Final Tiverton Casino Plan Unveiled

The final design and business plan for a proposed casino in Tiverton was laid out before the Town Council on Monday, along with promises of millions in gaming revenue and a neighborly community partnership.

The council now will meet next Monday to field final public comment before a possible vote to bless the proposal by Twin River Management Group, a company that began its mission to move the nearby Newport Grand slot parlor’s operations to a vacant swath of land right next to the state border with Massachusetts six months ago. Monday night’s meeting was the capstone of a thorough public outreach campaign that included dozens of community meetings that sought public input as the proposal took shape through the summer.

What began as an idea pitched to taxpayers with no design sketches at all gradually, based heavily on public input during those meetings, was sculpted into the detailed plan presented Monday night, replete with a fly-through video and computer generated renderings showing cars zippering in and out of a new roundabout outside the entrance of the new casino and, inside, winners celebrating with arms raised at a blackjack table.

Architecturally, Twin River has said they tried to make the casino reflect the sensibilities of coastal New England design with strong cues taken from the town’s new library, which many residents said should serve as a source of inspiration. The end result is two structures encompassing the casino and a hotel totaling 85,000 square feet of space that could be described as understated. It also will not be visible from the side of the road due to being shielded by trees.

The plan includes a slew of incentives for the town to approve, including infrastructure improvements to mitigate traffic concerns. The new roundabout would connect William S. Cannning Boulevard, Hurst Lane, Stafford Road and the new casino entrance. John E. Taylor Jr., chairman of Twin River, said that the roundabout is critical for the viability for the project and “very simply, if the roundabout on Canning Boulevard with a dedicated turn lane into the property is not constructed, we will not open,” he said.

The town is being promised a minimum of $3 million annually from slots and table games revenue sharing. The company said the overall investment into the project will be $75 million, 525 to 600 jobs will be created with the 150 existing Newport Grand employees offered positions and the company will pay to host job fairs for Tiverton residents to “create a pool of candidates from town,” according to the presentation.

Other than traffic, additional concerns raised by residents related to the environment. Twin River claims that the North Tiverton Fire District has sufficient water for the project’s needs since the system has been operating at “very low capacity” due to the loss of factories and mills in recent years.

There are still water pressure issues for the neighborhood, though, and complicating matters is the fact that generating accurate models is not possible until the town completes its existing water model in 2016.

Twin River said to work around those issues it will install an on-site water storage tank for fire and domestic use. The 450,000 gallon tank will be drawn down during the day and filled at night.

In terms of wetlands, Twin River has not yet received formal approval from the state Department of Environmental Management but it expects it soon. Drawings presented Monday suggest only minimal alterations will be needed to provide access to the non-wetlands area of the site where the casino, hotel and more than 1,000 parking spaces will be built.

The company said it will conduct four-season and fixed wildlife study to identify the creatures living on the site, ranging from small mammals to birds and frogs to determine any adverse impacts.

Wastewater will be treated through the city of Fall River’s wastewater treatment plant. The connection from the casino will provide Hurst Lane with sewer access, which should make it much cheaper for residents to connect to sewers, the company said.

Concerns also have been raised about the possible crime that could occur at the casino and in the surrounding neighborhood. Taylor noted that Twin River has a zero-tolerance and lifetime ejection policy for serious issues and police and EMT details are paid for whenever the casino is open.

If the casino gets the OK from the town council, it then becomes the job of the Rhode Island General Assembly to enact enabling legislation to put a question on the ballot for all Rhode Island voters.

The casino question would be a statewide referendum but ultimately, final say rests in the hands of Tiverton residents. Even if the majority of Rhode Islanders vote yes, a no-vote in Tiverton would sack the proposal.

There is little doubt that the general assembly will swiftly put the question on the ballot. In prepared remarks, both Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattielo and Speaker of the House Teresa Paiva Weed voiced their support.

“The proposed location and legislative plan gives us the best opportunity to remain competitive in that region of the state and marketplace, with minimal impact on the host community of Tiverton,” Mattiello said. “Last, this approach reflects the important partnership the state has with Twin River and will aid considerably in protecting the state’s third largest source of revenue.”

View the full presentation HERE.

TIVERTON VIDEO from CadRender on Vimeo.