Finding Your Way to the Proposed Everett Soccer Stadium
To the Editor:
The proposed Everett Soccer Stadium to be located at the designated port area that is a docking place for marine vessels, will be the destination of close to 30,000 fans and support staff will have a total of 75 parking spaces.
Yes, that’s correct, 75 parking spaces. Six hundred buses, or thousands of Ubers navigating Sullivan Square coming from the North, South and West corridors will no doubt impact the already congested, traffic-laden Sullivan Square, {Public transportation, not available and not applicable, as not close to the site cannot be factored in}.
We here in Charlestown, without any public or community engagement regarding this soccer proposal are treated like an afterthought or no thought. Behind “closed doors” seems to be the norm these days at the State House. Our representatives haven’t given the Charlestown community the common courtesy of giving us any information of their proposal / amendment regarding the soccer stadium they have submitted to the rest of the legislature.
Meanwhile, the traffic impacts will that we endure, as well as the pollution of idling vehicles impact our physical and mental health of all 20,000residents in this one square mile, with plans to add another 20,000 residents to this community.
A soccer stadium located close to a major city will forever be a negative impact on the surrounding communities with the changing climate, the increased traffic, and the ocean lapping at the shore. A new soccer stadium is a gargantuan heat island, and not an environmental impact benefit.
As an aside, Boston was recently rated the eighth worst traffic congested city world- wide and the fourth most congested city in the nation.
A better use for the land would be a waterfront park that the 50,000 people of Everett and potentially 40,000 Charlestown residents could enjoy year-round. Research points to better physical and mental health when people have access to green, open and blue waterfront space.
Keep it green, not money green. Put the people first.
Thank you,
Ann Kelleher