Many Revolution fans are hopeful that owner The Kraft Group can “finally build a new stadium for the team,” according to Jon Chesto of the BOSTON GLOBE. Mass. State Senator Sal DiDomenico filed a bill in December that would open up a former power plant property on the Mystic River in Everett for a new Revs home by “removing it from a state-regulated designated port area, a necessary step for anything other than industrial uses to go there.” The Senate referred DiDomenico’s bill to the economic development committee “almost immediately.” The House last week “concurred.” That procedural move “doesn’t actually mean the House is on board yet.” But it does “something important: It sets the clock ticking for a public hearing.” State House rules say that “one must be held within 30 days.” Chesto wrote Revs fans should “view this as a positive sign in the Krafts’ long quest.” Until now, the proposal “never had an actual public hearing” at the State House, “fueling criticism that some sort of backroom deal was afoot.” But finally, a hearing is “in the works.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu “expressed frustration” in November after details of a community benefits agreement became public “without her administration’s involvement, as the project would be on Boston’s doorstep and generate traffic in Charlestown.” Everett mayor Carlo DeMaria sees the roughly 25,000-seat soccer stadium as a “crucial piece in his ongoing effort to convert old industrial properties along Lower Broadway into hospitality and entertainment destinations” -- to “bring in new tax revenue and jobs, open access to the riverfront, and clean up contaminated sites” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/7).
