Why on earth would Wu think that Boston should have any say in this whole process? The city's many administration's actions, over more than two decades, has been to stonewall the entire concept. And the State House has been equally unreceptive. It's not as though the Krafts don't know exactly which pols have to be paid off to get any progress here. Barring any substantial emoluments being spread around this whole thing is, and always will be, DOA.
Seems there is a footbridge between Assembly and Encore in the plans (though heavily delayed): (Paywall) https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04...ere-is-it/?s_campaign=breakingnews:newsletter
The article in the Boston Globe is mostly about the value of a footbridge for cyclists. The article barely mentions the soccer stadium... A promised bridge over the Mystic River would be a missing link for Somerville and Everett. So where is it? By Spencer Buell The Boston Globe A promised footbridge across the Mystic River would close the gap that separates, on one side, the Encore casino and the Northern Strand Community Trail in Everett, and on the other, Somerville's Assembly Row and network of bike paths. SOMERVILLE — On this side of the Mystic River sits Assembly Row, the high-polish housing, business, and entertainment complex, ringed by riverfront parkland, paved paths, an MBTA Orange Line stop, and access to the city’s bike lanes and trails. Directly across the river in Everett is the glittering Encore Boston Harbor casino, fronted by a riverwalk and a car-free trail that stretches north to Lynn. Between them sloshes about 500 feet of water. For those looking to cross it by foot or on two wheels, the closest route is a detour past a power plant on a busy commuter road that even seasoned cyclists dread. Two governors have committed to build a footbridge across the Mystic to the Encore for pedestrians and cyclists, one of the largest such crossings in the Boston area. But years later, it’s become a very Massachusetts kind of project: Construction has yet to begin and no one can say when it will. Indeed the public hasn’t seen a building plan for the new footbridge since 2021, when they first glimpsed renderings of a bridge plan that has since been put back on the drawing board. The billions of dollars of new development on each side of the river, and the state’s efforts to promote car-free travel, make the gap all the more glaring an omission. State officials insist they’re hard at work. The Department of Conservation and Recreation last week said it and MassDOT are still finalizing the design for the bridge, which spokesperson Chloe Gotsis described as “a critical link” in the region’s trail system. The redesign, Gotsis said, will allow the agencies to consider feedback from cycling advocates who have urged the state to widen it from 12 feet to 14 feet to better carry walkers and cyclists at the same time. And the state, she said, is weighing other changes as well to make the bridge easier to build and maintain. If and when it’s built, the impact on cycling in the region will be huge, said Tom Lamar, chair of the Somerville Bicycle Committee, because crossing the river without a car can be harrowing. “The Mystic River is just this tremendous barrier right now,” Lamar said. “The individual pieces coming together in that area are great, but the gaps between them are just awful.” “You’re very close to high speed traffic,” he said. “On the drawbridge, it’s slippery. It’s very easy to slip on in the rain. It’s pretty, pretty scary.” The other white-knuckle route, to the north, is the Wellington Bridge, which offers cyclists a painted lane separated from, but still close to, traffic. Either way, “it’s not really a comfortable biking connection,” Lamar said. “So this bridge is going to be a game-changer.” Closing the gap, bike advocates say, will go a long way to convincing otherwise wary cyclists to consider hitting the bike path, either for fun and exercise, or as a reasonable, safe, even pleasant way to commute. Somerville’s neighbors from Everett to Lynn have been enjoying a separated bike trail that follows old train tracks past dozens of parks, cuts through picturesque marshland, and will one day travel all the way to the beach in Nahant. It’s a shame that once it gets to the cusp of Somerville and Boston it “just ends,” said Jonah Chiarenza, a Melrose cycling advocate. “You have this incredible asset that the state and the cities of Everett, Malden, Saugus, et cetera have invested in, and it just dumps you out into one of the biggest rotaries in Boston,” he said. Gotsis said the projected cost of the bridge remains $49 million, the amount estimated for the old design that called for a grand, curved 785-foot-long suspension bridge. The state, she said, will pay for most of it as part of its five-year capital plan, and the state Gaming Commission will kick in $650,000. The company that owns the Encore, which helped pay for the original design, has not committed to contributing to the cost of construction. The Baker administration said in 2021 it would pursue a federal grant for the project, but that didn’t materialize. When a bridge might be finished is a mystery: Once the new design is released, it will be subject to another public review, then a bidding process, before construction can begin. State officials declined to estimate when that might be. More than a decade after Assembly Row opened, and almost five years after Encore threw open its doors, there are other loose ends as well. It’s been an open question whether any changes might be coming to the Assembly MBTA stop, which is only accessible from Assembly Row, with the T tracks in the way of the riverfront. To get to the proposed bridge, T riders would have to take a roundabout walk of a half-mile or so. MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo wouldn’t say if the agency considers it a priority to add an east-facing exit to the stop, which opened in 2014. If delays continue, the absence of a bike- and pedestrian-only link across the Mystic may be even more apparent in the coming years. Work on a planned renovation of Draw Seven Park, the now largely neglected grassy area where the Somerville side of the proposed bridge would be built, is set to begin this summer. New features on the Everett side may be coming soon, too, including an expansion of the casino’s entertainment offerings across Broadway and a possible soccer stadium just down the road. Still, that’s no reason to rush, said Chiarenza. “It’s a generational investment,” Chiarenza said. “It will hopefully be up for 50 to 75 years. It’s worth another couple of years to get it right.” Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, who shepherded the arrival of the Encore casino, sounded an optimistic note on the ongoing saga. “There are just a couple issues that need to be worked out, and I believe they will be worked out and we’ll get it resolved,” he said. Among transportation priorities for the city, he ranks the bridge up there with a proposed extension of the MBTA’s Silver Line through Everett and a hoped-for commuter rail stop. The crossing would be the most direct access many residents and workers have had to an MBTA station, as well as the final leg of a community path that dates back to 2008. “The last piece, basically, is the bridge,” DeMaria said. “So for us it’s hugely important.” Spencer Buell can be reached at spencer.buell@globe.com. Follow him @SpencerBuell.
