Major renovation eyed at Franklin Park’s White Stadium; could become home of Boston’s next pro soccer team

City officials are eyeing a major renovation at Franklin Park’s White Stadium, transforming it from a long-neglected venue to a community hub for recreation, arts and more.

Mayor Michelle Wu and officials from Boston Public Schools’ athletics department toured the 78-year-old stadium Wednesday, before the community gets a chance to learn more about the city’s vision of what the venue could become via a Zoom meeting Thursday at 6 p.m.

Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female group behind a bid for Boston’s next professional women’s soccer team, submitted the only response to the city’s request for proposals to lease, improve and use the stadium’s West Grandstand and adjacent areas in the park as part of a public-private partnership.

The requested project carries an estimated $30-million price tag, with the city and Boston Unity Soccer Partners funding it in half. City officials said Wednesday it’s still too early to know how much it will cost as they’re still evaluating the proposal and gathering community feedback.

An assessment of the facility conducted earlier this year found that many spaces needed to be improved and expanded, with suggested improvements including a bigger staff office, modernized press box, improved locker rooms and an eight-lane track.

The city allocated $10.5 million to fund the stadium’s design in this fiscal year’s $4.2-billion capital plan.

Hatim Jean-Louis, the citywide cross country coach for BPS,  recounted coming to White Stadium to see a semi-professional soccer league play on the weekends in the early 1980s. But now, many student-athletes feel “demoralized” by the state of the venue, he said.

“I just can’t help but think about the vision and how this will energize, how this will improve the morale and psyche of the Boston community,” Jean-Louis said. “I have seen and witnessed it can touch all levels, from the elementary to the adults.”

Some in the community believe the city should focus on parks that may be in greater need.

Domingos DaRosa has begun the process of dismantling his Boston Bengals pop warner football program because it can’t generate enough funds to cover the operation fees and replenish equipment.

It’s become increasingly difficult to generate interest from youth because of the state of Roxbury’s Clifford Park, where the program operates, DaRosa told the Herald on Wednesday. The playground, near Mass and Cass, is littered with needles, public sex and human feces, he said.

“We have been waiting for Clifford Park to be renovated for years,” DaRosa said. “It’s like they can’t find the money or partnerships with different groups to generate the funds to redesign Clifford Park, but they’re redesigning every park elsewhere.”

In terms of an overall safety plan for a renovated White Stadium, Wu did not provide specifics.

“It’s a good point when any space in the city is filled and active, and as people are looking out for each other and feel connected in the same community, it makes a big difference for safety, as well,” the mayor said.