Posted on: October 18, 2024, 03:29h.
Last updated on: October 18, 2024, 03:29h.
Several unions in Virginia and the Washington, D.C., metro say they’ll rally next week for a gaming resort in Tysons, a census-designated place in Fairfax County where several of the country’s largest companies are headquartered.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 8:30 a.m., the newly formed Fairfax County Jobs Coalition, a group consisting of several unions and trade groups, including the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO, Unite Here Local 23, Fairfax County Federal of Teachers, Building Trades Unions, and SEIU Local 32BJ, will campaign in support of bringing a casino resort to Northern Virginia. The rally will be held outside the Fairfax County Government Center before the Board of Supervisors meets.
This is an important opportunity to bring in more commercial tax revenue for schools and other county services, which is sorely needed,” said David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.
During the Virginia Assembly’s 2023 legislative session, state Sen. David Marsden (D-Fairfax) introduced legislation seeking to qualify Fairfax County as a permissible host for a casino. Currently, only four cities in the commonwealth qualify for casinos with slot machines, live dealer table games, and sports betting — Norfolk, Portsmouth, Danville, and Bristol. Petersburg could become the fifth next month.
2023 Casino Effort Shelved
Though he faced considerable backlash from Fairfax County residents, area homeowners associations, and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which in January took a formal stance of opposition to a casino, Marsden says the county must diversify its tax base in COVID-19’s aftermath. The county is home to tens of millions of square feet of office space, some of which remains vacant, as work-life adjusted amid the coronavirus.
Tysons and McClean are home to numerous companies that employ tens of thousands of workers like Hilton Worldwide, Capital One, Freddie Mac, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Many workers commute from Washington, D.C., to the Virginia suburb via the Washington Metro Silver Line.
Marsden and Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart), who sponsored the Fairfax casino effort in the House of Delegates, filed their bills after partnering with a regional real estate developer that expressed interest in a casino resort undertaking. The gaming bills, which were ultimately yanked after local opposition was raised and county supervisors said they were kept in the dark about the matter, would have limited a casino to a specific address — a former automobile dealership in Tysons along Route 7 that Comstock wants to redevelop into a casino, resort, and convention center.
Marsden said it’s his responsibility to “give my county options” to help thwart rising property taxes, taxes he says will only further escalate in the coming years as long-term office leases expire and employers negotiate new terms and/or smaller spaces. Marsden remains committed to the casino discussion and is expected to reintroduce a Tysons casino bill when the Virginia General Assembly convenes for its 2025 session on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Comstock proposed a casino floor spanning 200,000 square feet, which would be capable of housing several thousand slot machines, over 100 live dealer table games, and a sportsbook. The four million square foot resort plan additionally included a hotel, numerous restaurants and bars, convention space, a performing arts center, and affordable housing.
Unanimous Opposition
Marsden believes Fairfax County could receive $140 million a year in exchange for hosting a casino by way of gaming, property, and other taxes. While Marsden’s casino push has gained the backing of several unions, which do carry political clout in Richmond, a casino in Tysons has been almost unanimously opposed by homeowners and county and municipal governments.
I’m not hearing a lot of different things from my constituents. I’m hearing uniformed opposition,” Fairfax Supervisor James Bierman (Dranesville) said in January.
The unions hope to win over support by hyping not only the tax benefits but also how the casino resort would create thousands of new union jobs, provide opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses to work with the resort, increase funding for public education, and slow or reduce residential property taxes.