With a recent Danville casino construction update, we should soon see plenty of progress on Caesars Danville Casino.
In 2020 Danville residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the $500 million casino, hotel and resort. It was one of four cities that approved of casinos in Virginia.
Now, Danville officials are preparing for some significant steps in the Danville casino construction process for an expected 2023 opening.
And that includes a big decision for officials to make next month.
Choosing a contractor for Danville casino construction
Officials will build Caesars Casino Resort Danville on the site of the former Dan River Mills industrial complex.
Robert Livingston, senior vice president of development for Caesars Entertainment, spoke during Tuesday’s Danville City Council meeting. According to Livingston, crews have already begun demolition and clean-up work on the site.
The industrial complex is nestled along the Dan River in the Schoolfield area. The area needed substantial clearing to make room for the eventual Danville casino complex. Workers have been busy on the site since September, but significant demo work remains.
In January, Caesars officials will begin accepting bids for the project’s general contractor. Bids are due in the next few weeks, and officials hope to make a selection soon afterward.
Reps from national and regional construction firms were in Danville to inspect the site.
As Livingston said:
“The Danville construction market is just not big enough on its own to cover everything needed for this project.”
New construction will likely begin in the spring.
Caesars’ focus on the local community
The Danville casino construction is a multi-faceted project. After all, in addition to the actual casino, Caesars Casino Resort Danville will have:
- A 500-room hotel
- World Series of Poker Room
- Caesars Sportsbook
- Meeting and convention space
- Bars, restaurants and retail space
Danville and Caesars officials are looking for ways to get as many local and minority-owned businesses and contractors involved in the massive, half-billion-dollar undertaking.
Once officials select a general contractor, they’ll be “expected to hold outreach and informational sessions.”
It’s part of a pledge to Danville, Livingston said:
“We’ve made important commitments to the community,” he said. “We intend to keep those commitments. We are asking each general contractor bidding on this work to explain to us their track records in working with minority contractors.”
For a look at what the final project will look like, check out the latest Danville casino renderings.
