Potential Exelon Mystic Station Redevelopment | Everett

[bigpicture7]

Also the surrounding communities of Everett, Revere, Lynn, East Boston are homes to large immigrant populations largely from Latin America, where soccer is the dominant professional sport.

Yes, for sure, and that will certainly impact attendance too...but I'd meant to specifically point out that the former population was even more likely to be car-free, and therefore even less likely to schlep it to Gillette. Don't get me wrong, Gillette is inconvenient for all of these folks, but at least some of them could actually get there if they really wanted to, but there's also a huge subset who are effectively never going to go there.

 

[shmessy]

As mentioned earlier, any design posted is just a placeholder seemingly rushed for a press opportunity. Any discussion on what the stadium will look like and how/if it will incorporate the existing buildings is either ongoing or hasn't happened yet. Here are some images of MLS stadiums that are either recently completed or under construction in MIami, New York, and St.Louis.

View attachment 52707View attachment 52708View attachment 52709


Just because the Revs and MLS aren't the best in the world doesn't mean that they are too insignificant for a stadium. Comparing the Revs to other Boston teams that play sports that the rest of the world doesn't really care about is missing the point. The MLS is the fastest-growing league amongst young and diverse audiences in the United States. There's a reason why 6 of the top 25 most valuable soccer teams in the world are in the MLS (some of these teams have only been around for a few years). There is clearly enough demand for a 20,000-30,000 seat soccer stadium in the Boston area and it's a good bet that after the World Cup that soccer in the US (and the Revs with it) will continue to grow in popularity.

A soccer stadium here is a HUGE opportunity for the future of sports in Boston

Yeah, but we'd be losing an empty smokestack!!!!!!!!!

 

[DZH22]

I have to ask: What is it about the height of an empty inanimate object that makes you so excited??????

It's a very simple proposition for me. I'd rather have the 500' landmark smokestack than the traffic. I personally have 0 plans to ever use the stadium, but I do inhabit adjacent neighborhoods so it's a net negative from my viewpoint.

Also, my opinion of Robert Kraft in recent years has changed dramatically for the worse. So giving him (a billionaire!) a handout while adding traffic for an amenity I don't plan on using, while simultaneously replacing a landmark I remember since my childhood, seems like 4 reasons for me to oppose.

In fact, some of you are beginning to convince me that I should turn into an active participant in my opposition, rather than just posting about it here.

 

[shmessy]

It's a very simple proposition for me. I'd rather have the 500' landmark smokestack than the traffic. I personally have 0 plans to ever use the stadium, but I do inhabit adjacent neighborhoods so it's a net negative from my viewpoint.

Also, my opinion of Robert Kraft in recent years has changed dramatically for the worse. So giving him (a billionaire!) a handout while adding traffic for an amenity I don't plan on using, while simultaneously replacing a landmark I remember since my childhood, seems like 4 reasons for me to oppose.

In fact, some of you are beginning to convince me that I should turn into an active participant in my opposition, rather than just posting about it here.

1) "So giving him (a billionaire!) a handout....."
You're shooting wildly now - - what "handout" is he being given? I'll wait.

2) "....I'd rather have the 500" smokestack than the traffic. I personally have 0 plans to ever use the stadium....."
The majority have faaaaar more plans to use the stadium than to "use" the 500" smokestack (for what pray-tell?)

3) And yes, PLEASE become the public face of opposition to this - - you should always make your voice heard. It's a Democracy and it should be a participatory one.
I definitely think your argument in public regarding empty smokestack preservation and refusal of private $100 million to decontaminate a riverfront could certainly tilt public opinion on this matter.

 

[DZH22]

"So giving him (a billionaire!) a handout....."

You're shooting wildly now - - what "handout" is he being given? I'll wait.

And yes, PLEASE become the public face of opposition to this - - you should always make your voice heard. It's a Democracy and it should be a participatory one.

Tax Breaks

 

[DZH22]

1. Tax breaks for an inscrutable billionaire
2. Additional traffic in an already brutal area with poor road design
3. Opportunity cost, where else could money be spent, or otherwise should we reopen power plant due to increasing demand
4. Loss of landmark smokestack and other landmark industrial buildings

There's the 4 opposition points. Not everybody loves everything.

 

[samsongam]

2. Additional traffic in an already brutal area with poor road design

While the traffic is certainly an issue as it stands, it's important to note that the stadium is transit-focused with almost no on-site parking for fans. The stadium proposal is leaning heavily on the Orange Line (15-20 minute walk) and an extended Silver Line in a dedicated busway down Broadway/Alford ( and maybe even Urban Ring one day). No doubt some people will drive in still but it will be far from the environment of a Patriots game.

