By Adam Swift
State Senator Sal DiDomenico gave the city council an update on an economic development bill that could pave the way for the Kraft family to build a new professional soccer stadium in Everett near the Encore Casino. Councillor-at-Large Leo Robinson had previously requested a subcommittee meeting with state legislators on the potential mitigation of impacts from a stadium.
“What is happening right now with the legislation is that it is in a broader bill, it is in the economic development bill which is working its way through the process,” said DiDomenico. The stadium piece of the larger bill seeks to do away with the Designated Port Area language that limits the former power plant site in Everett to maritime uses. While the last legislative session ended in June without action on the broader bill, DiDomenico said the bill is still working its way through the legislature. “Hopefully, the bill itself will come to the floor for a vote in the very near future,” he said.
That vote could take place within the next several weeks, the state senator said. “Until the bill is finally resolved, we won’t even know the full breadth of the language itself until it reaches the floor of the senate and house for a vote on a compromise bill before the two bodies,” said DiDomenico. The current language in the bill only seeks to lift the DPA designation, it does not include language to build a stadium. But, if the DPA is lifted, then the permitting process could begin for the development. DiDomenico said he would keep the city updated on any movement, as well as on the environmental permitting process once it gets underway. “You can be sure that as long as I am at the table, Chelsea will be at the table,” he said. “We will make sure that your concerns are heard.” The potential stadium site is where the decommissioned power plant building sits today.
“It is a very dirty site, it has been polluting the water, the air, and the land for decades,” DiDomenico said. “There are cancer clusters in that area as a result, and it’s an eyesore on top of that.” If the legislation does come to fruition, the plan would be to demolish the power plant, remediate the site, and build a 25,000-seat soccer stadium on the property. DiDomenico said the Kraft family would use private funds for the remediation, which he said could cost as much as $80 million, as well as for the stadium itself, which could cost as much as $600 million.
“The investment that the Kraft family wants to put into this community … if you add all the numbers together, I’m not sure you would be able to find anyone else to do this kind of work on that site and clean up a piece of property that has been dirty for decades,” DiDomenico said. Council President Norieliz De Jesus thanked the senator for his leadership and communication on the issue and asked to be notified when it would be a good time to hold a subcommittee meeting on potential mitigation efforts.