The Brockton City Planning Board on July 1, 2025 unanimously approved the site plan for a proposed Boston Legacy Football Club performance center and multi-field complex on Howard Street, setting conditions including a completed stormwater peer review, preservation of emergency vehicle access, and a requirement the developer negotiate a community-use package with the mayor’s office.

The project, presented by Studio Troika and Grady Consulting for the applicant, calls for a two-story, about 30,000-square-foot Performance Center, a heated full-size training field, a three-quarter pro field, a large air-supported “bubble” dome for inclement weather, three public fields and an academy building. Kevin Grady of Grady Consulting said the site is in the city’s C-7 Sports and Convention District and covers roughly 35 acres; the plan shows approximately 377 total parking spaces with separate club parking, and an on-site emergency-access gate at Farnham Street that will be gated and locked for emergency use only.

Mayor David (Dave) Sullivan told the board he supports the project and called it “transformational,” saying it will “enhance the neighborhood” and bring a professional women’s soccer team and training facilities to Brockton. Architect Robert Delfer of Studio Troika said the Performance Center is meant to be the club’s headquarters, with an elevated terrace, a grand stair and balcony overlooking the fields, locker rooms and training spaces.

Project timelines presented at the meeting call for construction to begin in August and for major elements — the training complex, heated field, dome and parking — to be completed by Jan. 1, 2026, which the club said is necessary to prepare for league competition in 2026. The team’s representatives said a professional staff of roughly 80 employees and club operations will use the facility; the public portion of the site will be available for rentals, youth and adult leagues and community use.

The board and members of the public raised traffic, lighting and stormwater concerns. Grady said the project team prepared a traffic study and that peak-hour commuter traffic on Howard Street would not be materially worsened; field lighting will be dark-sky patterned and Musco-designed fixtures aim to minimize off-site glare. The applicant described site lighting plans and said field lights would be used only during events and practices.

Stormwater was a recurring concern. The project’s stormwater calculations were prepared to meet regulatory requirements and, the applicant said, were conservatively modeled by assuming predevelopment woodland conditions. The city’s stormwater authority engaged Apex to provide an independent peer review; at the meeting city staff and the applicant said Apex’s first review is expected around July 14, 2025. The planning-board approval requires completion of the stormwater peer-review process and signed confirmation from a licensed engineer that comments have been addressed before any occupancy permits are issued.

Neighborhood speakers urged protections including a substantial planted buffer and careful controls on hours, noise and post-event activity. The project team said it will plant a columnar arborvitae hedge and install an 8-foot non-climbable chain-link perimeter fence; the maintenance building and landscape plan are designed to shield abutters. The board added a special condition that there be no routine vehicle access from Farnham Street for spectators or club use; emergency vehicle access at Farnham will be retained and gated.

Other conditions adopted by the board require that all easements be established, that the applicant return to the board if major plan revisions are required by peer review, and that the developer present a social-obligations/community-use plan acceptable to the mayor prior to final occupancy approvals. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote: James Sweeney — yes; Matthew Gallagher — yes; Yolanda Spinola — yes; Marty Crowell — yes; Tony Gonzalez — yes.

The planning board’s action clears the path for the applicant to proceed with refined engineering and the scheduled peer reviews, while preserving board oversight of stormwater mitigation, traffic controls and neighborhood protections required as conditions of the approval.