3. Opportunity cost, where else could money be spent, or otherwise should we reopen power plant due to increasing demand

I'm not sure what you mean about opportunity cost. The stadium will be completely privately funded by Kraft along with the cleanup of the site. Boston and Everett will have to improve the transportation infrastructure around the area which you've identified as an issue in 2.

 

[shmessy]

1. Tax breaks for an inscrutable billionaire
2. Additional traffic in an already brutal area with poor road design
3. Opportunity cost, where else could money be spent, or otherwise should we reopen power plant due to increasing demand
4. Loss of landmark smokestack and other landmark industrial buildings

There's the 4 opposition points. Not everybody loves everything.

Mass. lawmakers to vote to borrow billions for life sciences, advance Everett stadium plan - The Boston Globe

The Massachusetts Senate could vote Thursday on a bill that would allow the Kraft Group to build a soccer stadium near the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett.

www.bostonglobe.com

Once again - -WHAT TAX BREAK? WHAT HANDOUT? I'm still waiting.

You can type it as many times as you want. Doesn't make it true.

Once again, I fully support YOU becoming the public face of opposition on this - - I believe you can sway many people's minds once they hear your arguments on it.

 

[bigpicture7]

I'm not sure what you mean about opportunity cost.

Not to mention, even if there were a tax break against new taxes not currently owed = a tax revenue gain

 

[DZH22]

While the traffic is certainly an issue as it stands, it's important to note that the stadium is transit-focused with almost no on-site parking for fans. The stadium proposal is leaning heavily on the Orange Line (15-20 minute walk) and an extended Silver Line in a dedicated busway down Broadway/Alford ( and maybe even Urban Ring one day). No doubt some people will drive in still but it will be far from the environment of a Patriots game.

So you are taking a bridge that is 2 lanes in each direction (Alford) and you want to remove one of those lanes for a bus lane? That seems like a net negative for everybody who doesn't want to ride a bus, which is most people. Thus, making bad traffic worse 365 days a year, instead of just event days.

 

[DZH22]

Mass. lawmakers to vote to borrow billions for life sciences, advance Everett stadium plan - The Boston Globe

The Massachusetts Senate could vote Thursday on a bill that would allow the Kraft Group to build a soccer stadium near the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett.

www.bostonglobe.com

Once again - -WHAT TAX BREAK? WHAT HANDOUT? I'm still waiting.

Misread the article, which was related to the full economic bill and not just the stadium. So change point #1 to "rolling over and giving an unscrupulous billionaire what they want even though they already have a functional stadium." In fact, that would add a point #5 which is what about people around Foxborough who depend on these games (in conjunction with the other events) as part of their livelihood? Where is their voice?

On the other end, I assume the full financing package is not in place so we don't yet know if there would be any sort of breaks involved.

Not to mention, even if there were a tax break against new taxes not currently owed = a tax revenue gain

Yeah that's true. My opinion just turned so hard on Kraft lately that I don't support giving him what he wants. I can't think about your statement without thinking about what AOC did regarding NYC and Amazon, costing them 25,000 jobs. The "tax breaks" were not able to be spent somewhere else, because that money no longer existed!

Those of you who plan to attend games and actually care SHOULD be fighting for this stadium to happen. But at the end of the day, most of us will not, and there are some clear downsides to this location.

 

[Stlin]

So you are taking a bridge that is 2 lanes in each direction (Alford) and you want to remove one of those lanes for a bus lane? That seems like a net negative for everybody who doesn't want to ride a bus, which is most people. Thus, making bad traffic worse 365 days a year, instead of just event days.

Regardless if the stadium is happening or not, this is happening. The T got a $22.4M federal grant last month to build hybrid center running bus lanes and bike/ped improvements on Alford / lower Broadway.

 

[Ruairi]

So you are taking a bridge that is 2 lanes in each direction (Alford) and you want to remove one of those lanes for a bus lane? That seems like a net negative for everybody who doesn't want to ride a bus, which is most people. Thus, making bad traffic worse 365 days a year, instead of just event days.

There was a huge flap about the traffic the casino would generate and while it added some, I haven't noticed a huge difference.
MLS games are played on Saturday evenings around 7.30 (and some wednesday evenings)
There'll be no significant added parking built.
There'll be pedestrian access to all Assembly parking and the Costco area. I'd imagine there'll be shuttle busses to Wellington and station landing.

