As unveiled by developers Tuesday, a proposed $300 million-plus project in Wareham, MA anchored by a gaming facility would include a new ballpark for the Wareham Gatemen (summer collegiate; Cape Cod League).
Developers Notos Group, LLC are proposing a sprawling project on a 275-acre parcel off Glen Charlie Road dubbed Wareham Park. Plans call for the project to include a thoroughbred racing facility, along with a gaming and entertainment venue, hotel, sports complex, and a new ballpark for the Gatemen.
Project officials are pitching the idea as one that will produce spikes in local and state revenues, while reviving the state’s thoroughbred racing industry. Tuesday’s announcement provided significant details behind the plan, but it is not all at final. The proposal must go through a planning process that would involve state and local approvals, with plenty of complexities to be sorted out. More from Wicked Local:
At a presentation on the plan at the proposed site off Glen Charlie Road Tuesday, Thomas P. O’Connell, managing member of the Notos Group as well as the Marina Bay complex and Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy, said he realized the project “would be very complicated.”
“We do complicated,” said O’Connell, pointing to the Granite Links Golf Course. “We can see this being a tremendous advantage to the community of Wareham, to the region and to the state. We think it is worth it.”
A lot is pending on this. State and town approvals are needed. The plan calls for a dedicated exit off Route 25 traveling the two miles up Glen Charlie to what are now primarily gravel pits. This will require additional approval as well, said O’Connell. Asked to give a time frame for when he thinks the project could be finished, he estimated 2022.
O’Connell said the gaming portion of the plan is not for a full-blown casino, but for slot machines – no table games. That would require an amendment of the state gaming law, which requires a full-scale resort casino, according to a State House News report.
The Gatemen currently play home games at Spillane Field. As part of Tuesday’s announcement, the club threw its support behind the concept of a new ballpark as part of the proposed development, noting that it could address player and community needs, yield a better fan experience, and serve as a venue for other events.
“We have a long history in Wareham and believe that a new stadium will allow us to better meet the needs of our players and the community,” Gatemen president Thomas Gay said in a press statement. “Moreover, this would enhance the experience of our fans in a historic league that has provided hundreds of Major League Baseball players over the years, including the likes of Chris Sale and Steve Pearce (the 2018 World Series MVP) and Gatemen alumni Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman. Moreover, a new stadium would attract tournaments and other events to benefit the town.”
Rendering courtesy Notos Group, LLC.