Is Wu’s White Stadium push with BOS Nation too late in the game?

Developing the White Stadium through a public-private partnership should have been a bold idea that everyone embraced. Instead, it was divisive, draws a lawsuit from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and residents which is trying to stop the project, claiming it would violate a state law that prohibits the privatization of public parks. A trial is set for March.

Complicating matters is the prospect of a separate, larger football stadium proposed eight miles away on the Everett waterfront for the New England Revolution. All of this begs the question: Does the region really need two football stadiums? Why can’t men and women play in the same place?

Instead of taking a victory lap, Wu and BOS Nation have lost possession of their narrative, and are now desperately trying to regain control. They even support the idea that the White Stadium can be built on an accelerated timeline – in 15 months – to be ready for the team’s inaugural season in March 2026.

Jennifer Epstein, BOS Nation FC’s control manager, should know that’s an insanely ambitious timeline in a city that’s notoriously slow to build anything. Her father is Robert Epstein, a founding partner of prominent Boston real estate developer The Abbey Group, and her husband, Bill Keravuori, is a significant developer in his own right. (Globe CEO Linda Henry owns a small, non-controlling stake in BOS Nation.)

We were hoping at Monday’s press conference that Jennifer Epstein would announce plans for the team to play its inaugural season in the National Women’s Soccer League at another field in the region – if only to allow more time for the process to be resolved and for the politics to play out in the stadium.

Instead, Wu and team’s strategy was to hit the gas and double down—literally, with the city now on the hook for almost twice as much as originally proposed.

Meanwhile, the mayor signed and announced the lease just as most people were heading into the long break between Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve. It’s a classic PR tactic if you want to bury controversial news, although the timing could also have to do with Wu, who is pregnant with her third child, trying to cross as much off her list as possible before her January 15 due date.

I try to keep an open mind at White Stadium, but the tight timeline that Wu and BOS Nation have set makes all of that difficult. The project only became public last year, and residents worried about traffic and noise had little time to let what was happening sink in. it feels like something forced on them, and they are ready to fight both in a real court and in the court of public opinion.

And the deeper Wu digs, the stronger her criticism of the City Council becomes. Last week Ed Flynn asked the city to cancel the projectand Erin Murphy wants to press the pause button; both cite the rising price and residents’ concerns about traffic and a lack of transparency.

I also fear that an accelerated timeline could increase costs, from purchasing materials faster to paying employees overtime to complete the stadium on time. Don’t even get me started on what could happen to construction costs if President-elect Donald Trump is imposing tariffs after he returns to the White House in January.

Even city officials admit the $91 million bill is a moving target. The number may increase, it may decrease. At least, Wu backed off from a comment he made recently on “Boston Public Radio” that the city will renovate White Stadium “no matter what the cost.”

However, demolition of the stadium is scheduled for the end of January and will take several more months once contractors get in there to figure out the final cost.

All this reminds me of time Then-Mayor Marty Walsh blew up the Long Island Bridge in 2015after it was deemed structurally unsafe. He hoped to rebuild to restore access to a recovery campus and homeless shelter on the island, but the city of Quincy blocked the effort.

Almost a decade later, it still exists no new bridgewhile the region struggles with year the worsening homelessness crisis. If the still-looming lawsuit against White Stadium were to prevail, Wu could be left in a similar situation.

The lesson for Wu is clear: before tearing down the White Stadium, she should know the final cost of a new stadium and be sure there is a legal way to rebuild it. Otherwise, she could leave BPS athletes, football players and the community in limbo with a giant gaping hole in Franklin Park.

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Shirley Leung is a business columnist and host of the Globe Opinion podcast “Say More with Shirley Leung.” Find the podcast on Apple, Spotifyand globe.com/saymore. Follow her on Threads @shirley02186

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Shirley Leung is a business columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].