It’s not every day a $200 million redevelopment project gets the green light in our community. The White Stadium project represents an unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and equity in Roxbury and greater Boston. Yet as some groups attempt to halt its progress — and with the project now a central issue in this year’s municipal election — a critical question emerges: Who is ensuring that this substantial public investment translates into meaningful economic benefits for minority contractors and neighborhood businesses?
We must embrace a both/and strategy. On one hand, community groups have every right to raise concerns about displacement, environmental impact, or public spending priorities. On the other, advocates and local leaders should double down on efforts to secure maximum Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) participation in every phase of the project. These are not mutually exclusive endeavors: robust community input and rigorous supplier diversity goals can — and should — go hand in hand.
To date, the City of Boston and its development partner, Boston Legacy, report having achieved a 50% MBE goal during Phase I (the design phase). That translates to $4 million directed to minority-owned firms out of an $8 million budget. This is indeed encouraging. Yet without independent verification, these figures remain claims rather than confirmed accomplishments. We need outside groups — community watchdogs, academic researchers, and civic coalitions — to audit contracts, interview participating firms, and publish unbiased analyses.
Who is overseeing Boston Legacy’s reporting? We should see contracts, payment records, and scope-of-work documents made publicly available in a searchable, regularly updated dashboard. Establish an independent “Equity Review Commission” comprised of small-business leaders, neighborhood advocates, and procurement experts, empowered to call for corrective action if participation falls below agreed benchmarks.
This election cycle, candidates for mayor, city council, and the School Committee must be asked hard questions: How will you ensure that public investments like the White Stadium redevelopment deliver on promises of economic inclusion? Will you commit to a charter amendment or ordinance requiring enforceable MBE targets and penalties for noncompliance? Voters deserve specifics: candidate platforms should include named agencies or task forces they will empower, detailed timelines for progress reports, and mechanisms for community members to lodge formal complaints.
Boston Legacy’s Phase I outcomes provide a blueprint for future work. The developer has not only hit the 50% MBE threshold, but also distributed design contracts across dozens of firms specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental analysis, and community engagement. Continued transparency — breaking down spending by firm, project segment, and subcontractor layer — can showcase which sectors are thriving and where gaps remain. These insights should inform targeted outreach: if women- or veteran-owned MBEs are underrepresented, the city and Boston Legacy can host specialized matchmaking events to connect them with prime contractors.
As the project moves into vertical construction (Phase II) and eventually into operations and maintenance (Phase III), stakeholder vigilance is crucial. The City’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Group and its public contracting dashboard are valuable tools — but they cannot substitute for active community participation. Neighborhood associations, local chambers of commerce, and faith-based organizations should convene quarterly town halls where developers, city officials, and MBE representatives jointly report on progress, share challenges, and refine strategies.
In May, the project reported several tangible wins: the first diversity subcontract went to Roxbury-based Prive Parking for mobility planning, and local women- and minority-owned firms led tree-protection monitoring, utility cutoff work, and early environmental testing. These success stories deserve celebration — and replication. Highlight them in press releases, social media, and project signage. Visibility not only acknowledges these firms’ contributions but also encourages others to bid on upcoming contracts.
Economic equity is about more than dollars awarded; it’s about building lasting capacity. Local MBEs often lack the bonding, financing, or technical support needed to scale. The city and its partners should fund a “White Stadium MBE Accelerator,” offering low- or no-interest loans, bonding assistance, and pro bono legal and accounting services. Partnering with institutions like the Boston Planning & Development Agency, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and business schools can ensure these smaller firms can compete — and thrive — long after the stadium opens.
Operations and maintenance contracts (Phase III) will span decades. It’s not enough to hit MBE goals during design and construction; we must build supplier diversity into the stadium’s everyday functioning — concessions, cleaning, security, facility management, even marketing and retail. Create a “White Stadium Equity Endowment” funded by a small percentage of stadium revenues, managed by a board of community representatives. The endowment would underwrite workforce training programs, facility upgrades in underserved neighborhoods, and equity audits every five years.
Economic stakeholders (banks, insurers, prime contractors), elected officials, and community advocates all have roles to play.
The redevelopment’s potential extends far beyond the stadium itself — it can catalyze jobs, business development, and wealth-building in Roxbury and beyond. But realizing that potential demands our collective vigilance, our insistence on transparency, and our willingness to hold both public and private actors to account.
Ed Gaskin is Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets and founder of Sunday Celebrations.
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