Wearing matching bright red t-shirts that read “No Tysons Casino,” Fairfax County residents descended on Richmond on Monday to testify to the Virginia Senate Gaming Subcommittee, trying to defeat a bill that would bring a controversial new casino to Tysons.
Despite the opposition, the Gaming Subcommittee advanced Senate Bill 982 to the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee with a vote of 5-2, with one lawmaker abstaining.
Introduced by Senator Scott Surovell (D-Alexandria), a member of the Gaming Subcommittee, the legislation proposes a casino designed explicitly for Tysons, authorizing a “casino gaming establishment” of at least 1.5 million square feet situated outside the I-495 Beltway, within 400 yards of a Metro Silver Line station and two miles of a shopping mall. If the General Assembly passes the bill and Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs it, Fairfax County voters must still approve a referendum to allow a casino.
Established on Sept. 15, 2023, Comstock Hospitality Holdings LLC has promoted the casino over the past year and a half. It is a business offshoot of Comstock Holding Companies Inc., based in Reston and established in 2004 by area real estate magnate Christopher Daniel Clement. The property for the future casino, off Route 7, is owned by Tysons Development LLC, a joint venture of Clement Development Company and Khaled Juffali Co., named for a global equity investor based in Saudi Arabia with multimillion-dollar real estate purchases from London to Dusseldorf, Germany, and Athens, Greece, according to promotional material announcing the purchase.
Surovell, who listened to opponents with a pen in his mouth, brushed off the concerns of the local residents, attributing their opposition to a “Not In My Backyard,” or “NIMBY,” mindset. “To my perspective, this is a lot of NIMBY stuff dressed up in a different set of clothing,” he told the subcommittee and the local Fairfax County residents. Surovell didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Surovell argued the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors hadn’t yet taken a position on the bill and that “local concerns” should be directed to the Board of Supervisors. He said the casino would become the “most lucrative casino in the Commonwealth,” jump-starting “school construction,” increasing tax revenues, and creating new jobs.
The legislation includes the creation of a “hotel and entertainment district,” with plans for a convention center, concert venue, conference center, IMAX movie theater center, and venue for sporting events.
The Senate General Laws and Technology Committee was scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss the legislation.
Opposition by local residents
At the Monday hearing, Connie Hartke, a member of the Reston Citizens Association, testified the casino would benefit “private interests” and not the “Fairfax County community.” She warned that “problem gambling” would flood the area.
Robert Perito, a board member of the McLean Citizens Association and former director of the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program at the U.S. Justice Department, said that the casino would represent a “threat” to national security. As reported, a coalition of 109 national security experts, including former CIA covert operations officer Valerie Plame, submitted a letter of protest to the planned casino, arguing they have “acute concern” about a casino at Tysons “within walking or easy driving distance for tens of thousands of federal employees, civilian defense and intelligence contractors, and U.S. military personnel.”
Jennifer Falcone, a local resident representing the Great Falls Citizens Association on the No Casino Coalition, told lawmakers she supports an “entertainment district” in Tysons but not a casino. She said, “An entertainment district will bring jobs and revenue to our county without a casino.”
Paula Martino, president of the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance, said the bill is “premature.” She said, “Neither the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors nor a single community in Tysons” asked for the legislation earmarking a casino for “one site” by “one developer” at Tysons.
Claudia Diamond, president of the Townhomes of Westwood Village in Tysons, testified that transportation is the “bane of our existence” and said that a casino would overwhelm existing gridlock in the area.
The No Casino Coalition describes itself as “a grassroots group of Fairfax citizens working to make it known to policymakers, the media, and developers that a casino development is not welcome in Fairfax County.” The coalition argues that the casino will “hurt local business, increase gridlock and public safety problems, lower property values, and encourage risky behaviors,” negatively impacting the “character” of Fairfax County.
Political contributions and pro-casino lobbyists
After suffering the defeat of its casino proposal in early February 2024, Comstock Holding Companies and Comstock Hospitality Holdings beefed up their lobbying and government relations operations. Last year, between June and November, the two companies retained the work of at least 10 lobbyists at five firms to represent their interests, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which documents political contributions and lobbying contracts.
Last year, Comstock Hospitality Holdings also added two additional lobbyists to its employment ranks.
According to records, Comstock Holding Companies Inc. donated $10,000 to Virginia Senator Stella Pekarsky (D-Centreville). Comstock Hospitality Holdings funneled $594,647 in political contributions to political organizations and lawmakers this past year, including $29,566 to Surovell, who introduced the casino legislation, and $50,000 to Virginia Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth).
Labor support for the casino
Members of various labor unions also flooded this week’s subcommittee hearing to support the construction of the casino at Tysons, along with a representative of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
Julie Coons, president and chief executive officer of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said that a casino will “diversify” and “broaden” tax revenue. “Let Northern Virginians decide how to best meet their needs,” she said.
Doris Crouse-Mays, president of the Virginia AFL-CIO, said labor unions and the Chamber of Commerce are united in supporting the casino, in a rare agreement between labor unions and business interests, saying, “We need to take that opportunity.”
Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO, said that union members “support this bill.” She said the plan represents an “unprecedented, historical” opportunity to create 5,000 union jobs. She emphasized that union hospitality workers would earn enough to “support their family on one job,” get healthcare for their families, earn pensions, and secure the “dignity” and “respect” of negotiated labor contracts.
Claudia Arko, a registered lobbyist for Fairfax County, said county government officials haven’t taken a position on the bill, saying the county is “very supportive of labor” but is “concerned” about the finances behind the plan and is focused on other priorities, including funding for the county’s public schools.
On “Lobby Day” last week in Richmond, area lawmakers stood with area residents in the Senate Press Room, opposing the casino. They included Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) and Senator Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax), Fairfax County Supervisors Walter Alcorn and Jimmy Bierman, Vienna Town Mayor Linda Colbert, and Vienna Town Council Member Chuck Anderson.
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