New Plans For Taunton Casino

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has unveiled a new design for a resort casino it hopes to build in Taunton if the tribe wins state and federal approvals for the project.

The architectural renderings were released Tuesday at a meeting of the Taunton City Council. The S-shaped design of the hotel replaces earlier sketches that showed an L-shaped structure. The tribe unveiled the plans on the eve of a key hearing before a legislative committee on a proposed casino compact it reached with Gov. Deval Patrick.

If approved by lawmakers, the agreement would replace an earlier compact that was rejected by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The State Gambling Commission recently voted to open up the Southeastern Massachusetts region to commercial casino bidders, ending the exclusivity the tribe had enjoyed under the 2011 gambling law.