August 15, 2024
A still-evolving plan to shuttle soccer fans to White Stadium will likely encompass the Fields Corner and Four Corners/Geneva MBTA stations, but civic leaders in the impacted villages are concerned that they have, so far, been left out of the discussion.
When contacted by The Reporter this week, they said they knew nothing about the shuttle bus planning, and had not been contacted by city or soccer team officials.
“I am extremely concerned because if that was even being considered it should have been discussed and those meetings should have opened up to Four Corners and Fields Corner as well,” said Theresa Latson, chair of the United Neighborhood Association (UNA) in Four Corners and a White Stadium Impact Advisory Group (IAG) member. “We didn’t even know about these other transportation venues and that bothers me…The [stadium] plans look beautiful, but you have to be mindful of how you come into our community and how you will impact it and this is what really just gets under our skin.”
The shuttle plan was approved in concept – along with the rest of the stadium plan - by the city’s Planning Department Board in July, and though still fluid, it calls for the possibility of 30 shuttles from Four Corners and Fields Corner over two hours on 20 Saturdays per year – with another 25 coming up Blue Hill Avenue. Some of those trips could also be coming from satellite parking outside the city.
The shuttle system is critical since parking will be prohibited around White Stadium on soccer game days. If the plan holds, the system will use Washington Street from Four Corners, and Geneva Avenue from Fields Corner, to connect with Columbia Road and enter the stadium near the Franklin Park Zoo.
Marvin Martin, a longtime civic leader in Four Corners, is skeptical that soccer fans will use the commuter rail at all.
“It’s bittersweet because we are part of the Fairmount-Indigo transit corridor and want to see ridership on the commuter rail increase, but there’s no guarantee you will come here on the train,” said “People are not going to use the commuter rail or the train; they’ll just drive into the neighborhood and park here and jump on the shuttle. That’s going to be more convenient for them, and there’s no guarantees for us.”
Marilyn Forman, of the Erie/Ellington & Brinsley Partnership, only heard about the plan after Martin sent out a communication to neighborhood leaders late last week. She said she saw it as a missed opportunity to create something great.
“I don’t see the shuttles as being a large problem and there may be an opportunity there,” she said. “The biggest problem is we weren’t aware…It’s good on one side; not good on the other…All these things are worth having a conversation about in the community and strategizing and coming back to the community and deciding things in a meeting…This is not how you co-direct something and build relationships with anyone.”
On the Red Line, the Fields Corner Civic Association (FCCA) also had no idea that shuttles were being considered for their village – and few there had paid attention to the process. Civic president Shamia Hicks and Treasurer Hiep Chu said they were not contacted about the plan to date but hope to have representatives at an upcoming meeting.
Chu said that regarding Fenway Park, people come to a concert or Red Sox game on the T because the transit infrastructure is strong. Once there, they support local businesses, but he’s not sure that would play out in Fields Corner.
“I think they would drive here and then get on the bus to go to the stadium,” he said, noting that two-hour parking enforcement in Fields Corner has historically been lax. “I can’t imagine people going to the game early and staying after and eating in that particular area. They would go to one thing and then leave in their car because they want to enjoy their meal somewhere else. That would not be great for the area.”
On the flip side, Jamaica Plain neighbors have been more clued into the process and involved in meetings and have drawn some concessions from the team about the use of Jackson Square and Forest Hills Stations. The plan leans heavily on using the two JP stations for most of the shuttle trips, including 40 from Jackson and 50 from Forest Hills. In return, the team has agreed to close Walnut Avenue on game days except to abutters.
Representatives from Boston Unity Soccer have said publicly their plans are still preliminary and still open for tweaks and changes as things progress. They said they have proposed Fields Corner as an alternative to Jackson Square and Forest Hills for those using the Red Line. JFK/UMass station may also be another shuttle option, they said.
Official plans are expected to be more thoroughly spelled out in the coming weeks.