Tribe casts wide net for a casino site
Despite recent major land purchases there, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe isn't betting it all on Middleborough: In its pursuit of a location for a casino, the tribe has talked with more than 20 landowners in southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape.
"The tribe has had discussions with about two dozen landowners in the area,
Tribal leaders have indicated that they are still considering other locations in Southeastern Massachusetts, Ferson said.
"They're having preliminary discussions with people and property owners," Ferson said. The group is also being courted by public officials in New Bedford and Revere, he said.
The Mashpee Wampanoags made their first major real estate deal in April, when tribal investors purchased 128 acres from the town of Middleborough for $1.67 million, and secured an option to buy 200 acres of privately owned property adjacent to the site, said Ferson. The tribe currently owns 150 acres in Mashpee, and is also interested in land at Otis Air National Guard Base in Bourne, he said.
Linda Burke, a spokeswoman for Makepeace Co., said tribe representatives talked with the company about a month ago, soon after the tribe gained official federal recognition. "They contacted us looking for information," said Burke. "They were generally looking into what kind of property we have." The company ha s not heard from them since that initial conversation, Burke said on Monday.
Makepeace owns approximately 12,400 acres of land in Southeastern Massachusetts, making it one of the largest private landowners in the state. The tribe is "probably interested in the Wareham piece," Burke said.
That tract of land, located near interstates 195 and 495, is desirable because the town rezoned the area as a "business development overlay district," making it a prime spot to build.
That land is the first component of an ambitious proposal by A.D. Makepeace to develop 6,000 acres of its land in Wareham, Carver, and Plymouth. The proposed project will include commercial, industrial, and recreational uses, along with housing subdivisions built in the style of a traditional New England village. It is to be built in phases, over 25 years.
A 50-acre area in Wareham is slated to be developed first. Makepeace is seeking permits to build an office park, to be called Tihonet Technology Park, on 14 acres.
Burke would not say whether a casino could be a part of the proposed Makepeace development. "It's all so premature," she said. Ferson declined to discuss whether the Wareham portion of Makepeace's holdings was indeed what the tribe was eyeing.
"We'll wait for the state to go through its process of reviewing gaming," said Ferson.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. 
