Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. (CHCI)

Tysons Casino Bill Passes First Hurdle In VA Legislature

RICHMOND, VA — Legislation that would pave the way for a casino to be built in Tysons was approved Monday by the Gaming Subcommittee of the Virginia Senate. Senate Bill 982 — which would give the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors the power to put a casino referendum on a ballot for residents to decide — passed on a 5-2 vote with Sen. Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria) abstaining. The bill now moves back to the full General Laws & Technology Committee for consideration at its next scheduled meeting on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon), the chief patron of the bill, told subcommittee members that Virginia needed a “crown jewel” like Maryland’s MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino. “The creation of a mixed-use, transit-oriented entertainment district that would include not only a casino, but a state-of-the-art conference facility and performing arts venue is estimated to contribute an additional $140 million in annual revenue the county, in addition to over millions of dollars for the Commonwealth,” said Julie Coons, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, who spoke in favor of the bill. "If approved by the Board of Supervisors, a development of this nature would diversify and broaden tax revenue for Fairfax County.” When asked about the vocal opposition to the proposal, Surovell first dismissed opponents from the Reston area, saying they were miles from where the project would be built. He then acknowledged that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors had not requested the authority to add a casino referendum to the ballot, but the board has not taken an official position on the proposed casino. Patch first reported in September 2023 that Comstock Holding Companies wanted to build a casino somewhere in Fairfax County on Metro’s Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway. During the 2024 session, Marsden added language to the bill narrowing the location to Tysons. Related: Tysons Casino Tramples Neighborhoods, Ignores Residents: Opponents Instead, only two supervisors — Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill) and Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) — have spoken publicly against the casino, which would not be built in either of their districts, according to Surovell. Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence), who represents the location of the proposed entertainment district, has not taken an official position. Bierman represents McLean, which borders the Tysons district inside the Capital Beltway. The eastern boundary of Alcorn’s district ends at Route 7, which puts it across the street from where the gaming facility would be built. Claudia Arko, a lobbyist representing the board of supervisors, agreed the board has not taken an official position, but Chairman Jeff McKay (D) wrote a letter in January 2024 outlining the county’s concerns. “What you’ll see in the letter is our concern about the revenue split,” she said. “I understand that it’s the same revenue split for the other localities, but obviously when funding formulas are created for Fairfax County, we tend to not get the best deal." "As the law stands today, the Commonwealth would receive over 70 percent of the gaming tax revenue generated by a Fairfax County casino," McKay's letter says. "This is especially relevant given the fact that the location outlined in the bill has the potential to generate significant local tax revenue without a casino." Arko also addressed claims by Surovell that the Tysons casino project would address the county’s budget shortfall and generate funding to help alleviate that. “The real issue for our property tax and the fact that we’re having to increase it so much is that the state just doesn’t fund schools to the degree that they should for Fairfax,” she said. “For example, when you all give a 3 percent raise for teachers, the state pays about 20 percent of that. We pay about 80 percent. So if it costs $100 million, which sometimes it does, you all pay about $20 million and we pay $80 million.” Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, also spoke in favor of the bill, saying it would generate 5,000 union jobs. She was followed by a long line of union representatives, who each said their chapter supported the proposed project. Connie Hartke of the No Fairfax Casino Coalition was the first of a long line of Fairfax County residents to speak in opposition to the legislation. She asked the senators to delay passing SB982 until after House Bill 2498 is enacted. This bill would create the Virginia Gaming Commission to oversee and regulate all forms of legal gambling. “Any new gaming legislation such as the establishment of a casino in Tysons Corner should be put on hold until this agency is fully operational,” she said. “This will ensure the agency can properly evaluate and regulate new projects to align with its mission. This casino bill is designed to benefit private interests, not the Fairfax County community opposed to the bill.” Related: