Do-over casino referendum appears to be a go with Tuesday court order
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After narrowly rejecting the question two years ago, it appears that Richmond voters in November will be asked a second time whether the city should host a multimillion-dollar casino and resort.
A Richmond Circuit Court judge on Tuesday entered an order effectively placing the casino question on the Nov. 7 ballot via a referendum. The order followed a needed approval from the Virginia Lottery last week that likewise sets the stage for a do-over referendum on the proposed venue, a $562 million entertainment complex planned off Walmsley Boulevard in the city’s Southside.
Pending any say on the matter from Virginia legislators as they work to finalize a revised state budget, the referendum would give the city another chance at the project voters rejected in 2021 with 51.4 percent voting thumbs-down.
Mayor Levar Stoney and a majority of Richmond City Council members contend that the proposal is too good of a deal to pass up, with developer Urban One committing to pay the city $26.5 million upfront, $30 million in annual revenue expected from the facility and 1,300 jobs expected to be created.
Councilmembers argue that the project would be entirely privately financed without any funding assistance from the city. They also contend that misinformation about the project the first go-round warranted putting it to the voters a second time.
While the proposal remains largely the same, how it’s being presented by the city has changed, with Stoney and councilmembers de-emphasizing the casino part of it and referring to it instead as an entertainment venue and “destination resort.” A statement Tuesday from Stoney did not use the word “casino.”
“Richmond is experiencing record development and growth, and with the addition of a destination resort we will change the economic trajectory of Southside for years to come,” the statement from Stoney said.
Also different this go-round is the involvement of Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby operator that last year purchased Colonial Downs and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium owner Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, which was Urban One’s partner on the media giant’s then-named One Casino + Resort.
With Churchill Downs now in the mix, Urban One said in a statement Tuesday that the two companies would unveil “a new design and vision for the destination resort and entertainment complex” that “incorporates feedback from the Richmond community.” The statement did not specify when the new designs would be presented.
The project would still include a casino with table games, slots and a sports book, as well as a hotel with amenities including a pool, spa and fitness center; live entertainment and conference venues; “high-end” dining; and a 55-acre park and green space, according to the release, which was distributed by law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth.
The release included comments from Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins and Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen, who said Churchill Downs “has proven success in the development and operations of premier entertainment, gaming, and racing venues that deliver tangible and meaningful benefits for our host communities.”
“We look forward to delivering on this mission and vision in Richmond,” Carstanjen added.
The referendum could hinge on how state budget negotiations continue to play out at the Capitol. The budget adopted last year included language preventing Richmond from holding a second casino referendum until this year, and additional language could be added as the budget is revised.
Bills aimed at allowing the City of Petersburg to hold its own casino referendum have been killed in committee this year and last year. Petersburg has sought to be added to the list of eligible Virginia cities that could host a casino, though its would-be casino operator, Maryland-based Cordish Cos., has reportedly said it would not pursue the project if Richmond is allowed a second referendum.
The General Assembly in 2020 adopted legislation allowing Richmond and four other localities in Virginia to host voter-approved casinos, leading to the referendum held for Richmond the following year. Referendums in the other localities — Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth and Norfolk — passed in landslides in 2020.
