$2-Billion Wynn Boston Harbor Resort Casino-Resort

Casino mogul Steve Wynn, whose dazzling hotels line the famous Las Vegas strip, hit the jackpot in the Massachusetts casino sweepstakes to claim Greater Boston's sole casino-resort license. His vision is to turn the former site of a chemical plant along the Mystic River, just north of Boston in Everett, into a sparkling gambling resort.

The $2 billion project will include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development will be spread over 33 acres of Mystic River waterfront with paths open to the general public leading to the harbor and more retail and dining overlooking the riverwalk.

The "family-friendly" casino-resort will take at least two years to build.

The design of the casino-resort would mimic local architecture: "If you like the way the Boston skyline looks, you'll love our building," says Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. The buildings will have a classic brick look on the lower floors and a glassy Vegas look as the building rise.

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The casino developer also has plans for a fleet of custom-built catamarans ferrying conventioneers and tourists from Long Wharf in downtown Boston and the World Trade Center in the Seaport district, to his riverfront gambling palace in Everett

As many as three water taxis would be in service at one time, leaving as frequently as 20 minutes apart.

Wynn Resorts insists the water shuttle service would reduce car traffic over already congested roads to the proposed resort.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Wynn Resorts the sole casino license based on economic factors, opportunities and jobs.

The company’s proposal offered a bigger development plan, strong financing, a large construction investment, and a big projected workforce and payroll.

The Greater Boston casino license is projected to be worth about $800 million to more than $900 million a year in gambling revenue.

Join the National Safety Stand-Down: May 2-6

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other federal safety agencies have designated May 2-6, 2016, for the third annual National Safety Stand-Down. The event is a nationwide effort to remind and educate employers and workers in the construction industry of the serious dangers of falls – the cause of the highest number of industry deaths in the construction industry.

OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Center for Construction Research and Training are leading the effort to encourage employers to pause during their workday for topic discussions, demonstrations, and training on how to recognize hazards and prevent falls.

“Falls still kill far too many construction workers,” said David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

“While we regularly work with employers, industry groups and worker organizations on preventing falls and saving lives, the National Safety Stand-Down encourages all employers – from small businesses to large companies operating at many job sites – to be part of our effort to ensure every worker makes it to the end of their shift safely.”

More than four million workers participated in the National Safety Stand-Downs in 2014 and 2015, and OSHA expects thousands of employers across the nation to join the 2016 event.

To guide their efforts, OSHA has developed the official National Safety Stand-Down website with information on conducting a successful stand-down. After their events, employers are encouraged to provide feedback and will receive a personalized certificate of participation.

 “In many workplaces, falls are a real and persistent hazard. Given the nature of the work, the construction industry sees the highest frequency of fall-related deaths and serious, sometimes debilitating injuries,” said Dr. John Howard, Director of NIOSH. “Since the effort began in 2014, the National Safety Stand-Down serves as an important opportunity for both employers and workers to stop and take time in the workday to identify existing fall hazards, and then offer demonstrations and training to emphasize how to stay safe on the job.”

The National Safety Stand-Down in 2016 is part of OSHA’s ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign. Begun in 2012, the campaign was developed in partnership with the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda program. It provides employers with lifesaving information and educational materials on how to take steps to prevent falls, provide the right equipment for their workers, and train all employees in the proper use of that equipment. OSHA has also produced a brief video with more information about the 2016 Stand-Down in English and Spanish.

For more information on the success of last year’s Stand-Down, see the final data report. To learn how to partner with OSHA in this Stand-Down, visit http://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/.

The page provides details on how to conduct a stand-down; receive a certificate of participation; and access free education and training resources, fact sheets and other outreach materials in English and Spanish.
 


To learn more about preventing falls in construction visit http://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/.  

North Cambridge Housing Complex to be Demolished & Rebuilt

The Cambridge Housing Authority has plans to use proceeds from a $30.8 million bond from MassDevelopment to demolish and reconstruct the Jefferson Park apartments, a 100% affordable multi-family housing project in North Cambridge.

