lol I love that this(these) thread(s) is(are) still going. I also love that we have the annual Avalanche of Fall Stadium News Bullshit!!!!! AFSNB > BKIASB In other news, did you hear we are going to save the Earth from blight by traveling to another galaxy, through a wormhole and checkout planets next to a blackhole? You've all been incepted. Carry on...
“I’m a soccer fan, but I need to make sure that this thing works for the city,” said city of Boston’s chief of economic development John Barros, who noted that Kraft is “very involved in the 2024 bid.” This is going to be the basic one-line answer from any public official from here on in, so we should get used to it. They aren't going to give away the store to a billionaire (nor should they), and it shows at least a reasonable amount of flexibility. It all depends on how flexible the Krafts are with their end of the project. And the other thing about the article that isn't clear is whether the businesses are on the land itself that is needed for the stadium, or if they are just next to it. There was a lot of opposition to the recycling plant next to where food was being processed, but as long as the delivery trucks don't go to the wrong building... But you'd think that a Savvy Businessman with an Ivory League Edumacation would have learned from the previous mistakes in the neighborhood. Sure, the Kraft Way is to always keep things secret like they are the Kremlin Politburo in 1964, but would it have killed them to reach out to the businesses just so they wouldn't have been blindsided when the article came out? No need to piss off the very people you will need to negotiate with before you've even met them!
I believe the New Boston Food Market is contained within Widett Circle and is adjacent to the city property which has been mentioned in all the SSS articles. According to the graphics posted in this article ( http://thedrugisfootball.com/2014/11/18/why-this-revolution-stadium-news-is-different/ ) the stadium should be sited between I-93 and the train tracks (that eventually parallel Widett Circle). The food market is to the south of Widett Circle. Here is 400 Frontage Rd., the potential stadium site: https://www.google.com/maps/place/4...1s0x89e37a657f4c68b1:0xba620fab8b5aaf0f?hl=en The quote about the land not being for sale probably relates to one of the 2 other proposals discussed in the article, 2024 olympic stadium or recycling center. Trying so hard not to get my hopes up on this one.
Interesting news from the DCU stadium odyssey. “I support building a soccer stadium in the District of Columbia, and, more than that, I support spending public dollars to get it done,” Bowser told the 100-plus in attendance at the gathering of the Federal City Council. Bowser, who takes over the mayor's office from incumbent Vincent Gray on Jan. 2 http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...edge-support-washington-mayor-elect-muriel-bo
The Google map you posted cleared up the location for me. I like the spot and the local merchant associations ought to be thrilled someone's interested in converting that eyesore. Amrheins probably would make a fortune. The Broadway T station is around the corner. I assume pedestrian access from the Southie and Newmarket sides would be a big piece of the what the city/state government would kick in. Lots of cool spots on the Newmarket side for hungry/thirsty fans. Don't know how the parking would work. Really don't care if they have any. Main thing is it sounds like most of the land is gvt-owned, which might mean Kraft can get the sweet deal he always wanted. So, with the full awareness that this is more than likely the standard fall stadium BS, this is better than previous BS we heard on the subject. Our main hope rests on Kraft having been appropriately shamed and/or strong-armed after being called out as MLS' worst owner. The rigged Jermaine Jones lottery definitely was non-Kraftlike behavior. If this is real then we should be getting regular reports on it.
I have been saying for years to all those people who believed lots was happening behind the scenes that nothing was happening. Nothing of this magnitude happens behind the scenes. For the very first time I feel like the process is getting started. If this is like most MLS stadiums, we still have years and years ahead of us before breaking ground as so many issues have to solved but it is nice to actually see that actual basic starting discussions have begun. Hopefully Kraft is pretty clear on what type of public financing he requires up front. If they are still talking next spring summer, my hopes will go up as both sides will at least have an understanding if they are close enough to move on to the next steps.
OTOH, if the Krafts (or any potential buyer for that matter) do that, the risk someone else coming along and making a better offer. Keeping things quiet may be pad PR, but it is savvy business.
MLS Stadium Experience Rankings By Paul Swaney November 21, 2014 9:58 AM EST StadiumJourney.com Gillette ranks 14th out of 18.
