Reply to Comstock doubled down again on Casino in Reston

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Letter from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to the Virginia State Legislature: https://twitter.com/KatieLusso/status/1751095440534069590

Excerpt:

[quote]Unlike other jurisdictions that received the authority to hold a referendum to host a casino, Fairfax County did not seek such authority and has not been substantively involved in the development of the casino concept envisioned by stakeholders and the patron of the legislation. It likely comes as no surprise to you that the location and concept included in the legislation and reported in the media has generated significant community concern and opposition. Furthermore, since a community engagement process was not conducted prior to the bill being introduced as it was in other jurisdictions, we believe the bill in its current form is likely to result in strong community opposition to the future referendum.

While we understand the Commonwealth's desire to collect additional state tax revenue from residents of Northern Virginia, we do not believe our residents would accept the revenue share prescribed in current statute and in the pending legislation. As the law stands today, the Commonwealth would receive over 70 percent of the gaming tax revenue generated by a Fairfax County casino. This is especially relevant given the fact that the location outlined in the bill has the potential to generate significant local tax revenue without a casino.

A stated rationale for the legislation is the need to revitalize Tysons. While the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shift to remote/hybrid work has, of course, impacted Fairfax County's commercial office market, we feel the need to emphasize that Tysons and especially the Class A office space in close proximity to Tysons' four Silver Line Metro stations continue to thrive. Tysons continues to attract new corporations and create new jobs. Tysons has a blossoming entertainment district, anchored by Capital One Hall, a premier performing arts venue, and a state-of-the-art baseball stadium.[/quote][/quote]

While the location has the potential to generate tax revenue, the residents of that area will never allow anything to be built there. You could make that argument about any arbitrary parcel of land in Fairfax County. So, that argument is irrelevant. You could argue about the additional burden on local services without reimbursement. Oh well. Some day, we will get someone in charge in Fairfax County that isn't a tool. [/quote]
The “risk” is that Fairfax County is very large and includes many voters who rarely drive out to McLean or Reston or the surrounding area, and rarely if ever use the Silver metro line.  I could see residents in Lorton, Fort Belvoir, Clifton, and Burke (the legislative sponsor) voting in favor of the casino since it largely won’t affect them unless it ends up reducing overall county tax revenues.  Many in those areas might like the idea of driving out to Tyson’s once a year for some concert, and they could probably care less about the impacts to the quality of life in the surrounding residential communities.[/quote]

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