Local leaders team up, call for ‘greater collaboration’ over planned Revs stadium in Everett
City leaders in Revere, Medford, Malden and Chelsea have formed a regional coalition calling for "greater collaboration and transparency" from the New England Revolution over a soccer-specific stadium planned for nearby Everett.
The group, which has dubbed itself "City Mayors for Citizens," said they joined forces to "identify solutions to potential impacts of the stadium, and after previous requests have gone unanswered, are publicly calling on the Revs to join them in these discussions."
Separately, Revere officials said they're in "active dialogue" with leaders in Boston to "explore how all communities can work together to advocate for regional solutions.
In a Monday letter to the Major League Soccer franchise owned by The Kraft Group, which also owns the New England Patriots, the mayors argued that they've been left out of the talks over the 25,000-seat stadium along the banks of the Mystic River.
Because it's set to have just 75 parking spaces and would sit on a 43.11-acre chunk of land that's currently home to a shuttered portion of a power plant, the local leaders said they had "serious concerns about the project's potential effects on local infrastructure, public transit, and overall quality of life for residents across the region."
"A project of this size and scale will have significant regional impacts," Revere Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr. said in a joint statement. "We want to ensure that a stadium is contributing positively to the communities it is drawing resources from."
"Our residents should not bear the burdens of a private stadium that has strong potential to negatively affect their day-to-day lives," Keefe continued. "We expect a seat at the table for all four communities as the New England Revolution considers mitigation strategies."
The mayors and Chelsea's city manager said they also were concerned that the current proposal for ride-sharing lots would further snarl traffic along busy local roads.
They also stressed the need for further investment in public transportation to smooth the path for people traveling to and from the stadium for matches, concerts and other events.
For tens of thousands of soccer fans or concertgoers, the primary path to the stadium would wend its way from the Sullivan Square MBTA station across a hectic rotary, down Alford Street's thin sidewalks and over the Mystic River as cars and tractor-trailers whizzed by.
Officials across the river in Boston also have raised concerns about infrastructure and mass transit needs for the stadium.
"A proactive, collaborative approach is what will lead to better outcomes for all stakeholders, including the team, surrounding communities, and the fans – thousands of whom call our cities home," Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez said. "We hope the Revolution can appreciate that their offers for partnership in greater Boston must go beyond the minimum requirements. We can all work together toward shared goals."
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn argued that the Revs should be "eager to come to the table with this coalition of leaders who bring a great depth of knowledge on what will work well as they bring the team to our region."
Malden Mayor Gary Christenson emphasized the existing web of connections between the four communities, arguing that they must also be "connected in the planning process for a project of this size."
"A transparent, inclusive dialogue will ensure that a new stadium for the Revolution will strengthen the entire region," he said.
A spokesperson for The Revolution told MassLive that the local leaders' concerns were understandable and that they would eventually be included in discussions at the "appropriate time."
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