ecuring ballpark funding from Beacon Hill will be a challenge for the Red Sox, but convincing the city to kick in money - to acquire land on the 15-acre site for the new stadium - may be an even greater one.
The city is in the middle of spending $157 million to acquire properties and clear the site for the new convention center in the Seaport, which has clearer economic benefits than a new ballpark. And while the city treasury is flush at the moment, financial assistance for a sports team will doubtless draw criticism that the money would be better spent in other ways.
At a minimum, the Red Sox are expected to ask the city to use its eminent domain powers to clear the stadium site, most likely by forming what is known as a 121-a corporation. That would use up staff time at the Boston Redevelopment Authority and involve extensive legal costs.
In the eminent domain process, landowners or business owners are offered a fair price for their property; invariably many argue they should be paid more, but that battle is played out in court after the land is taken.
But the bigger question is whether the Red Sox want the city to pay for all or some of the estimated $65 million needed to acquire the land to assemble the site. The team is expected to argue that the ballpark is part of an overall economic development project for a run-down urban area, making the city's participation a legitimate investment.
Could Mayor Thomas M. Menino justify floating bonds for even half of the $65 million land acquisition cost? ''It's too early for us to show our cards,'' said one top city official. ''Nobody's unpacked this thing and understood any numbers. The team has to make its argument first.''
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that a basic premise was clear: that ''if putting up the four walls of the stadium is all they can afford, they're going to look for help'' on everything else.
The other major role for the city will be helping to convince Fenway residents - and community activists concerned about development citywide, for that matter - that a serious planning process is in place.
For the ballpark site itself, the first step will be the creation of an Interim Overlay Planning District - a special designation for a multiparcel development site that involves more detailed planning than a project such as an office tower built on a large, single parcel of land.
The second step has been underway for several years: the creation of a master plan for the residential area essentially south of Boylston Street and into the Fens. A regional BRA planner for the area is in the process of being appointed. The plan would likely focus on transportation, traffic and parking issues; open space; and the development of available parcels for affordable housing.
''It's important to remember that there has been major planning in this area for the past decade,'' said BRA director Thomas N. O'Brien. ''The Audubon Circle neighborhood was recently rezoned. There has been continual planning for Longwood and Kenmore Square. What's left to do is knit it all together and fill in the gaps.''
