PETERSBURG, Va. -- This week the General Assembly will decide if Petersburg residents will get to vote this November on whether to bring a casino to their city.
As Petersburg waits on the House and Senate to repass an amended bill when the General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday, Sen. Lashrece Aird brought in potential operators who are hoping to secure the city's bid to build.
Aird said she pre-emptively held the town hall to introduce the community to the five operators that hope to secure the potential bid.
She said the city council picks who gets the potential bid. However, she said she felt this town hall was important to create a transparent process for the potentially significant economic development.
Hundreds of people came out Sunday afternoon to hear what those proposed casinos could look like.
Penn National Gaming is one operator Petersburg City Council is considering. If awarded the bid they said they would build the Casino and resort on Frontage Road off of I-95.
Their proposal included a casino, ESPN bet sportsbook, restaurants, a 200-room hotel, retail space, and an 8,000-person amphitheater partnered with Live Nation.
The Cordish Companies then gave their presentation. They were who Petersburg leaders had picked as a potential partner in 2022.
Former Virginia Hall of Famer Bruce Smith presented with them. He said he would be a codeveloper on the project.
Their pitch included a 50/50 partnership of ownership between the Cordish family and a group of Virginia business owners and athletes.
They proposed the location of the casino being off of Wagner Road and I-95. Renderings in their proposal included a casino, restaurants, two hotels, and entertainment spaces.
Rush Street Rivers Casino pitched third. They recently designed and opened the casino in Portsmouth. They said they would have up to 40% minority investment and ownership.
They pitched that their design would include a casino, hotel, business and entertainment spaces. They also added that they are considering a location off of County Drive and said they have an agreement in place with a local union group.
Top leadership of Bally’s presented their casino resort pitch fourth. They said they plan to have 15% of the equity of the company be from local people.
They claimed they are looking at a location off of I-95 on Rivers Road, and plan to have a temporary casino as they build.
Their proposed design included a casino, 500-room hotel, restaurants, and entertainment space.
Last to present at the town hall was the Warrenton Group. They proposed developing the casino off of South Crater Road.
They said they have partnerships with unions and also plan to have a temporary casino while they build. Their design included a casino, restaurants, entertainment, 200-room hotels, a workforce housing complex, a healthcare facility and a culinary training program.
Some residents in attendance shared they believe this type of project is exactly what Petersburg needs.
“I think we need one here and it will help the economy,” said one woman.
“We Could use the employment,” shared another.
But others in attendance strongly oppose the proposed casino.
“This is a direct transfer of wealth from people who are already economically devastated. They are promising to do things with our money we are giving them,” one woman said.
If House or Senate on Wednesday rejects the amendment to add the referendum this November, the original bill goes back to Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
The governor will have to decide if he wants to sign the bill as originally passed by the General Assembly. In that case another vote on the issue would happen in 2025. His other option is to veto the bill altogether.
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