WHITE STADIUM TRIAL: MARCH 20 TAKEAWAYS
WHY YOU SHOULD BE A DEFENDER!
Demolition has begun, but the fight is NOT over. We support the renovation and redevelopment of White Stadium to benefit BPS student-athletes, surrounding communities, and all
park users. Now is the time to take action!
The demolition of White Stadium and parts of Franklin Park has already begun, making it more urgent than ever to take action. The City of Boston and Boston Unity Soccer Partners LLC have pushed forward with their expansion and renovation plans for White Stadium without proper environmental review or meaningful community input. This reckless approach threatens the park’s historic and ecological integrity, as well as the well-being of the communities that rely on it. Now is the time to stand up and defend Franklin Park before it’s too late!
24 local organizations have joined the Franklin Park Defenders by signing our Statement of Principles:
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ArborwayMatters
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The Black Lotus Cooperative Inc.
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Coalition for Regionwide Services Beyond Franklin Park (CORES)
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Contemporations, Inc.
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The Enviro Show
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FACTS Association/Xchange
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Friends of Melnea Cass Boulevard
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Friends of the Notch Forest
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Garden Club of the Back Bay
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Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Council
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Greene & Greene Realty
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Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition
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Methunion Manor Cooperative Corporation
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Power of Skirts Collective
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Roxbury Neighborhood Council
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Trees as a Public Good Network
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The Trustees Collaborative for Parks & Open Space
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The Urban Biodiversity Project
They are joined by 460 individuals who have signed the Statement of Principles—view the latest list of Defenders below:
(updated 3/28/25)
LATEST NEWS
ADVOCACY OVERVIEW
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Franklin Park Defenders support renovation of White Stadium for the exclusive use of Boston Public Schools (BPS) school children and the public.
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Franklin Park Defenders oppose private development at Franklin Park’s White Stadium.
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Franklin Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, is one of the preeminent parks in America, the jewel of Boston’s Emerald Necklace, and a national registered landmark.
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White Stadium is a historic, beloved facility that has been neglected by the City for decades.
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The Franklin Park Action Plan, approved in 2023, addressed numerous investment priorities, including improvements to White Stadium.
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The City of Boston is advocating for the expenditure of at least $91M of taxpayer money to demolish White Stadium and erect a much larger stadium.
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Franklin Park Defenders believe that the proposed new stadium would have a harmful effect on abutting neighborhoods and Franklin Park itself.
The City of Boston recently signed a 30-year lease on White Stadium, and adjourning parkland, to Boston Unity Soccer Partners LLC, a for-profit private company. This would permit BUSP to build private facilities/uses including offices, luxury private boxes, restaurants, and shops. It would displace Boston Public School (BPS) students and the general public for 20 games and 20 practices on Fridays and Saturdays from April-November and eliminate BPS regular season football games.
This proposal has dismissed necessary legal and regulatory processes for projects in protected open space and environmental justice* communities, including The Public Land and Protection Act (Article 97), Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), and others. It does not follow the Franklin Park Action Plan, developed in collaboration with the community. This project has raised objection and deep concern with many community leaders, advocates and members of the public.
*Franklin Park is a geographic, recreational and environmental justice HUB of Boston's oldest, largest and most vulnerable minority and low-wealth census-tracks. Reeling from decades of deep municipal neglect and disinvestment, residents today continue to be harmed and displaced through individual, cumulative, and disproportionately adverse projects, which often include unfair community engagement practices and do not follow existing state and municipal legal protections.
Scenes from the Rally for a Public White Stadium
- Thank you to all who attended!
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