Attorney General tries to block Wynn’s plan in Boston

Healy recommended Wynn should not get the permit until a plan is in place to address traffic around the congested Sullivan Square area.

“If you approve the casino without a long-term traffic mitigation plan, we may never get one,” wrote Healy in a letter to the state’s environmental affairs secretary. “This dangerous and congested set of roadways may be unfamiliar to many state residents, but it serves as a major regional transit hub and access point.”

The letter was submitted on Friday’s deadline to make any comments on Wynn’s permit application, which has been under review for two years. The state’s top transportation officials, however, said Wynn has addressed the traffic concerns. Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation, Stephanie Pollock, recommended the key environmental permit be granted.

“This area has been subject to extensive planning over the past decade, and the long-term issues there go well beyond those posed by the proponent’s development,” said Pollock in a letter to environmental officials. “We believe that these longer-term issues are best addressed through a regional working group.”

Slated to be one of the largest private developments in the state’s history, Wynn plans to develop its casino resort on a 33-acre parcel of a former chemical plant along the Mystic River. But Wynn and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission have received a flurry of lawsuits to revoke the license, with a major concern being the amount of traffic in the city.

Major Martin Walsh hired a top outside lawyer who told commissioners that part of their licensing process was backwards and at risk of a “legal error.” A lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Walsh that accuses the five-member commission of law breaking and corruption in the issuance of the Boston-area license, which the Commission has denied.

But despite continual setbacks, Wynn continues to strive for the final approval needed to break ground on its project that could hugely benefit from its close proximity to Boston. Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary, Matthew Beaton, is expected to issue a decision by Friday on the traffic plan that has already gone through several revisions.