It likely will be 2025 before locals get a chance to vote on a casino in their area
A Virginia Senate committee voted on Tuesday to reject legislation for a referendum to build a casino in the nation’s capital’s affluent suburbs.
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 13-2 against legislation that would have authorized Fairfax County to hold a referendum on constructing a casino and conference center in Tysons Corner, a district currently developing with high-end retail stores and offices.
The vote effectively kills the proposal in the 2024 legislative session but gives hope to casino backers that it can be resurrected in the future. The committee denied a motion to kill the bill outright, opting to carry it over to 2025 for future deliberation.
At an earlier hearing, chairwoman, Sen. L. Louise Lucas, said she wanted to keep the bill alive until the committee received revised research on potential tax revenue. Lucas has backed casino legislation and commented at the subcommittee hearing that she’s known as the “casino queen” in the General Assembly.
Local civic groups in areas near the proposed casino firmly opposed the idea and voiced concerns about crime and traffic.
“This is where Fortune 500 companies have come to make their home,” said Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) of Tysons Corner. “This is not something that Fortune 500s would like to have in their community.”
Senator David Marsden, who sponsored the bill, says that the market for prime office space has declined since the pandemic, and Fairfax County needs the capability to diversify the tax base. “No neighborhood wants any kind of development, not really,” said Marsden. “We all know that.”
Five Virginia cities voted on the casino issue in 2020, subject to a referendum. Danville, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Norfolk all voted for a casino, with Richmond voters twice rejecting a similar proposal.
