Vienna City Council officially opposes Fairfax Casino
Published on: December 12, 2023 at 12:32 pm.
Last updated on: December 11, 2023 at 01:01 h.
The Vienna City Council in Fairfax County, Virginia has officially opposed allowing a commercial casino in the area.
Last week, the Vienna Council, made up of Mayor Linda Colbert and six council members, amended its 2024 legislative agenda to oppose a casino in Fairfax County.
State legislative efforts are underway by Sens. David Marsden (D-Burk) and Del. Reign Williams (R-Stuart) to allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to initiate a local referendum asking voters to allow casino development. Marsden and Williams are targeting the Tysons Corner area for the gaming project.
During a meeting last week, the Vienna City Council voted unanimously to oppose the construction of a casino.
The City of Vienna opposes any action to establish or facilitate the establishment of any gambling casino in Fairfax County. The Council’s legislative agenda was amended to include:
“The City particularly opposes any such action that would result in the establishment of a gambling facility in the Tysons District. The position concluded that any such facility would likely have significant adverse effects on the quality of life in Vienna, including increased traffic Traffic, additional costs for independent, locally owned businesses, and erosion of public morals.
Tysons Casino
Tysons is a census-designated edge city between McLean and Vienna. There is no mailing address for Tysons or Tysons Corner, as the area is commonly referred to, as businesses in the area use McClean or Vienna addresses.
Marsden and Williams want to bring a casino to Tysons to diversify the area with new forms of entertainment. They believe such a destination would attract visitors from D.C. and other parts of Northern Virginia.
State lawmakers believe an area within a quarter-mile of one of the seven Silver Line Metro stations along the Dallas corridor would be ideal. Comstock Companies, a local mixed-use real estate developer, has expressed interest in building this casino destination.
Patch It was reported in October that Comstock’s owner, CEO Chris Clemente, and his son, Nick Clemente, as well as several other employees, have longstanding relationships with Williams and have made political contributions to him.
The Vienna City Council’s legislative agenda is presented annually to the city state’s legislative representatives before the General Assembly convenes in January.
2024 Fairfax casino payout
In January, Marsden and Williams introduced identical bills proposing to allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to initiate a gaming referendum. The bills were quickly withdrawn, with Marsden acknowledging that the casino laws would be more appropriately considered during the 2024 legislative session.
Fairfax County Executive Brian Hill said in November that his impression was that if either Marsden or Williams’ bills received enough support in the General Assembly, and if Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed the bill, the casino could It is considered a “general entertainment” project. Hill further explained to Patch last week that the gambling company would need to appear before the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
The odds of a casino being greenlit in Fairfax County any time soon are likely long.
Much of the Tysons residential community was quick to voice its opposition to the Marsden and Williams casino proposal. Along with the Vienna City Council, officials in the neighboring city of Reston have vocally opposed gaming development.
“We firmly believe that a casino in our community, surrounded by natural areas including lakes, tree canopy and nature trails that our residents value, would be detrimental to our home property values and inconsistent with our values as a community,” Reston Association CEO Mac Cummins wrote.
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