Because the stadium may have an impact on traffic and parking in Boston. Also, weirdly enough, part of the land is in Boston. She has leverage and she's going to use it. Besides, this has to pass the legislature, which means every corner of the state gets a say. What's in it for Pittsfield?
I think it may impact traffic in Singapore as well. Im Surprised they aren't getting any compensation
Well, it was just announced a few days ago that Crazy Rich Asians is getting a Broadway musical. Perhaps they could host that show during the new stadium's opening ceremony? As part of a double-header featuring a screening of the Boston episode from The Simpsons, of course.
Well, they're talking about the footbridge over the river, and that should definitely be part of the project. Sometimes eliminating the "little" things from a project (for budget reasons) can really mess things up. Like they should have built the North Station-South Station rail link as part of the Big Dig the way it was originally proposed.
Looks like there was some activity on the bill this week https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/S2692 Yeah, this one goes to Senate Ways & Means, because it's really the Senate that wants it (this time). Usually these move to House W&M first. Most likely gets added to the Senate's economic development bill. This is forward progress but it's not a done deal by any means.— Jon Chesto (@jonchesto) April 26, 2024
Well that's one way to circumvent the opposition from Mayor Wu. Insiders say Josh Kraft, the younger son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is actively considering making a run against Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. https://t.co/unjl4FbDca— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) May 22, 2024
Josh? I've never heard of him, only Jonathan and the other black-sheep son, Dan. If he does run, I have to wonder what his platform might be. Pro-business, pro-development, less red tape, less emphasis on everyday issues in Neighborhood Boston, like housing, homelessness, crime, etc.? Usually, any big-city mayor at least has to give lip-service to concerns of "regular" people in the city.
Half kidding, but the more I think about it, maybe not so much: This is actually/maybe high risk to the Krafts. Josh Kraft as Mayor of Boston strips the Krafts of one of their last best remaining excuses for not having gotten a soccer specific stadium done. Keep that dynamic in mind. They are likely both super excited and also terrified of finally having to truly really act, should a Kraft step into the mayorship.
The chances of a political outsider getting elected Mayor of Boston are between slim and none - doesn't matter how much money they have. Mayoral elections are won in the neighborhoods - most of which I'm guessing Josh has never set foot in. Of course, the impact of the family annoying Wu needs to be considered.
The problem with someone like Josh Kraft, a very low-profile figure from a prominent family becoming mayor of a big city is like the difference between being a color commentator vs. a coach. The commentator can blather all he wants about what they "should be" doing, and it's easy to be critical of the people who are doing when things aren't going well. The coach actually has to figure out how to manage his team, what tactics to use vs. certain opponents, etc. And if things don't go as planned, make adjustments. At the end of the day, he can be on the hot seat if it falls apart. Josh might think that being mayor will help his family get some favorable development deals, but what does he know about affordable housing, creating jobs, public education or any of the seventy-leven major issues facing any big-city mayor
It’s never a good idea to burn bridges with a politician you may need to work with in the future. One reason given for DC United taking so long to get a stadium is that Kevin Payne, long time DC United president had burnt too many bridges with local politicians.
Josh runs the philanthropy end of the family business, so he's the one who probably has had more direct contact with a lot of the power brokers in Boston than his dad or his brothers. Now, the fact that he doesn't actually live in Boston might be a negative, but I guess Mayor of Newton isn't as exciting.