Members of a group strongly opposed to building a casino in Fairfax County, Virginia, made the trip to Richmond on Wednesday to lobby against the proposal and express their concerns.
“We are standing together to protect our community and ensure our voices are heard,” said Lynne Mulston, who leads the No Fairfax Casino Coalition, an advocacy group opposed to the legislation. “The proposed casino threatens the fabric of our larger community.”
Virginia state Sens. Jennifer Boysko and Saddam Salim joined the group, along with Fairfax County Supervisors Walter Alcorn and Jimmy Bierman.
Legislation being considered by the General Assembly would pave the way for the possibility of a casino in Fairfax County — likely in the Tysons area.
“Putting a casino into that environment does not make any sense,” Bierman said. “In the rules of a casino, the house always wins, but that does not mean that this is a good economic development plan for Fairfax County.”
While some lawmakers claim a casino would generate substantial tax revenue for the county and the state, Bierman argued it would conflict with comprehensive development plans already established by local officials.
He said those current plans focus on transforming Tysons into “the commercial downtown hub of Fairfax County” and “a location where we expand upon our housing opportunities and create a family-friendly environment.”
“This bill ties the hands of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors,” Boysko said. “There are lobbyists up and down the hallways of the General Assembly and I’ll just tell you that the arm twisting has begun.”
The topic of a casino in the county has been raised before in the General Assembly, but it has never received enough support to move forward. This time, it was introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, the Virginia Senate majority leader.
“It would generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue for both the Commonwealth and Fairfax County,” Surovell said.
If approved, Surovell’s bill would allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to hold a referendum on the project, which would move the issue to local voters for a vote.
“A lot of the opponents are basically saying that this bill authorizes a casino in the county — it doesn’t,” Surovell said. “All the bill does is authorize a process by which the voters could eventually approve one.”
The project wouldn’t only call for a casino; it would include a massive entertainment complex featuring a hotel, concert venue and convention center.
One of the main arguments raised by critics has been that it would increase traffic gridlock in the Tysons area, which is already congested.
In response to that, Surovell said the project would need to be located within a quarter-mile of Metro’s Silver Line.
“Part of the reason the state chose to invest billions of dollars in extending the Silver Line out this way was to put exactly this kind of density and this kind of activity at this location,” Surovell said. “The whole point of Metro is to try and get people to these locations without using cars.”
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