Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a football stadium for the New England Revolution

BOSTON (AP) — Lawmakers in Massachusetts plan to vote this week on a bill that would clear the way for construction of a new football stadium for the New England Revolution in Everett, within sight of Boston and across the street from a casino and hotel complex.

The 17-acre site is currently the site of the now-defunct Mystic Generating Station along the Mystic River.

The team shares Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles south of Boston, with the New England Patriots. Both teams are owned by Kraft Group CEO Robert Kraft, who was looking for space closer to Boston to build the stadium.

A Revolution representative declined to comment until lawmakers voted.

Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka said Wednesday that the stadium deal was part of negotiations between the state House and Senate on a larger $4 billion economic development bill. The bill prohibits the use of public money for the construction of the stadium.

The project has several benefits, including helping clean up a toxic waste site, opening the shoreline for more recreation, creating jobs for stadium construction and maintenance and helping to boost tourism, Spilka said.

“Sports are very important in Massachusetts,” she said.

Officials in Everett, including Mayor Carlo DeMaria, have supported the proposal as a way to help boost the economy of the city of about 50,000 residents.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has remained skeptical of the project, saying she worries about how traffic to and from the stadium could clog the streets of Boston’s nearby Charlestown neighborhood.

Spilka said some of the language in the agreement focuses on helping address traffic concerns near the new stadium and the existing Encore Boston Harbor casino, which opened in 2019.

As part of the deal, the area would no longer be considered a “designated port area” – a designation where only industrial uses are allowed.

House and Senate leaders are expected to recall members to the Statehouse to pass the bill.

While the agreement prohibits the use of public funds for the construction of the stadium, it does allow public funds to be used for infrastructure works related to the project, provided there are appropriate private funds.

The bill would also pump money into key economic areas primed for additional growth in Massachusetts, including the life sciences, climate technology and artificial intelligence sectors, lawmakers said.

The bill would also rename the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center after former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and set aside up to $7 million in tax credits for live theatrical productions, similar to those for the film industry.

Among the ideas that did not make it into the final bill was a proposal to end the state’s ban on “happy hour” discounts on drinks.