A panel of Massachusetts architects had issues with Wynn Resorts’ proposed casino in Everett, and its nearly 390-foot luxury hotel tower in particular.
Jon Chesto
Managing Editor, Print- Boston Business Journal
We’re about a month away from when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will decide which resort casino proposal is better for Greater Boston: Wynn Resorts’ project in Everett or Mohegan Sun’s in Revere.
But one group of experts has already made its decision, and the outcome isn’t an attractive one for Wynn.
The Massachusetts chapter of the American Institute of Architects has given its own professional review of the design aspects of both casino plans, and has ruled clearly in Mohegan Sun’s favor.
In a letter that’s expected to be first discussed at a gaming commission hearing on Monday, AIA Massachusetts says its panel of architectural pros unanimously found that the Mohegan Sun proposal is “markedly superior in every design aspect” to Wynn’s proposal. The AIA panel made a point of saying it wouldn’t endorse either proposal. But it also recommended that the gaming commission require that the entire Everett proposal be redesigned if Wynn is awarded the Greater Boston license.
In its June 27 letter, the architects refer to the Revere design as playful and pedestrian friendly. Mohegan’s project, which would be built on the Revere side of the Suffolk Downs property near the Blue Line and Revere Beach, offers a grand civic entrance and significant “sustainability features” like solar panels and greenhouses, according to the panel. In particular, the architects liked the decision by the architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox to break the resort casino into different medium-level heights instead of one giant tower.
There were some concerns cited with Mohegan’s plan, such as a long blank wall facing Washburn Avenue and the potential that the project’s outdoor canopies could become a liability if made with lesser-quality construction materials. The panelists also said they needed more information about what the project would look like in the daytime.
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