Casino in Tysons Killed — For Now

Last week, the Virginia Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology approved Marsden’s legislation, which included plans for a new casino-anchored mixed-use development in Tysons that would also feature a conference center, a hotel and a concert venue. The development would have been at the former Bentley and Aston Martin dealership at 8546 Leesburg Pike, which is part of the long-discussed six-building, 3 million-square-foot development known as The View.

Plans for The View, which is owned by a partnership between the Clemente Development Company and Saudi Arabian businessman Khaled Juffali, were approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2019.

Even with the bill being carried over, legislators have not abandoned the idea of a casino coming to the Tysons area, and hinted that a revamped bill could be in the works and introduced again next year.

Marsden, a Democrat from Burke, Va., last year introduced a similar bill but withdrew the proposal before an official vote. 

During Thursday’s vote, Marsden noted he had talked to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors about his legislation. While board members expressed concerns about the process, he said, they did not take a position against the bill and did not “step forward to oppose the bill.”

Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Board’s chairman, sent a letter last week to state legislative leaders claiming that Tysons has the potential to generate significant local tax revenue without a casino, and was unhappy that Marsden’s proposal called for the county to only receive 30 percent of gaming revenues brought in by a casino.

Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.