RICHMOND, VA — Detractors of a proposed Tysons casino, which is again being considered by state lawmakers, gathered Wednesday to denounce the proposal as a plan to turn the area into a replica of the Las Vegas Strip, fueled by developers with no consideration for the wishes of local residents and promoted with false promises of good jobs and easy tax revenue.
A vocal opponent of the Tysons casino proposal, Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) hosted a news conference Wednesday in the Virginia State Capitol to give lawmakers a sense of the opposition Senate Bill 982 faces in Fairfax County.
There are lobbyists up and down the hallway in the General Assembly, and I’ll just tell you that the arm twisting has begun in full force to build political support,” Boysko told casino opponents.
Speakers included Boysko, Sen. Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax), Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill), Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville), Vienna Mayor Linda J.Colbert, No Fairfax Casino Coaltion Chair Lynne Mulston, and Paula Martino, president of the Tysons Stakeholder Alliance. Del. Irene Shin (D-Herndon) was also on hand to lend support, but she did not speak.
Twenty-nine members of the No Fairfax Casino Coalition traveled to Richmond on Wednesday to meet with state senators and delegates who will vote on the legislation, which was referred to the Senate Gaming Subcommittee.
The following are excerpts from Wednesday’s news conference touching on the negative impacts SB982 will have on Tysons, Fairfax County and Northern Virginia, according to the opponents. View video of the full news conference on the Dranesville Supervisor’s Facebook Page.
Damages Neighborhoods, Enriches Wealthy Developers
“We represent over 50,000 voters in Fairfax County. We represent everyone in Fairfax County, not a specific district. And we are opposed to this upcoming bill. SB, 982, because it will damage the neighborhoods and it will only enrich the wealthy developers and the casino interests such as Wynn.” — Lynn Mulston, chair, No Fairfax Casino Coalition
Developer Can’t Guarantee Union Jobs
“The developer has made claims that bringing this casino will bring 5,000 union jobs. … In this project, the developer doesn’t have the authority to make this guarantee to the potential workers. We have seen this happen in other negotiations, and those negotiations did not end up including labor protections. So I say, ‘Buyer beware.’ I will stand with you on any other issue, but this is not something that you’re guaranteed to get what you want.” — Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon)
No Community In Fairfax Co. Has Asked For It
“Localities will come to us and ask for certain development. They will ask for a casino. We have seen it in the last casino bills that have gone through Richmond, that have gone through the General Assembly. We have not seen that from any localities or the ones that I represent, cities of Falls Church and Fairfax, Fairfax County, or the Town of Vienna.” — Sen. Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax)
Tysons Economic Engine Of Northern Virginia
“I love being able to go to Tysons. We’ve got great shops there. We’ve got great restaurants there.I don’t even mind seeing the tall buildings. It is the economic engine of our area of Virginia. So now all that is wonderful, but there are other ways to raise funds, not a casino.” — Mayor Linda J.Colbert, Town of Vienna
Related: No Fairfax Casino Coalition Heads To Richmond To Voice Opposition
This Is A Land-Use Bill; VA Does Not Do Land Use
“This is a land-use bill. In Virginia, the state does not do land use. That is a local issue, but this is a bill that talks about square footage. It talks about use type. It talks about location. That’s land use. So every local official in the Commonwealth of Virginia needs to worry about this bill, because this is a new and frightening development in terms of state involvement in land use.” — Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill)
Tysons Strip Will Be Just Like Las Vegas Strip
“We have tried to create a commercial area where we are attracting Fortune 500 companies, where we are making it easier to get to and from work, where we are making it easier to live near work. We’re doing something to basically create a downtown in Fairfax County. It’s where you want to locate your business. It’s where, if you want to walk to work, you can do it. It’s where, if you live somewhere else, you hop on the Silver Line and you get there. The Tysons Strip, because that’s what we’re going to call it from now on, the Tysons Strip, just like the Las Vegas Strip, threatens that plan.” — Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville)
View Of Tysons Casino From Ground Zero
“We are the closest communities to this proposed site. We are indeed at Ground Zero, and we want to be heard. Between our communities, that’s 4,000 people and about 900 school children who will be impacted by this development. … We love the walkability. We love being able to get on the Silver Line and go downtown for a baseball game. I love going downtown and visiting friends. We love all of the development that has occurred around us. Our community worked collaboratively with Meridian when The Boro was going up, and we have a great relationship with them. Comstock Development has never contacted our community.” — Paula Martino, president, Tysons Stakeholder Alliance
Read all of Patch’s reporting on the plan to build a casino on Metro’s Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.
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