Franklin Park

The Boston School Committee approved unanimously the White Stadium renovation plan, shortly after a group of community members, Franklin Park neighbors and elected officials gathered at Franklin Park to protest the project.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Commission approved last Monday Mayor Michelle Wu’s ambitious plan to renovate White Stadium, the rundown sports arena at the center of an ongoing controversy, into a larger sports facility.  The new space would be used by Boston Public Schools and a professional women’s soccer team.

On July 11, the city of Boston and the National Women’s Soccer League Boston, whose local expansion team is owned by Boston Unity Soccer Partners, will host a community event to usher in the warm weather with various art and music offerings.

Boston Art & Music Soul Festival (BAMS Fest), the only Boston music festival designed to specifically highlight Black and brown artists, is back this month with a lineup of national and local names featuring BJ the Chicago Kid, Rapsody, Xavier Omär, Elle Varner and many more.

A group of Franklin Park area residents convened on June 4 to gather community input as they pressed forward with a lawsuit against the proposed plan to revamp White Stadium for use by a professional women’s soccer team.

Spring and summer in Boston are short and precious seasons. To take full advantage of the blossoms and warm temps, consider attending one of the diverse festivals taking place across Boston over the next few months.

During a lengthy Boston City Council hearing last Thursday, some community members residing near Franklin Park voiced concerns over the scope of the plan to overhaul the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, while others showed support for the project.

After a Suffolk Superior Court judge denied a preliminary injunction against the planned renovation of Franklin Park’s White Stadium, Boston Unity Soccer Partners and its development partners are ready to forge ahead with the project.

Since the city’s announcement last summer that a women’s professional soccer team would lease White Stadium, park advocates and activists in neighborhoods surrounding Franklin Park have struggled to keep up with the breakneck pace of project review meetings.

A growing number of Franklin Park abutters and open space advocates are calling on city officials to hit the brakes on controversial development plans for White Stadium.

In July, city officials announced a plan to lease White Stadium to a professional women’s soccer team, allowing for 20 games a year in a March 16 through Nov. 17 schedule. During that time, football will not be allowed on the field.

Five years ago, when state officials were developing a request for proposals for the redevelopment of the Shattuck Hospital site in Franklin Park, Louis Elisa was a lone voice speaking in opposition of the plans, which evolved into a call for 75 to 100 shelter units for people experiencing homelessness and addiction.