Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution

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BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are planning to vote this week on a bill that would clear the way for the construction of a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution in Everett, within sight of Boston and across the street from a casino and hotel complex.

The 43-acre (17-hectare) site is currently the location of the now defunct Mystic Generating Station along the Mystic River.

The team has been sharing Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Boston, with the New England Patriots. Both teams are owned by Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group, which has been searching for space closer to Boston to build the stadium.

A representative for the Revolution declined to comment until after lawmakers vote.

Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka said Wednesday that the stadium deal was part of negotiations between the state House and Senate on a larger $4 billion economic development bill. The bill prohibits the use of public dollars for construction of the stadium.

The project has several upsides including helping clean up a toxic waste site, opening up the coastline for more recreation, creating jobs for building and maintaining the stadium and helping boost tourism, according to Spilka.

"Sports is really big in Massachusetts," she said.

Officials in Everett, including Mayor Carlo DeMaria, have backed the proposal as a way to help boost the economy of the city of about 50,000.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has remained skeptical of the project, saying she's concerned about how traffic to and from the stadium may clog city streets in the nearby Boston neighborhood of Charlestown.

Spilka said part of the language in the agreement focuses on helping address the traffic issues near the new stadium and the existing Encore Boston Harbor casino, which opened in 2019.

As part of the deal, the site would no longer be considered a “designated port area” — a designation where only industrial uses are allowed.

House and Senate leaders are expected to call members back into the Statehouse to pass the bill.

While the deal bars the use of public money for construction of the stadium, it does allows for public funds to be used for infrastructure work related to the project provided there are matching private funds.

The bill also would pump money into key economic areas primed for additional growth in Massachusetts, including the life sciences, climate-tech and artificial intelligence sectors, lawmakers said.

The bill would also rename the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center after former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and set aside up to $7 million in tax credits for live theatrical productions, similar to those for the film industry.

Among the ideas that failed to make it into the final bill was a proposal to end the state's ban on “happy hour” discounts on drinks.