Leaders in Somerville came together for a hearing Thursday to address concerns regarding the proposed Wynn Resort.
The city wants to stop the casino that is slated to go up in Everett.
Many people are worried the casino would cause more traffic and pollution.
The hearing will decide whether the new Wynn casino will open in 2018 or later.
“This is not about stopping the casino, I’ve already lost that argument,” Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said. “The ballot question did not pass to the side I was in favor of. But this is about fighting for the people who can’t fight for themselves. This is about protecting our quality of life.”
The City of Somerville has filed an appeal claiming Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino giant, is making the rules as he goes along, and that the $1.7 billion project will have a negative impact on the environment.
“What you see basically happening here is really a game of Russian roulette, numbers are being thrown around arbitrarily, conditions being put on loosely, there’s really been a set of rules without any order,” Curtatone said. “And we just basically opened up the door and rolled out the red carpet without any true, regulatory oversight.”
Wynn Casino has said it remains committed to the project, which holds the lone gambling license for the Boston market.
“Make no mistake, this will compound an already congested traffic in the region causing more pollution in the air, and really be a detrimental operation to the quality of life for the people of Somerville,” Curtatone said.
A Wynn spokesperson said they deferred to the DEP process, and a decision on the hearing should come in the next 30 days.