In the second day of deliberations on the Greater Boston casino license, Wynn Resorts earned the top scores in the economic development and project overview reviews, while rival applicant Mohegan Sun came out on top in the mitigation category, which covers plans to address traffic.
With the scores in all five categories now public, Wynn, which won the finance review Monday, has earned top score in three categories.
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Mohegan Sun has won two, after earning an edge in the building and design review Monday.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Gayle Cameron rated Mohegan Sun sufficient/very good for its effort to mitigate traffic and other potential problems related to the resort.
The resort’s better-received traffic plan is shaping up to be one of Mohegan Sun’s biggest advantages in the competition.
Cameron and her team concluded that Wynn’s $6 million improvement plan for Sullivan Square fell short, and would not adequately offset the resort’s traffic in the major Charlestown intersection. She rated Wynn insufficient/sufficient in the category.
Sullivan Square has been a traffic nightmare for years, and the City of Boston is considering a long-term fix to overhaul the roadway, which is projected to cost $100 million or more. Wynn cannot be expected to pay the whole bill, but the company likely would contribute 10 percent of the traffic during peak times, and should carry a proportionate part of the burden, Cameron said.
Cameron outlined a recommendation that would compel Wynn to contribute 10 percent of the costs of the long-term fix at Sullivan Square, up to $20 million.
In the economic development category, Wynn topped Commissioner Bruce Stebbins’s review of each project’s contribution to economic development, which covered job creation, support for local business and how the applicant would increase regional tourism.
The Wynn project would create more jobs, with “significantly greater wages/benefits for construction and operation employees,” Stebbins wrote.
Wynn would have 4,382 full- and part-time employees at the resort; Mohegan Sun would have 3,172, according to Stebbins’ report.
Suffolk Downs owners have also said they would keep the thoroughbred track open if Mohegan Sun wins the license, which they say would preserve several hundred jobs at the track and more jobs among breeders and farm owners.
Wynn has offered to give job preferences to Suffolk Downs employees who might be laid off if the track closes.
The commission will have to determine how much weight to give to the preservation of racing jobs, which was one factor that helped Penn National Gaming win the state’s slot parlor license in February. Penn is building at Plainridge Racecourse, the state’s only harness racing track.