These rankings are WAY out of whack. Dallas is ranked 5th over several other newer SSSs? Gillette over RBA that's ranked 16th? Cool magazine though...I might have to subscribe as I do enjoy sporting events while travelling. http://www.stadiumjourney.com/magazine
an Op-Ed piece today: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/...ston-future/usV7QdFFz9mBBpVOOteqBP/story.html
This was a pleasant read up until the end. While I believe, perhaps foolishly, that the Krafts would spend their own money to build the stadium, I don't see them doing so with out the city kicking in the land and possible infrastructure.
Well, the headline is in support, but halfway through, he says they should build the homeless shelter instead, then he says the Krafts should privately finance the stadium, like the Quakes. Maybe Kraft should kick in some money to get the bridge fixed so the homeless shelter can re-open as a good-faith gesture. If the city/state kicks in things like pedestrian overpasses, access roads, maybe a new off-ramp, I've got no beef with that.
Well the homeless shelter is not going to take up all 15 acres: "with about 15 acres in play, according to administration estimates, there should be plenty of room along Frontage Road to accommodate both the shelter and the stadium."
Just looking at the Google image. If the MBTA wanted to, they could put a commuter rail stop right there without moving an inch of track.
An article on the Rev's playoff run and,attempt to get their own stadium built in Boston. New England Revolution Look For A Trip To The Cup, And A New Stadium http://nepr.net/news/2014/11/21/new-england-revolution-look-for-a-trip-to-the-cup-and-a-new-stadium/
"The Revolution have been up and down over the years, and I think if they can show that they're like the LA Galaxy, where you're always in the mix, that would certainly help them if they want to get some public help in building a new stadium," says (John) Powers. Well, seeing as how the latest rumors have indicated that Robert Kraft supposedly wants to break ground on a Boston-based, soccer-specific stadium within the next five years, how and when does John Powers see the Revolution showing that, "like the LA Galaxy", they're "always in the mix"? The Galaxy have missed the MLS playoffs just three times in 19 seasons, most recently six years ago. The New England Revolution have missed the MLS playoffs seven times in 19 seasons, most recently in 2012. The Galaxy have won the MLS Cup four times in eight appearances, most recently hoisting the hardware in 2012. The Revolution are 0-for-4 in trips to the MLS Cup, with their last appearance in the game having occurred in 2007. The longest stretch without an appearance in the MLS Cup Final for the Galaxy is, to date, an absence of three years. The Revolution have twice gone 6 years without an appearance in the MLS title match. If Powers envisions a Galaxy-calibre list of consistent competitiveness and achievements to fuel "public help in building a new stadium" for the Revolution within the time-frame Bob Kraft is rumored to be eyeing, the Revs are going to need to go on one hell of a run between now and the close of the 2019 MLS season. I'm all for setting the bar high, but I don't know that I believe the New England Revolution are going to capture four MLS Cup Championships AND get a soccer-specific stadium built in Boston in the next five years. Truth be told, given the track-record with regard to public investment by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Bay State municipalities in the construction of stadia housing pro sports franchises, I think Powers is dreaming regardless of how "in the mix" the Revolution prove themselves to be. I'll be shocked if the New England Revolution are any more successful at securing significant public investment in a stadium than the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox have been.
I tend to agree. They can get infrastructure. In this case they might be able to get a good deal on the land because it's not a desirable location. Actually, moving the homeless shelter elsewhere, namely away from the highway, should be a pretty easy sell given what they've discovered about the negative health impacts of airborne particulates created by highway traffic.
It's on the same line as Quincy, which is accessible for the entire South Shore. Plus, the only commuter rail line that goes through there is the Fairmount line, which gets minimal ridership and only extends a few miles down to Readville. That doesn't help anybody who lives south of Boston. The other commuter rail lines coming up from the south run alongside the Orange Line tracks and through Ruggles. Now, if the state wants to convert the Fairmount line into something like an actual T line (call it the Yellow Line), turn Readville into a major transport hub, and construct an outer ring, then a new station next to the proposed site might make some sense. Otherwise it would just be a redundant station on a sleepy commuter rail line.