As the Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets, I am occasionally asked what I think of the proposed renovation of White Stadium. I try not to provide an opinion, although I am favorably predisposed, and instead refer people to the Franklin Park Coalition and the neighborhood associations that would be impacted by the traffic and parking.

A study should be done to determine the parking needs of the entire Franklin Park. The Zoo is often short of parking and when there are events, festivals, or holidays, parking can be in short supply. This is before additional parking demands brought on by the proposed professional soccer games. A Franklin Park with long overdue maintenance, upgrades and an enhanced White Stadium for concerts, sports and other events should further increase demand for parking. Is it OK to park on the grass along the road as sometimes occurs with events?

Do we add more parking structures, perhaps at the Shattuck, popup, temporary parking, off-site parking with shuttle service to the park or add underground parking like that under Boston Common, which has spaces for 1,400 cars? How much parking would be too much?

A Nature Center and Offices – similar to the Mass. Audubon’s Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary with office space, meeting rooms and facilities would complement or enhance the park e.g. guided tours of the park, classes on outdoor activities such as bird watching, identifying wildflowers in the park, or foraging for edible food, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking, etc. There should be equipment rental options for these same activities. This could be located offsite across the street, or in or near White Stadium in the Grove.

We need to make it easier for people to enjoy the open space of the park, and provide reasons for people to come back. In terms of offices, perhaps an office for the Franklin Park Coalition, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) or non-profits that have a conservation mission.  An office to help organize park programming. The retail store(s) might focus on various aspects of recycling such as reclaimed, or “upcycled” materials and local artisan gifts made from natural materials.

Dining Options – Add a sports bar and dining to the golf clubhouse, a family and/or fine dining restaurant or café. Franklin Park used to have a restaurant that had great views because of its location. What dining options are needed to serve the range of patrons?

Rebuild the Refectory – Build a replica of the Refectory that was a part of the park from 1895 to 1971, and have it house the restaurant, nature center, offices, equipment rental, classes, meetings, etc.

Camp – Cathleen Stone Island (formerly Thompson Island) and Camp Harbor View provide excellent experiences for kids, but the fact that they are located on an island limits access. What if they had an urban campus or a similar program at Franklin Park?

New Programming – Many of the events that take place at Government Center, Boston Common or similar venues could take place at Franklin Park. Would that be desirable?  The Zoo has done a good job of this by creating events such as the “Zoo Howl” or “Brew at the Zoo” and most recently Boston Lights.

White Stadium will add new infrastructure. Can that be used to support the various walking and running clubs, Zumba and line dancing classes and family movie nights? With new showers and locker rooms, this should be a possibility. How about an equipment shed for various activities?

An Open-Air Market or Market Hall – Other cities have created open air markets that have become destinations. Part farmers market, this offers an opportunity for a variety of vendors, from artists and craftspeople to food vendors and other local small businesses. The proposed Grove at White Stadium could be such a place. One of the concerns is the neighborhoods are not deriving the economic benefit from the park. People come from all over to play golf, or visit the Zoo and leave without spending money to help the local economy. The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center has lots of visitors but little if any economic impact on the community. We can’t let that happen with White Stadium.

A playground would be a nice addition.

Extend the Park Experience – Franklin Park can receive a million visitors per year. Unfortunately, many neighborhood businesses don’t benefit from this traffic. Depending upon which exit one uses to leave the park, the range of eating, shopping or entertainment opportunities is limited. Similar destinations/attractions have opportunities for family entertainment, e.g. indoor kid park, fun pizza destinations, mini golf, arcades, driving range, trampoline park, play maze, etc.  If a family visits the Zoo or an activity in the park, what do they do afterwards? The right mix of businesses would not only benefit those visiting the park but would improve the business mix of the area.

We must find a way to invest in the park such that it doesn’t suffer from neglect and deferred maintenance again and require tens of millions of dollars to fix. The Franklin Park Maintenance and Programing Trust is a first step. Boston Unity Soccer’s commitment to contribute to the Park’s capital fund is another.

With the proposed improvements to Franklin Park and the addition of White Stadium, we could end up with a real mess or a real enhancement to the area that would benefit a lot more people in terms of the environment, clean energy, health and wellness, and economic impact. The planning should revolve around a theme such as “Health and Wellness” or Boston’s Playground. The key is planning and oversight or governance. Who is carefully trying to curate visitor experiences and stewardship? Where is accountability to make sure we make the most of the Franklin Park Master plan and development of the White Stadium opportunity?

Ed Gaskin is Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets and founder of Sunday Celebrations.