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\n\tArchitectural rendering of the Wynn Resorts casino in Everett.<\/p>\n
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\n\tArchitectural rendering of the Wynn Resorts casino in Everett.<\/p>\n
\tThe Baker administration on Friday refused to issue a crucial permit that Wynn Resorts needs to move forward with plans to build a massive, $1.7 billion casino complex overlooking the Mystic River in Everett.<\/p>\n
\tOne of the biggest stumbling blocks: The MBTA\u2019s premature sale to Wynn of 1.75 acres next to the main casino property just over a month ago for $6 million. Wynn wants that land for its main access to the site.<\/p>\n
\tBut Matthew Beaton, Governor Charlie Baker\u2019s secretary of energy and environmental affairs, wrote in a decision made public at 7 p.m. on Friday that the land transfer violated the state\u2019s Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act because the MBTA sold the land before Beaton\u2019s agency completed its review of the casino project.<\/p>\n
\tBeaton demanded that Wynn update its plan for dealing with environmental issues such as traffic and noise created by the casino. As part of that update, Wynn must address the property sale issue. Beaton articulated two possible fixes: a reversal of the land transfer or the placement of the transferred land in escrow until his agency\u2019s review is done.<\/p>\n
\tHowever, Beaton wrote that he\u2019s confident his decision won\u2019t derail the project, even though his request for another update will delay any construction start.<\/p>\n
\tThe tone of Beaton\u2019s written decision left little doubt about the administration\u2019s frustration with the handling of the sale — displeasure that became public earlier this week.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt is regrettable that this conveyance occurred without due public process or any inclusion of provisions to ensure consistency with the MEPA regulations\u2019 requirements,\u201d Beaton wrote.<\/p>\n
\tWynn officials portrayed Beaton\u2019s decision as a positive step forward for the project, while conceding that it will delay the casino\u2019s opening. With this decision, Wynn officials said, the casino definitely won\u2019t open until at least sometime in 2018.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe are disappointed that the new jobs and new tax revenues that would have helped so many people in the Commonwealth will be delayed,\u201d Wynn Everett president Robert DeSalvio said in a statement. But, he added: \u201cWe\u2019re gratified that after thousands of pages of analysis and years of review, the Secretary has generally endorsed all of our mitigation plans.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAs a result of the botched sale, Beaton wrote, transportation secretary Stephanie Pollack has directed the staffs of the state Department of Transportation and the MBTA to improve the way they flag land transfers and other real estate transactions that are subject to MEPA approvals as a way of making sure this sort of transgression doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n
\tNow, Wynn will need to work with state transportation officials to address deficiencies that Beaton cited, shortfalls that go beyond the land transfer issue.<\/p>\n
\tDespite what they\u2019re called, most state environmental impact reports deal with traffic and other transportation questions. Beaton wants Wynn\u2019s report to be updated to include a financial commitment for an Orange Line subsidy and to address unresolved traffic issues.<\/p>\n
\tWynn plans to build a gambling complex, one that would include a 629-room hotel tower, on a 34-acre site off Route 99. Those plans persuaded the Massachusetts Gaming Commission last year to award the Boston-area casino license to Wynn over a competing casino project that Mohegan Sun had proposed for Suffolk Downs on the East Boston-Revere line. The current entrance to Wynn\u2019s site \u2014 a contaminated property once home to a Monsanto chemical plant \u2014 grazes the Boston city line, which extends over the Mystic River there.<\/p>\n
\tWynn wants the 1.75 acres it acquired from the MBTA to use for an access road to the casino that would ensure the entrance is entirely within Everett and outside of Boston\u2019s city limits, giving Boston officials far less power over the project.<\/p>\n
\tThe cities of Boston, Revere and Somerville have each sued the gaming commission over its decision to award the license to Wynn. Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo saw the Suffolk Downs proposal as a big economic boost for his city. After the gaming commission picked Wynn, Rizzo dogged state officials for months to complain about the MBTA land sale, saying Wynn was unfairly given an inside track. When news emerged earlier this week that the sale violated the state environmental law, Rizzo called on the state inspector general\u2019s and the attorney general\u2019s offices to investigate the sale.<\/p>\n
\tBoston officials, meanwhile, are concerned about traffic, particularly at the congested Sullivan Square intersection in nearby Charlestown. Anthony Gallagher, representing Boston\u2019s Office of Gaming Accountability, wrote on March 27 that Wynn\u2019s traffic plan proposes a dramatic increase in Sullivan Square traffic, jeopardizing Boston residents\u2019 safety. In that letter, Boston officials threatened to \u201cexercise its sovereign rights to prevent its streets from being used in a manner that is incompatible with … the safety of its residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBeaton on Friday noted those concerns, saying an updated plan needs to reflect long-term improvements at Sullivan Square developed with the cooperation of state transportation officials and Boston officials. That might be easier said than done. \u201cBuilding consensus with parties engaged in active litigation will be a significant challenge,\u201d Beaton wrote.<\/p>\n
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Architectural rendering of the Wynn Resorts casino in Everett. The Baker administration on Friday refused to issue a crucial permit that Wynn Resorts needs to move forward with plans to build a massive, $1.7 billion casino complex overlooking the Mystic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-casino-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}