Residents in Fairfax County are voicing their disapproval of the bill that would allow a casino in Tysons, and several members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors aren’t too happy about the idea either.
The bill, SB-675, is sponsored by Sen. David Marsden, whose district covers part of Fairfax County. It gives the county the authority to host a casino as part of a mixed-use district. The site would have to be outside the Capital Beltway, within a quarter-mile of a Metro station and two miles of a shopping center. Any casino proposal would have to pass a referendum.
Marsden introduced a similar bill in 2022; it went nowhere. He has previously said he thinks a spot near the Spring Hill Metro station would be ideal, and told WUSA9 earlier this month that the area needs a casino: They’re starting to open in southern Virginia; the commercial real estate market is drying up, and that 30 percent of the proceeds of the MGM Grand casino in Prince George’s County, Maryland, comes from Virginia.
“Do I think casinos are a great thing? No, I don’t,” he told WUSA9. “It’s the reality that we have to do.”
A Change.org petition against the idea has drawn nearly 2,100 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, and last week’s Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting featured several members who opposed the idea.
Board Chairman Jeff McKay, in a letter to the leaders of the Virginia House and Senate, said the county never asked for the authority to hold a casino referendum and was not consulted by any potential developers. He added that the idea “is likely to result in strong community opposition to the future referendum.”
McKay also said that under state law, 70 percent of the taxes that come from casino revenues would go to the state — an arrangement his constituents were unlikely to support.
Marsden reiterated to WUSA9 that the any casino project would have to be supported by a majority of voters. “That’s democracy,” he said.
Feature image of I-495, courtesy FAM Construction
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