Bold plans unveiled for area across from casino
By Josh Resnek
Encore Boston Harbor is planning to build a sprawling 1,800 seat sporting and entertainment facility with a parking garage for more than several thousand automobiles across the street from the casino and hotel.
The new Broadway facility would cater to smaller sporting events such as boxing and wrestling and would offer as well a new entertainment location for concerts and live performances by recording artists and the like, according to company officials.
Trade shows would also be sought for the site.
There would also be a 2,200 car parking garage connected to the mother ship – the casino and hotel – by a unique and impressive enclosed walkway across Broadway.
The walkway will be about 425 feet long.
Wynn officials claim Ed Kane of Big Night Entertainment Group will likely operate the events venue.
Kane is a Boston restaurant and entertainment legend with substantial holdings in the Seaport District. Big Night already runs the Mystique restaurant and the Memoire nightclub at the Encore casino. Kane said he looks forward to expanding Big Night’s successful partnership with Wynn to include the property across the street.
The Encore project will be located on 6 acres it owns across the street from the casino. With the exception of several stubborn land owner hangers on, Encore owns nearly everything across the street.
On December 13, the project is expected to be taken up by the Everett Planning Board.
It is expected the Planning Board will approve nearly anything Encore places in front of it – and with good reason.
This is a development that will invest tens of millions of dollars in an area that has been used for car repairs and parking lots.
“Business has been quite good at Encore Boston Harbor,” said Michael Weaver, Wynn’s chief communications officer. “We believe that now is the time to work on the expansion. It’s kind of the next phase of our company and how we think about growing our company footprint, … with entertainment and restaurants. The economy is at a point where it makes sense for us.”
Wynn executives are also eyeing the Exxon 96 acre site and the Exelon site 4 with about 60 acres.
Wynn, according to sources, would like to buy Prolerizer, as well.
Some say Robert Kraft and his soccer team the Revs would like to build a soccer stadium on the Exelon site.
Whatever finally takes place, all of the above will take several years to gestate. Although Encore would like to begin construction next year on the 1,800 seat convention center/cum sporting facility and would expect to be finished in 2023.
No firm amount of investment needed to facilitate Encore’s plans has been mentioned but many believe the construction, landscaping and mediation would take a good $50-$75 million or more.