Report: Massachusetts State Senate Expected to Pass Revolution Stadium Bill

The Mass Senate is expected to pass a 124-page economic bill that includes the pathway for a soccer-specific stadium!

Photo Courtesy of The Kraft Group

After years of searching, the Kraft family and the New England Revolution are on the verge of finally securing land to build a soccer-specific stadium!

According to The Boston Globe’s Matt Stout, the Massachusetts State Senate is expected to pass a 124-page economic development bill on Thursday that would pave the way for the Krafts to achieve their goal of building a soccer-specific stadium in the Boston area.

While the proposed legislation would begin the process, The Boston Globe’s Jon Chesto explains the copious amount of work that could entail the process. Firstly, the site where the stadium would go needs to be removed from what’s known as a designated port area, a state-regulated zone where development is essentially limited to marine industrial uses.

Once they get the land removed from the designated port area list, the Krafts have to obtain a plethora of state and local permits before they can begin building. A process that the article states could take two years to complete.

Once they obtain all the proper permits, crews would need to demolish the unused portion of the power station to clear land for the stadium to pair alongside a currently active Eversource substation on the property.

Lastly — and most importantly — work and upgrades on transportation surrounding the stadium are needed. While Sullivan Square sits on the opposite side of the river, Chesto’s article states that there are plans to extend bus service from Chelsea through Everett and past the stadium. There are also talks of building a footbridge over the Mystic River between Assembly Road in Sommerville and Encore Boston Harbor. There have also been preliminary talks of potentially adding a commuter rail stop in Everett. With only reportedly 75 spots of on-site parking, expect local transportation to see upgrades in the lead-up to a potential opening.

While no decision has come on the stadium's capacity, Revolution president Brian Billelo told the Globe that the stadium could seat up to 25,000 fans for 19 to 24 Revolution matches along with other sporting events, concerts, and community festivals.

“These urban soccer stadiums have done really well, and have been big community assets. There’s no doubt if we were able to build this project, it would sell out,” said Bilello.

A lot remains up in the air regarding the Everett project, but it definitely appears things are going in the right direction for the Krafts. While there’s a ton of work ahead, it seems that fans are one step closer to seeing the New England Revolution have a home of its own.