In a twist, the Kraft-Group owned New England Revolution is backing Boston’s $325 million public-private rebuild of White Stadium after Josh Kraft hammered the project throughout his losing mayoral campaign last year.
The Revolution, owned by the billionaire New England Patriots and Kraft Group owner Robert Kraft, filed an amicus brief in Supreme Judicial Court, which is set to begin hearing arguments next month in a community lawsuit that seeks to block the city’s plan to rebuild White Stadium for a professional women’s soccer team.
In the brief, the Kraft Group’s attorneys argue that should the state’s highest court rule in favor of the plaintiffs’ argument — that the proposed use for Franklin Park’s White Stadium would unconstitutionally privatize public parkland — the decision would have “far-reaching implications” for other public-private plans, such as the Krafts’ plan to build a new soccer stadium for the Revs in Everett.
“The New England Revolution is concerned that this lawsuit might impede development of the White Stadium renovation, jeopardize the broad range of important benefits that the renovation will bring to Massachusetts and deter future projects as well,” the brief states.
“The New England Revolution knows firsthand how important public-private partnerships like the White Stadium renovation are for sports organizations and local communities,” the Revs’ filing states. “The court should reject Emerald Necklace’s attempt to broaden the scope of Article 97 (of the state constitution), which would unduly constrain not only White Stadium’s renovation, but also many additional developments through public-private partnerships in the future.”
The Krafts’ brief mentions that, like Boston’s partnership with a new professional women’s soccer team for the White Stadium rebuild, the Revolution is partnering with the cities of Boston and Everett on its own professional soccer stadium project in Everett, which will be the Revs’ new home pitch.
The Kraft Group’s support of the city’s White Stadium rebuild is somewhat surprising, given the hard line Robert Kraft’s son, Josh Kraft, took against the project during his mayoral campaign last year.
Kraft consistently hammered the city’s public-private plan, which was championed by his opponent, Mayor Michelle Wu, and made it a centerpiece of his campaign.
He often bashed the skyrocketing cost of the project for taxpayers, who are funding the city’s half of the project, which grew again last month to $135 million.
Kraft came out in support of a high-school-only alternative proposal floated by the park neighbors and conservancy group suing the city, which the project opponents have estimated at $64.6 million. The Wu administration has disputed that figure.
“At a moment when taxpayer dollars are scarce and there are so many pressing needs — from housing to schools to tax relief for seniors — why is Mayor Wu spending hundreds of millions in taxpayer money for the benefit of a private interest?” Kraft said last June. “This is a catastrophic failure of city management.”
Kraft also called the city’s public bidding process rigged, after records first reported by the Herald showed the city’s private soccer investment partner was given a head start in that process.
Now, his family is publicly backing the plan, according to the court brief.
This year, the Revolution is sharing use of the Kraft-owned Gillette Stadium in Foxboro with Boston Legacy FC, a new National Women’s Soccer League team set to share use of White Stadium with Boston Public School student-athletes beginning next year.
The Legacy is Boston’s private partner for the stadium rehab, and was forced to play its inaugural season at Gillette due to White Stadium construction delays, the Revs’ brief states.
“The New England Revolution is also interested in the long-term fate of Boston Legacy FC,” the brief states. “Boston Legacy FC and its fanbase would suffer if the club is prevented from securing a long-term home. Yet, that threat lingers when lawsuits like this one attempt to rewrite settled legal doctrine to create barriers to socially beneficial public-private partnerships like the White Stadium renovation.”
A Suffolk Superior Court judge sided with the city last spring after a three-day trial, but the case was appealed by the plaintiffs, the Franklin Park Defenders and Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and is set to be heard by the SJC on April 8.
The stadium project has proven to be divisive in part due to the escalating price tag, which has nearly tripled since the plan was announced two years ago, and now has taxpayers coughing up $135 million for the city’s costs.
The project was first announced as a rebuild that would cost taxpayers $50 million. Boston Legacy is now on the hook for more than $190 million for its half of the stadium renovations.
Wu has championed the White Stadium plan as a win for Boston Public Schools students and responded to criticism, stating that the city couldn’t afford the rebuild of the long-dilapidated facility without the private investment.
White Stadium is shrouded with scaffolding during construction activity recently. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald).
White Stadium is shrouded with scaffolding during construction activity recently. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald).