Sen. Sal DiDomenico, who is championing a proposal to bring a professional soccer stadium and waterfront park to Everett, expects a vote on the matter by the Senate and the House by the end of this month.
DiDomenico’s bill – which removes the language regarding lifting the DPA (designated port area) status on the power plant site in Everett – is included in the Massachusetts Senate’s economic development bill. The power plant site (173 Alford St.) is located across the street from the five-star Encore Boston Harbor resort/casino.
“The entire bill will come to the floor on Thursday (July 12) for a vote and this is one of the key components of that bill,” explained DiDomenico.
Passage of the Senate’s economic development bill – which is expected – would move the bill to a Senate/House conference committee (consisting of three senators and three representatives) sometime next week.
“The conference committee will negotiate the differences between the two bills (House and Senate),” said DiDomenico. “Once the committee finishes its work, the bill will come to the floor of the Senate and the House for a vote on the agreed-upon consensus between the two branches, and that vote would send it to the governor (Maura Healey) for her signature.”
DiDomenico said the goal is to get the bill on Gov. Healey’s desk by July 31.
Should the bill get signed by the governor, the public process – when residents would have the opportunity to voice their options about the site – would begin.
The professional soccer stadium would be the likely home for the New England Revolution soccer team that is owned by the Kraft family.
Building the stadium in Everett would change the entire landscape for sports fans as the Revolution would move from Foxboro to Everett, joining the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics as Boston area-based teams. Knowing the Kraft family’s history of philanthropy and its strong support of high school athletics (MIAA Super Bowls are currently played at Gillette Stadium), it would not be surprising if the MIAA soccer championships were eventually played at the new stadium in Everett.
“This is a big deal for Everett – it’s transformational,” said DiDomenico. “It’s a huge environmental win. It’s an economic catalyst for development on that site. It’s going to create good-paying union jobs in construction and for employees at the stadium. It’s going to open the waterfront for the first time in decades and clean up a hazardous waste site that has been polluting our air, land, and water to the detriment of our residents for over half a century.”
The excitement in Everett for the upcoming Senate and House votes is palpable as Sen. Sal DiDomenico’s historic legislation to potentially make the city home to a professional sports franchise moves forward.