Massachusetts AG Wants Wynn Casino Permit To Be Delayed
Wynn Resorts has proposed to construct a mega-casino resort in Everett, Massachusetts that is estimated to be around $1.7 billion and will be constructed on 33 acres of land providing more than four thousand constructions jobs, four thousand permanent jobs and millions of dollars in revenue for the state.
Wynn Resorts has run into a couple of roadblocks that might slow down its Everett casino construction proposal such as taxpayers challenging the MBTA land acquisition and now the Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey wants the state to delay approving the company’s environmental permit as there are concerns over the traffic congestion that the casino could cause in Everett.
The proposed site is located close to Charlestown’s Sullivan Square which is an intersection for a number of major roadways that come in from the elevated portion of interstate 93 and will definitely result in a mass influx of traffic into the congested square. The casino which will be located less than a mile from Sullivan Square will only add to the traffic nightmares and congestion.
A traffic study was initially done by consultants hired by Wynn Resorts and hence the attorney general states that this study should not be considered by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation regulators. Healy has asked for an independent study to be conducted and then based on the results of the study, the state should decide whether an environmental permit can be issued to Wynn Everett.
Wynn has already received a casino license from the state but still needs permits to proceed with its construction phase. Healy does not have the authority to call for an independent traffic study but has written to the Transportation secretary Stephanie Pollack and asked her to commission one in the best interests of the state.
In her letter, Maura Healy writes
We believe it is critical that MassDOT and the Commonwealth benefit from an independent analysis of the traffic impact, paid for by Wynn, before considering any plans to mitigate traffic impacts. The magnitude of the casino’s impact in this very densely populated urban area and on the vital transportation networks that serve it and the region make it akin to the types of projects for which MassDOT would routinely require the most extensive study.
Wynn Resorts released a statement in response to Healy’s letter stating that for the last nineteen months the company had taken every measure to carefully follow all the details outlined in the environmental process and only decided to move forward after a detailed study and analysis was conducted. Pollack will have to make a decision and confirm whether she is going to commission an independent study as requested by Healy.
