Latest Revs Stadium Proposal Dead
- Updated: April 28, 2017
The latest proposal for a Revolution soccer specific stadium in Boston has been abandoned after talks between the club and UMass-Boston about school-owned property ended this week, according to a report from the Boston Globe on Thursday.
The Revolution, who’ve long eyed a move to the Hub, were in negotiations with the university in the hopes of securing land at the former Bayside Expo Center property on Columbia Point in Dorchester, Mass., which UMass-Boston owns. But those discussions ended this week according to a school spokesperson.
“I think it’s well documented that there had been conversations over time about the potential for a stadium-anchored development at the site,” UMass spokesman Jeff Cournoyer told the Globe. “It doesn’t appear feasible at this point.”
The proposal to put a soccer stadium on the 20-acre parcel was also met with criticism from town officials.
“The original proposal to put a soccer stadium out there would have been disastrous for South Boston and Dorchester,” said at-large City Councilor Michael Flaherty in the Globe report. “There’s only so much one neighborhood can handle. For those guys to put the stadium over there, I think, was shortsighted.”
U.S. representative Stephen Lynch, a South Boston resident, also expressed his concerns.
“Plopping down a 20,000 . . . seat stadium would have made the problem that much worse,” Lynch said. “Perhaps [the Krafts] will find some better locations that we can support down the road.”
This week’s development is the latest setback in the team’s search for a new home. The organization had previously been in talks with the towns of Revere and Somerville, but was unable to strike a deal in either instance.
The Revolution, who play at 68,000-seat Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, are one of three MLS teams that do not play at a soccer specific venue, or do not have one in development.
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