The silver line extension will likely happen with or without the stadium.

 

[samsongam]

So you are taking a bridge that is 2 lanes in each direction (Alford) and you want to remove one of those lanes for a bus lane? That seems like a net negative for everybody who doesn't want to ride a bus, which is most people. Thus, making bad traffic worse 365 days a year, instead of just event days.

The extension of the Silver Line was just recently funded by the federal government. It's already in place to be built, and it benefits the residents of Everett especially those who need it the most. "The existing MBTA bus routes that operate along this alignment are more likely to serve people of color, people without access to a personal automobile, and people of lower incomes."

what about people around Foxborough who depend on these games

I don't know about this in general, but the Revs are not close to as much of a money maker in Foxborough as the Patriots, and they will be a lot more successful in Everett.

In terms of giving Kraft what he wants, I hate a billionaire as much as the next guy, but phrasing this as Kraft's interests alone is off. If he had it his way he'd probably consolidate his teams in the town with the attached shopping center that he owns. There is a really big demand/desire for this from people in the city

 

[Charlie_mta]

The term "social justice" has been used in bad faith as a one-sided bludgeon to enact all sorts of unpopular measures lately. It's not a fair argument to make because now you're claiming some sort of moral high ground against people who don't share your opinion, when a minor league soccer stadium is anything but a moral dilemma. The people of Everett "deserve" a soccer stadium? What about those who live there but don't want it? Are they still getting what they deserve?

"Social justice" is not a term I use lightly or often. Actually I am not a fan of political correctness or political platitudes. In the case of Everett, however, use of the term "social justice" in regards to development of this stadium is fully justified. I grew up poor, and it wasn't a pretty experience. But maybe it helped me empathize a bit with disadvantaged people and the struggles they face. Maybe that's why I admire a city government (i.e., Everett) which is a standout in its proactiveness to lift the city from a dead and foul post-industrial wasteland into a vibrant, 24/7 multi-use urban community. I see this stadium as a key component in that transformation.

 

[NHMaples]

Speaking for myself in the smokestack crowd, I'm not aware that this is an either/or situation or that efforts toward preservation would be a deal killer. In fact, I know very little about this proposal at all.

My point is that these structures which connect a city to its past are actually a benefit to people rather than a detriment. Obviously, an obsolete smokestack is of no more functional use to anyone than a lighthouse by the seashore which might be demolished in order to avoid its upkeep. Most ornamentation on any building could be scraped away and still leave the structure productive.

Eventually, there will be serious conceptual designs created for the proposed stadium. What will distinguish these designs from those for a stadium in, say, Los Vegas or Miami? You'd probably want to tie it in with bringing people close to the waterfront. Indications of the area's industrial past would also be a great differentiator.

Creating bustling places where people can be entertained is not enough especially if they are merely duplicates of urban spaces that could be found in any other city. Otherwise you end up with a great Lasvegasmiamiboston design.

 

[Stlin]

Speaking for myself in the smokestack crowd, I'm not aware that this is an either/or situation or that efforts toward preservation would be a deal killer. In fact, I know very little about this proposal at all.

The main issue is the layout of the site, as the stadium is only proposed for a portion of it. As rendered, On one side you have the Eversource substation, and on the other you have units 8&9 - all of which will be remaining. In that space, the old smokestacks are basically in the center - if you overlaid the render over the existing conditions the smokestacks would basically be in the middle of the pitch.

 

[Charlie_mta]

My concern is that fixating on preserving the smokestacks could ultimately stymy the project. It has been a tenuous and shaky path to get this far with this project, and I'd hate to see it get sidetracked at this point into a "study it to death" project-killing spiral. Let's try to move ahead with it and get it done while the politics and logistics are still favorable.

 

[Ruairi]

I would also imagine that given the site clean up needed, very few projects are viable on this site.
Better that private dollars fund the clean up than taxes.
He might get tax breaks to build here but i'd imagine it's worth it.
Also, given that they plan the new silver line, a foot bridge to assembly, the place wynn is trying to build next to the casino, the new charlestown development along the Mystic, and the eventual redevelopment of sullivan, this whole area is about to change for the better.
There'll be a whole new corridor running between rutherford and 93 from north station all the way up to the Encore.
One of the major things they'll need to figure out is exit 28 off 93 with all the new development. Traffic will continually back up on to the highway.

 

[NHMaples]

It's unfortunate that the stack is situated right in the middle of the site rather than on the periphery, and if it's a contest between saving the stacks or addressing the environmental issues, the site cleanup wins hands down.