Fairfax On line casino Opponents Urge Supervisors to Be a part of Marketing campaign
Opponents of permitting a business on line casino resort in Virginia’s Tysons within the Washington, D.C., metro are hoping to draw the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to their trigger.
Fairfax neighborhood members against efforts to deliver a on line casino to the Virginia county maintain a rally. The “No On line casino Coalition” is looking on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to put in writing its state lawmakers to oppose the gaming push in 2025 ought to one come up. (Picture: No On line casino Coalition)
A grassroots group of Fairfax County residents behind the “No On line casino Coalition” says the struggle will not be over to forestall a on line casino from coming to Tysons. Although state efforts within the Richmond capital to designate Fairfax as a professional host county for a on line casino failed this yr, the coalition says talks may resume through the 2025 legislative session.
Annually, Virginia counties put together legislative agendas that they undergo their state representatives in Richmond. “No On line casino Coalition” members wish to ensure that the Fairfax authorities stresses its opposition to a on line casino.
The on line casino difficulty will not be useless,” Sally Horn, a member of the group, stated throughout a gathering of the Sully District Council of Residents Associations final week. Her feedback had been first reported by the Fairfax Times.
The “No On line casino Coalition” web site says it has the help of 12 householders associations and native municipalities. They embrace the Clarks Crossing Properties Affiliation, Fairfax Federation of Residents Affiliation, Nice Falls Residents Affiliation, Better Tysons Residents Coalition, Mason District Council, McClean Residents Affiliation, McClean Hunt Householders Affiliation, Reston Residents Affiliation, Shouse Village Neighborhood Affiliation, Sully District Council, Vienna Council, and Western Fairfax County Residents Affiliation.
County Supervisors Petitioned
“No On line casino Coalition” is asking the Fairfax Supervisors to put in writing the state lawmakers, particularly state Sen. David Marsden (D-Fairfax) who spearheaded the 2024 on line casino effort, asking them to oppose on line casino laws. Such a plea would possible be properly obtained, as a majority of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in January stated they opposed Marsden’s on line casino push.
County Chair Jeff McKay instructed the general public throughout a gathering that the supervisors had been stored out of Marsden’s politicking, which he was orchestrating with regional actual property companies Comstock Firms and Clemente Growth. Each entities are managed by members of the Clemente household.
“What occurred is that folks in a vacuum labored on a plan and went to Richmond with out coordinating with Fairfax County,” McKay stated on the time. “None of these teams have come formally, sat down with us and requested, ‘Hey, right here’s what we’re proposing. Will Fairfax County interact in dialog with us?’”
On line casino Proponents Urge Diversification
Fairfax County and Tysons the place Marsden proposed permitting Comstock/Clemente to develop a on line casino on the positioning of a former auto dealership alongside Route 7 depends closely on workplace actual property to prop up the financial system. Nonetheless, a lot of the world’s huge business actual property has remained vacant since COVID-19.
Marsden says that’s resulting in lowered property valuations of the workplace complexes and decrease property tax revenue for the county. Marsden believes to proceed the standard of life that draws many businesspeople from D.C. to the Virginia suburbs, householders may very well be placed on the hook to make up these tax losses.
It’s a place shared by state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), who is almost all chief of the Democratic Get together.
There’s an actual have to attempt to determine a method to assist plug the property tax gap that’s going to occur,” Surovell stated in January. “If we would like good faculties, the burden of offsetting tax income goes to fall on householders. The county wants extra income sources.”
