Virginia Senate passes casino bill
The Virginia Senate on Feb. 4 passed legislation to permit Fairfax County to hold a referendum on a casino in Tysons.
Senate Bill 982, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (Mount Vernon) cleared the Senate on a 24-16 vote. It now goes to the House of Delegates.
Several Northern Virginia lawmakers voted against the bill. Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim, whose district includes Tysons, called on the House “to reject this bill so we can focus on legislative priorities that truly serve our constituents.”
“Unlike previous casino authorization bills passed by the General Assembly, this proposal was not initiated by Fairfax County,” Salim said. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors “is unlikely to proceed with a referendum due to significant community opposition.”
Salim’s office has received approximately 1,300 emails and calls on this issue, with less than 0.008 percent supporting the casino bill. “Independent polling reflects similar opposition,” he says, with a strong majority of Fairfax County residents against the project, including around 80 percent of Tysons-area residents.”
Related story: McKay letter addresses casino bill
In addition, Salim says, “This bill differs from past legislation by de-facto specifying a predetermined site and developer, bypassing local land-use control and eliminating a competitive bidding process. This approach sets a concerning precedent, as it allows a single developer to advance a casino project with minimal local support, primarily through significant campaign contributions and lobbying efforts at the state level.”
Sen. Dave Marsden, who represents the Annandale area, voted in favor of SB 982. He had introduced a similar casino bill last year, which was withdrawn before a vote. He argued the measure would bring needed tax revenue to Fairfax County.
Aside from Surovell and Marsden, the only other senator from Northern Virginia who voted for the bill is Stella Pekarsky (Centreville).
Sen. Jennifer Boysko (Herndon), Sen. Adam Ebbin (Alexandria), Sen. Barbara Favola (Arlington), Sen. Danica Roem (Manassas), and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (Broadlands) voted against the casino bill.
Related story: Casino bill advances in the state Senate
When the bill gets to the House, Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra (Reston) plans to vote against it. Her February newsletter cites the following concerns with SB 982:
- Land use planning and decisions are the responsibility of local lawmakers and are subject to a community engagement process. “By taking this directly to the state legislature, this legislation bypasses the long-standing safeguards that are designed to make sure land use decisions are locally driven.”
- The casino bill bypasses the review process followed when there is a proposal to amend the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. “In every other instance where a casino is under development in the commonwealth, local officials had the authority and responsibility for examining the project thoroughly before moving to a referendum by the local voters.”
- Advocates of the casino promise more than 5,000 new jobs, which has gained the support of local unions. However, the developer does not have to deliver on this non-binding memorandum of understanding.
- The current Virginia Code makes it clear that the decision to recommend a casino lies with the Board of Supervisors at the local level.
12 responses to “Virginia Senate passes casino bill”
Leave a Reply to Ondaboat Cancel reply
This is outrageous and those 3 representatives of Fairfax County need to be voted out of office ASAP. I will move out of the County if this is approved. Sneaky political tactics by the developer is unacceptable. They started touting this to be placed in Reston only since they are located in Reston knowing all along they planned it for Tysons.
Goodbye! What price are u asking for your house.
All a casino will do is bring more crime to the area. When was the last type you walked through Tyson’s mall? I won’t even bring my children there. Unsafe and unsanitary. Years ago, local kids worked jobs at the various stores. Now, lifelong losers from outside the area populate these jobs, trash the stores, allow their loud friends to hang around, and provide horrible customer service that drives revenue down and sends the mall into a death spiral. This was all caused by the silver line. Now you want to put a casino on the silver line? Everyone, start selling your properties.
I agree 100% with this statement. Objectively true. I watched it happen before my eyes. Ask the police how the criminals get there and you will have your confirmation.
Dear god not everything is a race issue, you’re missing the actual reason why a casino in the area would be bad: traffic, over-development, and corporate greed. If you feel so unsafe, why don’t you buy a firearm and conceal carry it while you walk around the mall? I bet that would make you feel and all others around you feel safe, right?
Dumbest statement I have seen.
I am usually pro-development, but this is one project I abhor.
Give the Tysons anti-casino people the Bren Mar data center, then.
Somehow politicians only seem to be able to do one-sided math. They claim casinos will create jobs and bring in revenue for politicians to spend. They ignore the cost side of the equation– traffic that generates infrastructure costs, crime that increases policing costs, and the tragic human costs of gambling addiction that lead to increased costs to provide social welfare assistance. And then adding to the revenue side of the equation are the political contributions by a developer to secure profits at the expense of Fairfax County taxpayers. I will not vote for Dave Marsden again and that is the only way we can balance the equation.
ditto, well stated
I’m not sure Tysons could handle any more traffic. This is a bad idea but unfortunately greed often wins.
Just sent this email to Senator Marsden.
Mr Marsden
It is fairly despicable that you voted in favor of senate bill 982! Not only is it suspect because there is a predetermined plot of land and a pre-designated developer, who are apparently lining your pocket somehow, but I understand from the Annandale Today publication that less than .008 percent of our population support the casino. Even the representative from Tysons corner voted against it. How can you possibly look at these facts, knowing that you are supposed to be representing the people of your district and nobody else, and still vote in favor of this bill?
You most certainly will not get my vote next time around. I don’t care who your opponent is.