Tiverton Casino Plan Moves Forward with Sept. "Charrettes"

Twin River Management Group is moving on to the next stage of its plan to move Newport Grand’s operations into a brand new casino in Tiverton.

The company announced Monday that it will hold three public workshops in September that it is calling “charettes,” which will be facilitated by members of the company’s project team to collect feedback from residents.

Residents will be asked to sound off on “a variety of issues ranging from the architectural look and feel of the property, traffic around the proposed location, environmental considerations and the range of preferred amenities such as hotel, dining and entertainment options,” according to news release.

The first of the sessions is on Sept. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Tiverton High School at 100 North Brayon Ave. The second is at Country View Estates Clubhouse at 213 Hurst Lane on Sept. 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. The third is on Sept. 22 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Tiverton High School.

The Sept. 12 workshop was a tentative location at the time this story was posted so double check before going.

Twin River’s chairman said that the charrettes will allow the company to continue its commitment to engaging with residents during the entire Casino development process.

The company began a series of public information sessions earlier this summer that offered no concrete plans or drawings other than a general outline of the vision to bring a casino to Tiverton — along with a chunk of new revenue for the town.

Twin River has been careful to tread slowly as it hones its plan and pitch to bring casino gaming to the town in an effort to stave off some the inevitable opposition as much as possible.

“We said all along that input from the residents of Tiverton was critical to this project,” Taylor said. “Efforts to do that have thus far included 26 neighborhood meetings where we estimate we have interacted with about 700 residents, which is approximately 10% of the likely voters. We’ve learned a great deal about how residents feel about a gaming facility in their town as well as what their preferred size, scope as well as look and feel of any facility we may consider. But we hope to learn more. By month’s end, that number of neighborhood meetings will be over 30 and it’s our hope that these three charrettes, held in larger venues, will be additional opportunities to engage the community in a highly interactive way, listen to their ideas and concerns, and use their feedback as building blocks for future design plans.”

After the workshops in September, Twin River will present conceptual plans to the town.

Twin River holds rights to buy a 45-acre site 400-feet from the border with Fall River, Mass., and off William S. Canning Boulevard (Route 81).

If approved, Twin River would transfer Newport Grand’s existing gaming license to the new casino.

Twin River completed its purchase of Newport Grand in June.