LAS VEGAS (dpa-AFX) - The City of Somerville has decided not to appeal a key environmental permit granted in July for Wynn Resorts Ltd.'s (WYNN) $2.1 billion Everett casino project. The decision paves the way for work on the casino project, known as Wynn Boston Harbor, to go ahead.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said that his city north of Boston has successfully resolved several of his core concerns regarding the Wynn casino project and therefore, will not pursue further appeal of the casino's license via the courts.
Monday was Somerville's deadline to appeal the permit granted last month to Wynn by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Somerville will also withdraw four other legal actions against Wynn, thus ending a protracted, public dispute.
'I want to be clear, our appeal was never about stopping the casino but rather about our civic duty to protect the health, safety, and quality of life of our residents. While we did not get everything we asked for, the appeal did yield significant and meaningful results for our residents, so we feel the process worked,' Curtatone said.
Curtatone noted that the operation of a ferry from Boston to the waterfront casino, which was not previously a condition of the license, is now required for the full 50 years that the license covers.
Every trip shifted off the road and onto the ferry will reduce air pollution in the neighborhoods and ease casino road traffic, the mayor added.
Further, Curtatone said that the city's appeal increased the amount of public open space and decreased the unusually long proposed term of the license from 85 to 50 years.
Somerville, together with Wynn, the state, and other regional partners, will continue to seek progress on traffic mitigation and mobility concerns as well as opportunities as they relate to the casino.
'We look forward to collaborating with Wynn MA specifically around the five areas noted in the agreement: Regional Planning, Multi-Modal Mobility and Transportation Funding, Bus Transit Improvements and Bus Rapid Transit, Air Quality and Public Health, and Environmental Sustainability,' Curtatone said.
Wynn Resorts began construction of the casino last month and plans for a June 2019 opening.
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