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As Everett works to redevelop its industrial waterfront into a major entertainment hub, the city's planning board gave final approval to Wynn Resorts' expansion across from its Encore Boston Harbor casino.
The casino and resort owner secured approval for its 142K SF expansion dubbed East of Broadway, which is planned for sports betting and poker rooms, a nightclub and a 979-seat theater, the Everett Independent first reported.
The expansion will be connected by a pedestrian bridge to the new casino. The project is planned to be built on parcels that once held industrial buildings and surface parking lots.
The vote, which was taken on Oct. 2, marks the final local approval for the casino operator, but Wynn still needs approval from the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office to move forward with the project.
The state agency's review process looks at the potential environmental impacts of the project. The comment period for MEPA's determination ended on Tuesday, according to its website, with a certificate determination set to be held Monday.
The expansion had raised legal concerns as to where Wynn could bring gambling activities. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission had to vote on whether the expansion could fall under the existing license for the Encore casino that came after a ballot referendum in 2013, Casino.org reported. In February, the commission allowed the developer to move forward with the project after a 4-1 vote, the Boston Globe reported.
Wynn also acquired Everett's 45-acre Constellation Energy site in March for $25M as part of an auction. The site, which is adjacent to Encore Boston and the proposed expansion, is another part of the operator's vision for the city's waterfront.
“Our goal for the purchase is to ensure that future development in the area is synergistic with our existing investment at Encore Boston Harbor, our planned development on Lower Broadway, and the broad planning of the Lower Broadway District by the City of Everett,” Wynn spokesperson Michael Weaver said in a statement.
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