Latest New England Revolution Stadium Plan Hits Dead End

It's a pattern that has become too familiar for New England Revolution fans: a report comes out about a potential soccer stadium in or near Boston and then the project hits a dead end before fading away.

The latest proposal, a stadium at the site of the former Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester, now appears to be no more. After about a year of talks between the Kraft Group and University of Massachusetts officials, there is no more communication between the two groups, a UMass spokesman confirmed.

“I think it’s well documented that there had been conversations over time about the potential for a stadium-anchored development at the site,” UMass spokesman Jeff Cournoyer told the Boston Globe.“It doesn’t appear feasible at this point.”

Talks surrounded around the Kraft Group entering into a long-term lease and invest $250 million into the project. The owners of the Revolution, however, were unable to agree on a price for adjacent land owned by the Boston Teachers Union. There were also discussions about using only the 20-acre Bayside Expo property.

The plan also faced political opposition. US Representative Stephen Lynch spoke against the project, citing traffic concerns with placing a 20,000-seat stadium in an area with known traffic issues.

In a statement, Jonathan and Robert Kraft confirmed the existence of a proposal at the site, releasing renderings of the structure that the team hopped to built.

“As is the case with any development opportunity, there were numerous hurdles to overcome and we regularly adjusted our plans to cater to the needs of the project. Unfortunately, and for reasons beyond our control, it has been determined that this project is not feasible to pursue on this site at this time. It is our goal to continue to seek development opportunities where we can invest in a soccer specific stadium that will benefit its surrounding communities while giving our fans and our players a venue they will be proud to call home for generations to come,” the Krafts said in a statement.

For now, the Revolution will remain at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The team, a charter member of Major League Soccer, is one of two original franchises which do not play in their own soccer specific stadium. The other team, D.C. United, moves into their new stadium next season.

Images via New England Revolution