The Petersburg City Council approved the casino plans proposed by the Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith on Monday morning. That means a Petersburg casino proposal will be on ballots in November and if passed, construction can begin.
The city council’s approval came quickly after the Virginia Lottery also approved the plans. If passed by voters, Petersburg will be the fifth and final host city for a casino in the Commonwealth.
While an exciting milestone for those involved, the job is far from finished. Richmond voters have proven twice that counting on voter approval could be a slippery slope. It appears Petersburg will add itself to the Virginia casino market for now, but nothing is set in stone until the votes are counted.
The Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to approve Virginia’s fifth casino
The motion to approve the Petersburg casino was swift and ended unanimously in favor of the proposal to the tune of a 7-0 vote by the Petersburg City Council.
Vice Mayor Darrin Hill first motioned to approve the action, which is fitting. The new casino will be built in Ward 2, which Hill oversees. Ward 7 Councilor Arnold Westbrook Jr. followed Hill and seconded the motion quickly after. Once that process was completed, it took just two hours for the motion to be sent to the desk of Circuit Court Judge Dennis Martin and signed.
This process is necessary because, according to Virginia law, a circuit court judge must approve any referendum before it can be printed on the ballot and sent to voters. This vote was held after the Virginia Lottery approved the Petersburg casino plans via letter on July 9.
The referendum that residents will be voting on reads as follows:
Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in Petersburg, Virginia, located on an approximate 92.5-acre development site located off Interstate 95 at Wagner Road along Brassfield Parkway in the City of Petersburg as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?
There are currently three operational Virginia casinos. Rivers Casino Portsmouth is the only casino operating out of its permanent facility. Caesars Danville and Hard Rock Bristol both operate out of temporary venues while the permanent construction is completed. The fourth Virginia casino is set to be built in Norfolk, but it has been stuck in an architectural review process for virtually half of the last year.
A Petersburg casino is also permitted to operate out of a temporary facility while construction occurs.
The operator for this new Petersburg casino has also been confirmed. The process was controversial, but the team of Cordish Companies and former NFL player Bruce Smith won the bid.
If approved, Cordish and Bruce Smith will build a Live! Casino and Hotel in Petersburg
Confusion and mystery surrounded the vote to accept the bid made by Cordish Companies and the Bruce Smith Enterprise.
Many, including City Manager John Altman Jr. and Senator Lashrecse Aird, who represents Petersburg, were under the impression that Bally’s would be awarded the operator license if it was approved.
Then suddenly in a closed-door meeting, the Petersburg City Council awarded the bid to Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith before rushing out to their cars and leaving without speaking to the media.
Despite the controversy, Bruce Smith Enterprises and Cordish are excited about the possibility of building a Live! Casino and Hotel in Petersburg. Cordish outlined this through an issued statement.
We are thrilled and extremely honored to be selected by the city of Petersburg to co-develop a transformational mixed-use development with Bruce Smith Enterprise. … We intend to quickly open an initial first-phase casino within a year of voter approval to begin creating jobs, vendor opportunities and economic benefits immediately for the city of Petersburg and its residents. We and our partner Bruce Smith look forward to working with the city and residents of Petersburg on a successful referendum to create great jobs and business opportunities and together build a transformative economic development engine for the city.
Cordish and Bruce Smith have partnered to pay $597 million to complete the casino, hotel, and entertainment center that make up the potential Live! facility. The current proposal dedicates 92 acres of land off Wagner Road to the future home of the new Petersburg Live! Casino and Hotel. If the proposal passes, the ideal plan is to have a temporary casino unveiled by the end of 2025.
