TIVERTON – The Tiverton Town Council has approved three purchase and sales agreements totaling over $1.26 million to sell off 72 acres of Tiverton Industrial Park to Longplex Family & Sports Center owner James Long.
Long, who for years has been trying to buy property in the area to expand his business located at 300 Industrial Way to build a hotel and additional recreational facilities, including an ice skating rink, had seen his attempts stymied by the previous Town Council.
He previously told Providence Business News he was confident his prospects would improve with the newly constituted council resulting from the Nov. 2024 election.
Long, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday, had previously made a $2 million offer to purchase about 127 acres of land within the park. The approved purchase and sales agreements approved during the Town Council's special meeting on Feb 28 are with three entities he controls, including $858,393 with Longplex Ice and Golf LLC; $277,663.18 with Street Legal LLC; and $100,761 with LP Properties.
However, not everyone was happy with the agreements. Chair of the Tiverton Economic Development Commission Renee Jones told the council she was not aware of the special meeting, which she said puts the Town Council and administration "in a bad light."
“This industrial park belongs to the town, and I think the townspeople should have been given the opportunity to learn more about this project before it was approved," she said.
However, council member David Perry said the deal was a long time coming.
“We are not in the real estate business,” he said. “Selling this to Mr. Long is one of the best things that we could do."
There are currently no hotels in operation in Tiverton. The Bally’s Tiverton Casino hotel has been closed since 2020.
The R.I. Sports Commission recently reported that sports-related events are expected to generate $18 million in direct spending in the first quarter of 2025. And Longplex was cited by the agency as one of the sports and recreational facilities in the state set to capitalize on several upcoming events, including two cheerleading competitions at the Rhode Island Convention Center that are expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