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development ruled the site’s conditions obsolete, calling for demolition of the buildings.

Rebuilding will create 104 units: 32 one-bedroom units, 53 two-bedroom units, and 19 three-bedroom units.

Other improvements will include private entrances for each of the units, along with maintaining private outdoor spaces and landscape designs.

Bank of America is the project’s bond purchaser and MassDevelopment also assisted DHCD with the approval of federal low income housing tax credits that will provide approximately $25.1 million in equity.

“Providing affordable housing in Cambridge remains crucial in one of the commonwealth’s most competitive housing markets,” said Marty Jones, MassDevelopment president and CEO.

MassDevelopment issued the $30.8 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Jefferson Park Apartments LLC, an entity managed by the Cambridge Housing Authority. Bank of America is the bond's purchaser.

Federal low-income housing tax credits will provide $25.1 million in equity for the project. MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development worked together to secure the tax credits.

Jefferson Park spans six buildings in North Cambridge. The properties built in 1950 and served as housing for veterans and their families in the aftermath of World War II. Since then, the Cambridge Housing Authority has provided affordable housing for families and individuals in these units.

CHA is a national leader in the development, management, and administration of subsidized affordable housing for more than 5,000 households of low-income elders, families, and disabled individuals. MassDevelopment has issued bonds on behalf of several CHA projects, most recently $104 million in tax-exempt bonds for three affordable housing developments.

 “The revitalization of Jefferson Park-State exemplifies the CHA’s commitment to provide its residents with high quality, energy-efficient housing that will remain affordable for generations to come," said Greg Russ, executive director of the Cambridge Housing Authority.

Boston's $1B Government Center Redevelopment Plan

Developers plan to construct a huge 528-foot glass skyscraper at the corner of Congress and New Sudbury streets. The curvy 47-story tower would be the centerpiece of a Government Center redevelopment project, where builders are preparing to construct a cluster of high-rises to replace portions of the Government Center Garage.

The project, estimated to cost well over $1 billion, will include construction of three high-rises and three smaller buildings containing more than 2.3 million square feet of commercial and residential space.

The project will begin with a 42-story residential tower with 450 rental and condominium units, followed by removal of the part of the garage that hangs over Congress Street and the construction of the 47-story office building. The developer wants to begin construction later this year.

The new office tower, designed by architect Cesar Pelli, would be an unusually dramatic building for Boston, a city that has shied away from the kind of eye-popping architecture that defines the skylines of other major cities.

In all, the project would result in six buildings containing 2.3 million square feet of commercial and residential space.

Three high-rises would be built on the western portion of the site, and three smaller buildings would be built along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

A retail plaza would create a new connection between the Greenway and Canal Street.

While the portion of the garage above the street would be demolished, the core of the building at Congress and New Sudbury would remain, preserving 1,100 parking spaces. That part of the garage would be hidden behind the new high-rises.

The development has received approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, but plans for each building must also be approved by the agency’s design commission. BRA director Brian Golden has offered strong support for the project.

“The redevelopment of the Government Center Garage site will reshape the downtown skyline in a way that few projects can,” he said. “We welcome a creative approach to its design and look forward to working with the architecture team to review their proposal more carefully.”

Developer Tom O’Brien, a principal of HYM Investment Group, said the project’s architecture is meant to call attention to the vast change it would bring to the city’s downtown.

He noted that it would remove one of the area’s worst eyesores, a relic of the Urban Renewal Era, and reconnect the Bulfinch Triangle to the North End and Beacon Hill.

Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects of New Haven is collaborating on the design with CBT Architects of Boston.

The project's primary investor is the National Electrical Benefit Fund.

Boston is experiencing a burst of real estate development, transforming much of its downtown and outlying neighborhoods. A retail and condominium tower is under construction at the former Filene’s site in Downtown Crossing. Additional towers are being proposed at Winthrop Square in the Financial District and at the site of the Harbor Garage on Atlantic Avenue.

In the Bulfinch Triangle, Related Beal is building a new headquarters for Converse Inc., and Boston Properties plans to construct a series of towers in front of the TD Garden.