In Boston, 22 acres of land owned by the MA Port
Authority would be leased to Patriots Owner Robert Kraft for
65 years for a new stadium for the Patriots under a proposal
expected to be approved by Massport's board, according to
Vaillancourt & Cassidy in the BOSTON GLOBE. The lease,
which also includes two optional 16-year extensions, would
charge Kraft $500,000-a-year in rent for the first ten
years, and then increase according to inflation. One
stadium supporter noted that, "Right now Massport's land
isn't worth that much .... But development of the stadium
will make the adjoining Massport land much more valuable."
The lease specifies that the proposed stadium could also
host other sports, entertainment and cultural events,
restaurant and club functions and an NFL pavilion, featuring
a museum and entertainment complex (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/18).
Despite stadium opponents planning to challenge the project
in court, MA Gov. William Weld, who controls Massport's
board and is a backer of the stadium plan, believes the
lease will pass (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/19).
AN OPTION? In CT, the Mashantucket Pequots have
commissioned a feasibility study on a possible stadium on
land the tribe owns on the CT-RI border after being
approached several weeks ago by Kraft, according to McIntire
& Bixby in the HARTFORD COURANT. The stadium would house
the Patriots, and possibly championship boxing and Univ. of
Connecticut basketball or football (HARTFORD COURANT, 1/18).
