Council Candidate Michael McLaughlin Congratulates Everett and Wynn Development on MEPA License Award
To the Editor:
MEPA approval of the Wynn Everett project is a major step towards the construction of the $1.7 billion resort complex in Everett. I, Ward 6 City Council Candidate and former area Councilor Michael McLaughlin, offer my congratulations to the city’s residents and the Wynn Development Team for their remarkable efforts in attaining this milestone.
At the recent Site Plan Review meeting before the Everett Planning Board, the room was packed with local supporters and other parties interested in seeing this development come to fruition. Not one person at the Planning Board meeting spoke out against the project and, while some attendees raised questions regarding the beautifully designed structure and landscaping, the Wynn team was able to respond to those inquiries to everyone’s satisfaction.
This is truly a great indicator of the enthusiasm the Everett constituency has continued to exhibit in favor of this project. As a candidate for the City Council, I personally wish to congratulate our entire community on embracing this development and the jobs it will bring to our citizens.
I also offer my thanks to the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency as well as the entire Wynn organization for their efforts in safeguarding the future of Everett and its residents.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any help at [email protected] or via my cell phone at 781 560-3791.
Michael McLaughlin
Candidate, Ward 6 City Council
Challenges in Sullivan Square
To the Editor:
Honorable Stephanie Pollack Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Dear Madam Secretary:
Thank you for convening the recent meetings of state officials, local representatives and Wynn Resorts to address the challenges in Sullivan Square. From the perspective of the City of Everett, these meetings are long overdue and of a critical need. I thank you for your efforts in attempting to bring all parties to the table to discuss our individual perspectives and our collective goals. As requested, please find below the City of Everett’s position related to the process and issues discussed at the recent meeting. These positions will be included within my comments to the Second Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Report (SSFEIR) as presented by Wynn MA, LLC.
As you are well aware, the challenges in Sullivan Square are longstanding and have an undeniable regional impact. I commend you and Secretary Beaton for highlighting the importance of Sullivan Square as it relates to economic development in the region and the need for regional collaboration. The meetings that were convened by MassDoT that brought stakeholders to the table – for the first time – were, from the City of Everett’s perspective, productive but limited. It is my hope that these meetings represent the beginning, and not the end, of the cooperation between the City of Everett, MassDoT, the City of Boston, the City of Somerville and other stakeholders.
As well-intentioned as Boston’s preferred option for Sullivan Square may be, it is critical
that they not go it alone. The regional impact of the short and long-term planning for that area is too great to be created in a vacuum by any single municipality, developer or state entity. Moreover, it is counterintuitive for the City of Boston to assert that a project that is located wholly in the City of Everett will greatly affect traffic management at Sullivan Square, but in the same breath state that the development of a solution for the square is for Boston to determine alone. These positions must be reconciled.
Simply put, if Sullivan Square is impacted by regional factors, then it is the entire region that must come to the table. The City of Everett hopes to remain supportive of the developments that
are underway and planned in neighboring communities, but cannot be expected to do so at the risk of our own prosperity. If the last five years are any indication of things to come in the next five years, then this immediate region will experience an economic renaissance that was previously unimaginable. Our collective planning efforts need to reflect that.
I respectfully suggest the development of a process that will ensure greater involvement by stakeholders, most notably those cities adjacent to Sullivan Square. I suggest the process going forward reflect the short and long-term planning as separate, but closely related issues that require different approaches and different levels of participation from a variety of constituencies. After careful review of the mitigation measures offered by Wynn for Sullivan Square, it is the position of the City of Everett that these measures are adequate to address impacts created by the Wynn Everett project and even improve the underlying condition of the square affecting my city.
While the goal of mitigating traffic concerns in Sullivan Square caused by the Wynn project may be sufficient in the short-term, the long-term solution should include more diverse voices, specifically additional members of the Saker-Polito administration, Congressman Michael Capuano, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, local legislative leaders, community groups, area developers and regional planning agencies. The inclusion of these groups in the long-term planning for Sullivan Square is the best chance for an equitable, sustainable and deliverable solution to the challenges faced.
I am committed to working with you, the entirety of the Saker-Polito administration, my colleagues in local government and our partners in the private sector to work toward this end. It is my profound hope that an inclusive and forthright process will pay dividends for my community and for the Commonwealth at-large.
As always, I am available to discuss this or any other matter at your convenience.
Very truly yours, Carlo DeMaria
Mayor, City of Everett