Tag Archives: Petersburg

Petersburg Casino: Is Youngkin Channeling Wilder and Should Biden, Warner, or Trump Care?

Posted on February 14, 2023 by | 10 comments

Doug Wilder

by Paul Goldman

Race has too long defined Virginia politics. Several efforts to change this dynamic are discussed in my book Remaking Virginia Politics. My gut senses 2023 may feature another noteworthy moment on the road to Dr. King’s dream. The fight between Petersburg and Richmond over a casino license is currently not seen in this light. Neither by the General Assembly. Nor the Virginia media. Let me humbly discuss an alternative view. Based on my experience helping to move Virginia forward.

In Virginia’s political lexicon, Governor Glenn Youngkin is a conservative white Republican. While winning the governorship, he got barely 13% of the vote in Petersburg. His worst showing in any city. Hardly surprising given the city’s roughly 75% black electorate, 85% Democratic in partisan terms. The city has long been economically challenged, with a high poverty rate. Yet Governor Youngkin has made reviving Petersburg a top priority. Conventional political wisdom, to paraphrase singer Johnny Lee, says he is looking for love in all the wrong places. I disagree. Continue reading →

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Posted in Economic development

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Roller Coaster Casino Ride

Posted on February 6, 2023 by | 12 comments

by Jon Baliles

The road to a casino in the General Assembly is on a roller coaster ride that is careening down the hill and likely to jump the tracks at any minute. Last week alone, the bill that would allow a casino referendum in Petersburg and block a second one in Richmond until Petersburg has a chance has taken the following ride:

  • Cleared a Finance General Laws subcommittee on a 7-2 vote on January 26;
  • Cleared a Senate General Laws committee on a 11-4 vote Wednesday;
  • Failed in a Senate Finance committee on a 7-8 vote Thursday evening;
  • Cleared a House of Delegates General Laws subcommittee on a 5-2 vote on Tuesday;
  • Cleared a House of Delegates General Laws committee vote 7-4 on Thursday;
  • Cleared the House of Delegates Appropriations committee 11-9 on Friday afternoon.

So what’s next? Well, there are three possibilities: (1) the bill dies because the House and Senate won’t find a suitable compromise, which means the Petersburg proposal could vanish and Richmond gets another referendum; (2) the Petersburg referendum is inserted into the final budget language (as it was last year) and their referendum will proceed and Richmond’s put on hold; or (3) the zombie apocalypse will commence.

Personally, I’m rooting for the apocalypse. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business and Economy

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Tumblin’ Dice

Posted on December 19, 2022 by | 18 comments

by Jon Baliles

The casino project proposal in Petersburg was unveiled this week and it is a big one. In poker terminology, it could be considered an “all-in” proposal. The Progress–Index reports that The Cordish Companies propose a $1.4 billion “‘city within a city’ of entertainment, retail, office and residential property. Its centerpiece would be Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia, a 670,000-square foot complex that would include more than 200 hotel rooms, an entertainment arena, and more than 2,000 slot machines and 60 gaming tables.”

The proposal got the nod from Petersburg City Council this week as they formalized the partnership, but it still has to run the gauntlet at the General Assembly, and then a referendum of the voters in Petersburg. It also has to survive a chess-match of lobbying against Richmond as they try to get their casino off of life support and back to the ballot for the third time after it was rejected by voters in 2021, and then blocked by legislation in the state budget, and then withdrawn from consideration in 2022. Third time is the charm!

The Petersburg project location at Wagner Road and Interstate 95 has a lot of room to grow and the proposal even has a few (but smaller) similarities to the Green City Project in Henrico, except with a casino instead of an arena as its focal point. It, like Green City, will be built in phases and have two hotels and a large retail and residential component.

Cordish envisions building out the development in three phases, with the casino and hotel going up first. The second phase would be growing more retail businesses and possible entertainment amenities such as movie theaters around the casino and hotel. The third phase, according to Cordish, would be development of around 1,300 residential units and an eventual second hotel toward the back of the property. Continue reading →

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Posted in Economic development, Uncategorized

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