The pace and scope of the demolition of White Stadium will be picking up soon.
On Monday, Boston Unity Soccer Partners — the ownership group behind BOS Nation FC, which plans to begin play in the National Women’s Soccer League next year — wired $25 million into an escrow account, a financial precondition outlined in its lease with the city that will allow a more active phase of demolition of the crumbling 76-year-old stadium to begin.
The public-private partnership, expected to cost the city roughly $100 million in total and the team more than that, has generated considerable debate.
Proponents have lauded the badly needed improvements and access for Boston Public Schools student-athletes and the Franklin Park community, as well as the positive impact of a women’s professional soccer team playing in a public facility.
Opponents are pushing back on several fronts, including cost, privatization, and too many felled trees.
A City Council resolution last month that called for a pause to the demolition did not pass, but the 6-6 vote reflected the ongoing dispute, which includes a trial next month that plaintiffs hope will still result in a delay or halt of the project.
The $25 million can only be spent by the team to fund direct construction costs at the site. The team can’t spend more than $15 million of the funds unless it has locked in all of the financing it needs to complete its share of the project.
The team also will be providing a $45 million pre-financing guarantee that would allow the city to renovate the stadium on its own should the team have to exit the project for some reason.
“The establishment of this construction account for White Stadium, funded entirely by the professional team, is a major milestone in delivering this long-delayed project for BPS student athletes and Franklin Park,” said Dion Irish, chief of operations for the city. “The $25 million fund is permanently committed to the stadium renovation, providing additional security to the city of Boston, as both parties continue to move forward with construction.”
Both the team, which is knocking down the west grandstand minus the clamshell outer wall, and the city of Boston, which is razing the east grandstand, have begun pre-demolition work — mainly hazard mitigation — at the fenced-off site. The goal is to have at least the west grandstand demolished and rebuilt by March 2026, when BOS Nation FC plans to begin its inaugural season.
Linda Henry, CEO of Boston Globe Media Partners, has a minority stake in Boston Unity Soccer Partners as a noncontrolling investor.
Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.
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