How Richmond will benefit from the proposed ONE Casino + Resort
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Alfred Liggins is betting on Richmond voters to join him in bringing a major new private sector economic development project to the city.
ONE Casino + Resort, Liggins’ 565 million-dollar proposal in South Richmond, will ultimately include a 250-room 4-Star luxury hotel and a 100,000-square-foot gaming floor. The resort will also have a 3,000-capacity theater featuring 200 live shows annually in partnership with concert guru Live Nation plus a production studio and 15,000-square-foot sound stage. There will also be 55 acres of green space that will be open for all to enjoy, complete with trails, community gardens and a walk-through arboretum. The proposal includes plenty of retail shops, craft breweries and sit-down restaurants to satiate any food aficionado.
If approved on the November ballot, construction will begin immediately, with completion set for October 2024. The project, located at the long-neglected Phillip Morris industrial area at Commerce Road and Walmsley Boulevard, is expected to generate 3,000 construction jobs, 1,500 permanent jobs (with profit-sharing for employees) and more than $500 million in new tax revenue in the first ten years that the city can use for schools, teacher salaries, roads, community programs and more. It will also make Urban One the only Black majority owned casino in the country. The company will partner with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, owner of the Colonial Downs racetrack and Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums, to operate the casino.
“This is not a box with slots machines,” said Liggins, Urban One chief executive officer. “This is a significant investment in a community that will bring inclusivity in terms of jobs, revenue sharing and tourism. Up to now, Richmond has not really benefitted from the kind of entertainment that its consumers want and deserve. We are excited to be the catalyst to start this change.”
Today, Urban One is the largest black-owned distributor of urban content in the country. Liggins himself has spent the past 41 years working in multiple positions in the company founded by his mother and business partner, Cathy Hughes. Liggins, serving as the company’s architect, diversified Urban One from radio to the cable and gaming industries. Since 1999, Urban One has operated several Richmond radio stations, including KISS-FM, Praise 104.7, iPower 92.1, The Box Classic Hip Hop, and through a shared services agreement with Summit Media ESPN Richmond, K95 Country, Classic Rock 96.5, Awesome 100.9 and 103.7 Your Variety.
“With our deep ties already established in the community for the past two decades, we will continue — with the help of this project — to channel our efforts to those communities and residents who need it most.
“Longevity, consistency and success. That’s the mentality that we bring to everything we do. We have an extraordinary track record of staying in the communities we have entered,” Liggins said. “We build economic enterprises that support and give back to the community, and we nurture those entities for the long haul.”
As part of the project, Liggins said the company will also be infusing $16 million in charitable contributions, programs and initiatives into the Richmond community through partnerships with local organizations including Virginia Union University, Communities in Schools of Richmond and so many others.
For Richmond voters, ONE Casino + Resort is more than just a casino — it’s a resort destination underscored by a commitment to the local community and its diversity.
