An architectural drawing of the landscape plan for Suffolk Downs’ resort-style casino proposal. Suffolk Downs will pitch its plans to the community tonight at 6 p.m. at Suffolk Downs.
Suffolk Downs owners will pitch their plan to make the resort style casino that they hope to build at the racetrack site the greenest casino in the nation at a community meeting tonight (Wednesday) in the Topsider Room at Suffolk Downs.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. and hosted by the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA) at which time Caesars Resort at Suffolk Downs, its landscape architect Sasaki Associates and architect of record Elkus Manfredi will highlight their vision for a resort design that will restore many of the original natural environmental features of the property as part of their overall commitment to sustainable/green design for casino development.
“As we work to set the standard for gaming development in Massachusetts, Caesars Resort at Suffolk Downs aspires to create a new level of excellence in sustainable design for gaming development projects in the U.S.,” said Chief Operating Officer of Suffolk Downs Chip Tuttle. “As we strive for LEED Gold certification, the project will be energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy for our employees and our guests.”
Sasaki’s approach to the proposed landscape design will embrace the history of the project site, its unique location between the waterfronts of Boston and Chelsea, and its transformation over the last 100 years into an active racetrack and clubhouse. In fostering a regenerative approach to the site and landscape design the landscaping plan aims to connect the resort to nature, people and the surrounding environment.
“Our approach to the proposed landscape design embraces the history of the project site, its former natural features, its unique location connecting the waterfronts of Boston and Chelsea, and its transformation over the last 100 years into an active racing and entertainment venue,” said Senior Associate at Sasaki Associates Gautam Sundaram. “In fostering a regenerative approach to the site and landscape design, the Resort connects nature, people and place.”
Please see below a brief narrative and talking points on our approach to the landscape design for the Resort at Suffolk Downs.
According to their plan, Sasaki wants to develop an innovative green infrastructure and pursue sustainable systems by using the landscape for purifying storm water, improving the saline soils, providing opportunities for environmental education and create a aesthetic experience.
The plan will also create a marsh like ecology and connect pedestrians to the Casino and its surroundings. The architect will also create a resort landscape, which embraces the marsh like setting of the site and serves as an amenity- and educational component for the community.
Part of this would be to connect the resort landscape with the overall Greenway system in Eastie.
Recently the community gained access to a small stretch of land from Massport on Logan Airport property so that the neighborhood can finally connect its park system from the waterfront in Jeffries Point to Constitution Beach in Orient Heights. Activists have long hoped to extend the greenway to the areas marshland and other North Shore beach sites like the recently renovated Short Beach in Winthrop
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Its almost like the tank field isnt even there! HAHAHA
I hear they're going to just use route 1A as the actual parking lot for the casino. This is an asinine project in the wrong place. No adequate road access and unfair to those in the community who have borne the brunt of other facility expansions over the years. A shameful money grab that is short sighted and will be regretted for decades to come.
A casino is not my favorite choice for how that land is used, however; I am afraid that if Suffolk Downs has to close, the parcel is going to be chopped up into some horrendous industrial park. The only thing that might be worse is if it gets turn into housing and then traffic on the 1A corridor would be a disaster.
It's unfortunate that Fields, Sasaki et al weren't truly as altruistic as the Times staff have painted them to be. In that instance we might actually have a value added development on our hands as opposed to a giant money siphon designed to drain the Commonwealth of it's existing revenues.
As a resident of Orient Heights that looks out onto the property, I recently got a mailing from "Friends of Suffolk Downs" showing how much they are increasing the "non-paved" acreage of the property. The reality is that much of the "non-paved" acreage is the new building itself. They even changed the color of the ponds on the racetrack infield to green to give the illusion of "more green". They say it's about jobs and green space. It's about gambling--the illusion that you can win it big while they take your money. There are plenty of other projects that could produce jobs. This one produces a casino. And there is no pedestrian community around here for them to connect to. They are bordered by parking lots (Stop & Shop and Target) and oil tank fields, beyond which lies 1A, rental car lots and Chelsea Creek's oil tanker docks. My neighborhood (at the bottom of the photo) is the only logical pedestrian market, and I can tell you that the last thing I want in my neighborhood is a pedestrian connection to a casino.