The following excerpted letter was sent to the Boston Parks Commission on Aug. 8: The Franklin Park Coalition (FPC), a grassroots organization that advocates for the park, has been deeply involved in the process to review the proposed renovation of White Stadium. We have met frequently with the Mayor’s office, Boston Public Schools, BPDA, and Boston Unity Soccer Partnership over the past year.

The Franklin Park Coalition has raised concerns, proposed ideas, and submitted input at various stages of the design process and to the BPDA as part of the Article 80 process. We commend the proponents’ efforts to engage with and address issues raised by the adjacent communities and park users for the last year. We hope the Parks Commission will vote to approve demolition so that the renovation plan can progress.

FPC has voiced its concerns about the impact of a renovated stadium and increased use of the facility on the park and regular park activities. To that end we were pleased to see alterations over the course of the renovation planning process, including: a smaller footprint; reduction of pavement and addition of green space to the east and south of the stadium; design changes to save mature trees; implementation of a robust tree bank to replace trees lost to construction; integration with nearby historic features like the Overlook Shelter ruins’ and prioritization of community and school use of the stadium and seasonal park activities, like Playstead festivals.

FPC remains engaged with the city and BUSP to ensure other key issues are addressed, including:

• Final transportation plans and their impact on the landscape and community park use for both BPS, BUSP, and community events.
• Stormwater drainage issues on the stadium site and adjacent playstead.

• Final lease and other agreements that will govern construction, use, and operations.

• Establishment of the agreed-upon stadium oversight committee before demolition and construction begins in order to monitor project agreements and serve as a place for community concerns.

Again, both the city and BUSP have demonstrated their commitment to engaging with community members throughout this process and in an ongoing way.

You may know that in February of this year we administered a survey that was sent via our online newsletter and to local neighborhood associations for distribution. Analysis of 720 responses showed that almost all were submitted by regular park users. Despite the vociferous opposition repeatedly expressed by some at community meetings, the survey showed real support for the project (31 percent expressed complete support, while just 20 percent were against). The remainder expressed both levels of support and concerns - offering FPC substantive material for advocacy.

FPC took comments from the open-ended survey questions and categorized them. About 80 percent of the issues on this list have been addressed to our satisfaction.

We will continue to engage with the City and Boston Unity to ensure that lingering concerns are addressed, and that we achieve the best possible outcomes for Franklin Park.

— Rickie Thompson, President, Franklin Park Coalition Board of Directors