BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — As construction is underway on White Stadium in Boston, a group of community leaders is speaking out against it.

Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the long-standing Boston Public School arena would undergo a $325 million renovation, turning it into the new home of the city’s newest professional women's soccer team, Boston Legacy FC.

The Franklin Park Defenders have been fighting against Mayor Wu’s renovation plans for the stadium and are set to speak with a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Judge on April 8 on the legalities surrounding the project.

FPD argues that the renovation violates Article 97, which establishes a right to a clean environment for areas like Franklin Park. Some members, like James Mealey, have even gone back and looked at the history behind the stadium.

“[White Stadium was] designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1880’s, specifically for student sports,” said Mealey. “Olmsted himself wrote that professional sports have no place here in Franklin Park.”

Despite a decision from a Suffolk Superior Court Judge in April 2025 to resume construction, FPD said damages from the work have already been shown on the city-defined protected land.

“If Franklin Park, a historic park, is not protected parkland, what is? That’s what we want to know, because Article 97 is not being applied here,” said FPD member Mellissa Hamel. “Stop what’s going on right now and start to look at what should be a public community process to determine what should happen for our BPS facility.”

Another FPD member, Allan Ihrer, is hoping the judge will rule in their favor at the upcoming hearing, which he said would help create a more student-focused stadium.

“It’s a generational white elephant for the students. They will be paying for this for the next 100 years,” said Ihrer. “When the team leaves, which eventually they will, the students are going to be left with beer gardens, private suites, bars, lounges they don’t need, and a facility rotting away that they can't afford.”

The White Stadium renovations have been a long-time controversy for many, with big names such as the New England Revolution voicing their support for the project.

WBZ NewsRadio received the following statement from a City Spokesperson when reaching out to the Mayor's office:

"White Stadium has been recognized in state law as a BPS athletics facility for nearly 80 years, but this lawsuit seeks to halt a major and necessary renovation for students by asking the court to declare the Stadium a park. Boston will always protect and fight to enhance our green and open spaces, but we are opposed to the litigants’ efforts in this case, which would threaten much-needed housing and school projects throughout Boston and across the state. Just like two judges of the Superior Court, we hope and expect that the Supreme Judicial Court will reject their arguments.”

WBZ NewsRadio’s Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.

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