Franklin Park - White Stadium Renovation

[JumboBuc]

1/10

This project's "CULINARY CONSULTANT" has a portfolio that includes 100+ Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, St. Regis, Bvgalri, and Intercontinental hotels and resorts as well as a bunch of NFL and NCAA DI stadiums, but interestingly (or not) it don't list any public high schools.

 

[samsongam]

If the city wants to get the White Stadium budget down to a more reasonable number without decreasing capacity or amenities, all they need to do is delete the elaborate roof canopy over the stands, which is completely unnecessary. It seems like kind of a no-brainer to me.

There were references to the team paying for the roof structure in earlier materials quite clearly. Page 3

It seems like more recent documents kinda reference this is some way, but the direct connection of Boston Legacy will pay for both roofs is very unclear to me (at least from my non-expert reading of construction and law documents).

In Exhibit H, the lease acknowledges that there is special treatment for the roof structure as a "tenant upgrade" where there has been some agreement on, but I can't find much more specifics on that.

The Parties acknowledge that, in the absence of the transactions contemplated under the Lease, Landlord would have constructed an athletic facility suitable for high school athletics and Boston Public Schools uses, and that Tenant requires a higher level of standards, equipment and materials that will satisfy the needs of its professional sports team (e.g., improved seating; improved lighting; improved Playing Field; covered canopy over seating; improved scoreboard; video and audio enhancements; etc.). These upgrades from a baseline of a high school athletic and Boston Public Schools facility are referred to herein as the “Tenant Upgrades”. The Parties acknowledge that the Tenant Upgrades and cost thereof have factored into agreement upon this Work Letter and the Project Scope of Work Plans.

And then an updated executive construction summary document from a few weeks ago has mention of the canopy over the east grandstand as a "Major Alternate" alongside the heated field. It is listed at $13.5 million but it doesn't seem to be included in the totals. There is also a rendering of the city side of the stadium with the roof blued out that may indicate it is not part of the city's scope. It's all kinda weird to me though, the number on the updated portion of the sheet is still the old $90 million. Maybe this is reflective of the Guaranteed Maximum Price contract the city has at $135?

I don't know, I would like to have a lot more specifics on this. I was under the impression that the team would pay for it, but I can't tell from what I can see whether that has changed.

 

[JumboBuc]

The overhaul of White Stadium is set to cost $325 million. How does the price compare to other soccer venues? - The Boston Globe

In Boston, costs have jumped more than 60 percent from an initial projection of $200 million.

www.bostonglobe.com

 

[Scott]

Boston Legacy and the BPS All Star Marching Band play in a few minutes on ABC. Halftime has New Kids on the Block

 

[Scott]

“Boston Legacy FC and its fan base would suffer if the club is prevented from securing a long-term home,” read the Revolution’s brief. “Yet that threat lingers when lawsuits like this one attempt to rewrite settled legal doctrine to create barriers to socially beneficial public-private partnerships like the White Stadium renovation.”

White Stadium project gets boost from Kraft-owned NE Revolution - Dorchester Reporter

The Kraft-owned New England Revolution have filed an amicus brief that supports the Wu administration's deal for a new White Stadium ahead of a pivotal court hearing on April 8.

www.dotnews.com

 

[KCasiglio]

“Boston Legacy FC and its fan base would suffer if the club is prevented from securing a long-term home,” read the Revolution’s brief. “Yet that threat lingers when lawsuits like this one attempt to rewrite settled legal doctrine to create barriers to socially beneficial public-private partnerships like the White Stadium renovation.”

White Stadium project gets boost from Kraft-owned NE Revolution - Dorchester Reporter

The Kraft-owned New England Revolution have filed an amicus brief that supports the Wu administration's deal for a new White Stadium ahead of a pivotal court hearing on April 8.

www.dotnews.com

Seems reasonable that they don't want the precedent for groups to be throwing wrenches in their own stadium plans

 

[HenryAlan]

“Boston Legacy FC and its fan base would suffer if the club is prevented from securing a long-term home,” read the Revolution’s brief. “Yet that threat lingers when lawsuits like this one attempt to rewrite settled legal doctrine to create barriers to socially beneficial public-private partnerships like the White Stadium renovation.”

White Stadium project gets boost from Kraft-owned NE Revolution - Dorchester Reporter

The Kraft-owned New England Revolution have filed an amicus brief that supports the Wu administration's deal for a new White Stadium ahead of a pivotal court hearing on April 8.

www.dotnews.com

They aren't wrong. This ability to indefinitely delay a project for as long as a private group has money to continue funding frivolous law suits needs to go away.

 

[themissinglink]

‘Everyone knows it’s not going to be the same.’ Mass. high court weighs challenge to $325 million White Stadium project. - The Boston Globe

The Supreme Judicial Court will weigh whether to uphold a lower-court ruling that the White Stadium project does not violate state park protections.

www.bostonglobe.com

A local environmental nonprofit and nearly two dozen residents who for years have tried to stop Mayor Michelle Wu’s bid to redevelop Franklin Park’s White Stadium with a professional soccer team make their final legal stand against the project Wednesday.
Lawyers for the city and the project’s critics are set to deliver arguments before the state’s highest court, which will weigh whether to uphold a lower court ruling that the project does not violate state park protections despite the city’s collaboration with a private investor.
The stakes are high. For the project’s opponents, Wednesday’s arguments before the Supreme Judicial Court is their lawsuit’s last opportunity to get the courts to stop Wu’s project from moving forward — more than two years after they first sued. For Wu, it could be the last legal hurdle the city must overcome for her to deliver a marquee project for Boston Public Schools and cement a major accomplishment in her legacy.
At $325 million, the project’s cost dwarfs that of similar soccer stadium projects around the country. The city will pay $135 million of that, nearly triple its original estimated share of $50 million, while Boston Legacy FC will pay $190 million. The team will also pay more than $62 million over the coming years in rent to the city, and on maintenance for the stadium, improvements to Franklin Park, and other community benefits.
The key question the court will decide is whether Wu’s efforts to redevelop White Stadium through a public-private partnership with Boston Legacy FC violates a state constitutional amendment called Article 97. The law protects public parkland, and requires approval from two-thirds of the state Legislature to sell or make changes to a park’s use.