional sports stadium will further tax parking and traffic congestion in the neighborhoods that surround Franklin Park. The high-school alternative would seat 5,000, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy said.
"It is our responsibility to ensure that public dollars are used in the public interest, and that student-athletes and communities who depend on White Stadium are not sidelined in the process," Mejia said.
Last January, the City Council deadlocked, 6-6, on a resolution led by Mejia that called for the city to halt demolition at White Stadium, given the community's outstanding concerns.
The Boston branch of NAACP, which previously backed a pause on demolition at the stadium, partnered with Mejia on her latest resolution.
"Now is the first opportunity for the public to compare the benefits and drawbacks between a less expensive public option seating 5,000 and a significantly more expensive corporate-led option that seats over 10,000 and would impede the public's use of Franklin Park," the NAACP said in a statement.
"The projected $100 million in savings could be allocated to specific unmet student needs in the Boston Public Schools."
The Franklin Park Defenders, the neighbors who partnered with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy on the fully-public alternative stadium rehab and a lawsuit against the city, quickly praised the resolution pitched by Mejia and the NAACP.
"Construction of the new professional soccer stadium in Franklin Park hasn't started, or even been fully put out to bid," Roxbury resident Rodney Singleton said in a statement. "With the public-private stadium proposal facing massive cost overruns, unsolvable transportation concerns and the team's inability to secure required construction financing, there is plenty of time for a better path forward."
Mayor Wu has argued that the public-private plan has support from the community and that it's no longer feasible to entertain other proposals for White Stadium. Her office continued to defend the professional soccer rehab in a Tuesday statement.
"After extensive community feedback over two years of public meetings, our students will finally get a top notch athletic complex, open year-round to park users, BPS students, coaches, and community for 15 hours per day, more than 345 days of the year," a city spokesperson said.
"This long-delayed renovation is already well underway, and the city, BPS and Boston Legacy FC have signed a lease that legally codifies the commitments and community benefits that this project and partnership will deliver."