Alexandria Gazette Packet

    Map shows what Comstock owns versus what properties it must acquire to build its casino-anchored entertainment establishment in Tysons
  

Last Monday, the Virginia Senate Gaming Subcommittee advanced Senate Bill No. 982 in a vote of 5-2 to the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee, despite community opposition “lined up almost out the door,” as Sen. Christopher Head (R-Alleghany County) described in the meeting. 

The subcommittee pushed SB982, introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), to the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 9 a.m. The bill proposes to allow Fairfax County residents to vote in a referendum on a casino in Tysons. Only Tysons and a specific area therein fulfill the parameters of SB982

According to § 58.1-4123, the governing body of any locality containing an eligible host locality (Fairfax County) “shall petition the court, by resolution, asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether casino gaming shall be permitted within the locality.” 

Then, “the court, by order entered of record …  shall require the regular election officials of the locality to open the polls and take the sense of the voters on the question as herein provided.” 

Where does SB982 stand as of Monday, January 27?

Given that passage of SB982 and its enactment would require a local referendum, some voters in Fairfax County are again hoping to thwart the bill's passage. Members of No Fairfax Casino are returning to Richmond on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to oppose SB982 at the Senate of Virginia Finance & Appropriations Committee meeting. 

On Jan. 26, Lynne Mulston, chair of No Fairfax Casino, said their project supporters (opponents of the casino) are over 50,000 strong and are growing daily in numbers as they oppose a casino anywhere in Fairfax County. She explained that the No Fairfax Coalition is a special project of the Reston Citizens Association, a 501(c) 3 organization, a nonprofit. 

What are some key arguments of proponents and those opposed to a Fairfax casino establishment?

Sen. Surovell said at last week’s Gaming Committee meeting that the project would generate billions of dollars in revenue, possibly up to $183 million for school construction. 

Mulston said on Sunday that No Fairfax Casino's comments are similar in content to those of retired U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (D-10) (1981-2015), who wrote a letter to the Chairman and Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 1, 2024. “While casino proponents continue to argue that a casino would increase Fairfax County's tax revenues and thereby decrease the need to raise property taxes or reduce services to balance the County budget in future years, the argument is dead wrong,” wrote Wolf. “Casinos do not grow local economies and are not the answer to balancing local budgets. In fact, casinos do considerable damage to local businesses,” Wolf said.

According to Wolf:

• “Tax revenue data reported by state tax and gaming authorities in states that have hosted casinos for years is clear: In the first few years, tax revenues increase in both real and inflation-adjusted terms. But over time, the inflation-adjusted tax revenues are flat or trend downward.”

• “For every $1 in casino tax revenue, the social costs in crime and added welfare payments associated with casinos are estimated by scholars to be between $3-12.” 

Wolf said in his letter that “a casino would upend the lives of so many families and may change the fabric of Fairfax County, the Town of Vienna, and surrounding communities.”

The bishop of the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia, Michael Francis Burbidge, made statements regarding the proposed casino in his Oct. 7, 2024, episode of The Walk Humbly Podcast. According to a transcript of the episode, Burbidge said, “[Gambling] has the power to become an addiction and an addiction that leads to dangerous behavior, in using what is hard-earned money for gambling purposes, and then upon losing that money. Then you're not able to provide for what you should be using that money for in the care of your family.” 

Didn’t Comstock plan a different project at the exact location in Tysons? 

This is not the first time Comstock Partners, LC., or its affiliate companies have proposed a project at 8550 Leesburg Pike in Vienna. In 2017, Clemente Development designed a proposal for the project called The View, with Gensler as the architect and Tysons Development LLC as the applicant for the same site as the current casino-anchored project.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors eventually approved the developer’s scaled-down project for The View at Tysons, losing its proposed 600-plus-foot tower. It would have been the tallest building in Virginia. Comstock Cos. canceled The View in 2020 at the final leg of the county’s lengthy approval process after which Comstock’s project required zoning approval, and construction was expected to begin in a few months. 

Who opposed The View?

The county-approved project received pushback from residents, including members of the McLean Citizens Association. The developer reduced the planned project to feature a 455-foot office tower. Comstock downsized the planned 500-seat theatre to a 199-seat black box theater and submitted other changes.

Has the developer Comstock backed out of other projects besides The View?

Most recently, on Dec. 6, 2024, Comstock Herndon Venture LC notified the Town of Herndon of the company’s election not to proceed with the construction of the downtown redevelopment project. The original agreement between the town and Comstock is dated 2017, with multiple amendments to the Comprehensive Agreement, extending the outside satisfaction date to start construction, but no construction occurred.

Virginia Delegate Irene Shin (D-8), who lives in the town, posted on Facebook on Dec. 10, 2024, “Comstock did not honor their end of the deal. I assume they will have to transfer the land back to the Town.” 

What is Comstock planning for their Tyson’s site?

BLDUP reported early in the second week of January that Comstock is pitching a project at 8550 Leesburg Pike in Vienna. The location is within one-eighth a mile of the Spring Hill Metro Station on the Silver Line. The Comstock/Wynn casino-anchored project could offer a performing arts venue, a convention center, and a 600-room hotel. The proposal includes housing with at least 20 percent affordable units.

A Comstock Cos. photo shows early renderings of the casino gaming establishment. One of the buildings, which anchors the 6-8 million-square-foot development, has “Encore” written on it. 

“The planned project site for the casino gaming establishment is currently owned by Tysons Development LLC, a partnership of Clemente Development Co. and a Saudi businessman who had planned a 5-building, 3 million-square-foot development for the property,” states BLDUP. 

Does developer Comstock and partners own all the land envisioned for a casino gaming establishment?

One challenge with the planned site for the casino gaming establishment is that Comstock et al do not own the entire parcel planned for its casino gaming establishment. They do own two parcels within the larger planned parcel. See map.

To watch a Senate of Virginia meeting, go to the following website and click View Event beside the meeting you want to watch.

http://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3