The city and the Boston Legacy FC women’s professional soccer team don’t have all the answers yet for how the transportation plan will work for fans to get to White Stadium. But that’s okay, because they’ve got until 2027 to figure it out, as Legacy is starting its inaugural season in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2026, at Gillette Stadium.
To say that surrounding neighborhoods of Franklin Park have a concern about the transportation plan would be an understatement. At least in Jamaica Plain, it’s a common topic. There will be 20 home games on Saturdays for Legacy, and what does that mean in terms of cars streaming into Stonybrook, Sumner Hill, Blue Hill Avenue, and so on?
Some specific details are known, while others are still being figured out.
- When purchasing tickets, fans will be asked how they plan to get to the stadium: car, bus, train, walk, bicycle, autogyro.
- There will be undetermined sites for satellite parking, which will then bus people to White Stadium (many sports teams do this, including Boston College).
- There will be a “walkshed area” before/during/after games for a certain time length, which only residents with special White Stadium game day parking permits will be allowed to park on the street (and they’ll be given at least one guest parking permit, too. That raises the question of what happens when you’ve got more than one car of people visiting you, like say a birthday party, which more than any other day, happen on Saturdays.
JamaicaPlainNews.com asked the city a bunch of questions, and here are there answers:
Will BTD really be able to stop visitors from parking in residential areas?
On Boston Legacy FC (BLFC) game days, a dedicated residential permit parking program—known as the White Stadium Game Day Parking Program—will be in effect during restricted parking hours. The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) will enforce the program within a defined walkshed area, beginning four hours before kickoff and continuing until one hour after the game ends. Any non-permitted vehicles parked in the designated area during this time will be subject to a $100 fine and towing.
This approach is modeled after successful programs at other major venues, such as Boston College’s football stadium. To ensure residents are informed in advance, signage will be posted 48 hours before each game, and notifications will be distributed through mailers and digital alerts.
Importantly, BLFC is fully funding the game day transportation plan, including the costs of additional BTD staff and traffic ambassadors to support enforcement. No spectator, staff, or player parking will be allowed on-site—access will be limited to emergency vehicles and essential personnel only.
This combination of early communication, strict enforcement, and parking restrictions is designed to discourage driving and reduce game day traffic in the surrounding neighborhood.
Where will satellite parking sites be? How come residents can only get one visiting parking placard on game days. What about when people have birthday parties for their kids? Will they have to pay for block party permits to have a birthday party for their own kid in their own neighborhood? Or will the city or the Legacy pay for that permit? Where are birthday party guests and visitors supposed to park when there’s more than one vehicle visiting? Games are on Saturdays? That’s when friends and families come from out of town.
The formal comment period on the latest White Stadium transportation update has now closed, and the city is currently reviewing community feedback. In the coming weeks, we will release a detailed set of responses, clarifications, and plan updates—covering topics such as the locations of satellite parking, limits on special placards, permits for neighborhood gatherings, and weekend access for families.
This draft plan represents the city’s first coordinated effort to actively manage transportation around Franklin Park. Historically, access to the park—particularly during large events—has been marked by unpredictability, limited enforcement, and insufficient infrastructure. This update lays the groundwork for a more organized and equitable approach by introducing a range of tools, enforcement protocols, and community protections that can evolve over time.
While some components—like the full list of satellite parking locations and special permit procedures—are still being finalized, this current phase allows us to evaluate various scenarios and make adjustments based on the feedback received during the public comment period.
All of these efforts will be formalized in the Transportation Access Plan Agreement (TAPA) for White Stadium. This legal document codifies the operational details of game day transportation and reflects more than two years of community feedback. The TAPA is built on a framework of operational components that can be refined over time. As we implement the plan, the city and Boston Legacy FC will continue to assess what’s working, identify challenges, and adjust strategies as needed—ensuring the approach remains responsive to both community priorities and real-world conditions.
Is the map of the parking shed up to date compared to the list of streets where nonresidents can park on game days? It looks like some streets are included in the map of places where nonresidents can’t park, but it’s not listed as one of the streets where nonresidents can’t park.
The “walkshed” is designed to establish a residential permit-only parking zone within walking distance of White Stadium on BLFC game days. Its purpose is to discourage game day attendees from parking in nearby neighborhoods by reserving curb space for residents.
We haven’t yet updated the graphic to reflect the additional streets recently added to the walkshed, but those updates will be included in the next iteration of the transportation proposal.
Right now, we’re reviewing all submitted feedback, including suggestions for additional streets. The final TAPA, signed for every large development project, will reflect updates based on that input. In addition, once it’s launched, the White Stadium Neighborhood Council will gather community feedback and make recommendations for adjustments, particularly if there are impacts outside the current zone.
As part of implementation, the city will publish a final, consolidated map and street list. The city will install static parking regulatory signs, paid for by BLFC, on streets within the walkshed and use other communication tools noted in the update to notify local residents early.
When purchasing tickets people need to identify how they’re getting to the game — where has this been done before and with what success?
Key elements of the White Stadium transportation plan are informed by successful models used at other major venues across the Commonwealth. For example, at the U.S. Open in Brookline, fans were required to pre-select their transportation mode—such as identifying a satellite parking lot or MBTA station they will use—which allows organizers to right-size shuttle service based on demand. This approach proved effective in scaling transit operations and managing traffic flow around the venue.
We are adopting similar strategies, drawing on lessons learned about which MBTA stations are best suited for shuttle access and how to implement targeted parking restrictions in surrounding neighborhoods. However, the White Stadium plan adapts these practices to an urban park setting—where attendees have access to a broader mix of transportation options, including walking, biking, and multiple MBTA lines.
This pre-selection process, embedded into the ticket purchase experience, is a cornerstone of our multi-modal approach. It sets clear expectations upfront, enables precise planning for shuttle capacity, reduces congestion, and reinforces the policy of no general on-site parking. Aligned with the project’s goals—including achieving net-zero operations and creating a car-free stadium environment—we are leveraging every available tool to promote sustainable, low-impact transportation from day one.
