Taunton Casino Proposal
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is proposing to construct the first destination resort casino in Massachusetts. The proposed destination resort casino (Project First Light) would be located in Taunton on approximately 146.4 acres within the Liberty & Union Industrial Park (LUIP) and adjacent to the Route 24 and Route 140 Interchange.
As currently envisioned, the project will be built in two main phases, with the first phase subdivided into three sub-phases. The components of each phase are as follows:
- Phase I-A:
150,000 square foot casino, a food court, an international buffet, two fine dining restaurants, a lounge, ten retail stores, a 3,200-space parking garage, and approximately 2,100 surface parking spaces. - Phase I-B
300-room hotel with additional gaming space, spa, pool, roof terrace and meeting space - Phase I-C
300-room hotel and a 200-seat, 24-hour café/restaurant - Phase II
300-room hotel, a 15,000 square foot event center, a 25,000 square foot indoor/outdoor water park, and approximately 700 surface parking spaces
The proposed project is expected to be more than 2,037,600 square feet in size; create 23.5 acres of new impervious area; consume and generate approximately 210,000 gallons of water and wastewater per day respectively; generate over 21,000 new daily vehicular trips; and provide a total of 6,000 parking spaces.
Currently, the proposed project is undergoing Federal and State environmental reviews (NEPA & MEPA) and has a land-in-trust application pending with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.