BPDA board signs off on White Stadium renovation as lawsuit moves forward

Plans for a $100 million expansion and renovation of White Stadium in Franklin Park took several steps forward Thursday following unanimous approval by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), The Boston Globe reported.

The vote paved the way for the controversial project to progress despite a looming lawsuit filed by a group of concerned community members.  

Boston Unity Soccer Partners and the city of Boston are partnering on the project, each committing $50 million to the overhaul. Under the proposal, White Stadium would host 40 professional women’s soccer team games and practice sessions annually. 

The stadium would still be available for Boston Public Schools athletic events and other school-related events, such as camps and graduations. Boston would retain ownership of the property, though the city would lease it to Boston Unity Soccer Partners.

“This is a major milestone for a project that is decades overdue, finally giving BPS student athletes and community a beautiful new home at White Stadium,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement following Thursday’s BPDA vote. “This approval delivers greatly expanded hours of BPS and community use, world-class athletic and community facilities, more than an acre of additional green space opened up to the public, and guaranteed annual funding to invest in Franklin Park.”

According to the Globe report, the project still requires Parks Commission approval and permitting before proceeding, though the city hopes to begin construction in the fall.

The lawsuit’s plaintiffs refer to themselves as the Franklin Park Defenders — a group of 20 citizens and the nonprofit Emerald Necklace Conservancy. They argue that the project would illegally privatize the protected public park and that plans have been rushed without adequate time for community or environmental reviews.

The group has also expressed concern over the potential limited access to the stadium by BPS students and community members. According to a sample schedule provided to the BPDA, professional soccer games would be held on more than half of the Saturdays from late March through early November, in addition to the practice sessions. Opponents have also raised concerns over the noise and traffic impact at the new stadium.

“The project is progressing at an alarming speed, without many of the required elements of oversight and review expected for a development of this size and scale,” plaintiffs said in the complaint, filed in February.

The case is expected to go to trial in March.