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Tag: resort

Virginia hold ’em

The slot machines are already ringing out in Bristol and Portsmouth, where Virginia’s first commercial casinos opened during the past year.

The state’s first permanent casino, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, opened its doors on Jan. 23. Operated by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, the resort has 1,148 slot machines, 57 table games and 24 poker tables, as well as a sportsbook, a Topgolf “swing suite” and multiple restaurants. The casino is expected to generate $16.3 million in annual tax revenue to the city.

However, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol was first out of the gate in the race, opening a temporary facility in July 2022. Hard Rock International Inc. broke ground in December 2022 on its $400 million permanent Southwest Virginia casino, expected to open in July 2024.

During its first six weeks, Virginians and guests from 48 other states visited the temporary Hard Rock casino, a 30,000-square-foot space with 900 gaming slots and 20 tables at the former Bristol Mall. The project generated about 600 jobs, and when the permanent casino opens with a 3,200-seat theater and a 20,000-seat outdoor entertainment venue next year, the resort is expected to create 1,500 direct jobs and bring in $21 million in annual tax revenue for Bristol.

Meanwhile, the state’s two other casinos are in the works in Norfolk and Danville.

As of early February, construction had not started on the planned temporary or permanent HeadWaters Resort & Casino on the Elizabeth River. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe-led project hit some roadblocks last year after the city halted plans for a temporary casino inside Harbor Park, the Norfolk Tides’ home stadium. The tribe then announced it would build the temporary casino in the same space in the stadium’s parking lot as the $500 million permanent casino, after the city of Norfolk sold the land to the developer.

According to Jay Smith, spokesman for the casino, construction of the permanent casino and hotel will take 18 months to two years, and both facilities are expected to generate $30 million in annual gaming and sales taxes for Norfolk.

Smith said in February that the tribe hopes to reach agreement on the land sale “in the next few weeks. We look forward to breaking ground as soon as possible.”

In Danville, plans for a temporary Caesars Virginia resort at the former Dan River Inc. mill site are moving forward, with a possible midyear opening, although Caesars Entertainment Inc. officials are keeping their cards close to the vest when it comes to details. Table game dealers were set to start training in late February in preparation for the permanent resort’s opening in late 2024.

Caesars announced a partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in August 2022, with an accompanying increased investment from $400 million to $600 million. The cash influx will mean a larger hotel, growing from 300 to 500 rooms. The project will also have a 2,500-person entertainment venue and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.

“Following COVID-19 pandemic closures, we found that regional gaming markets across the country recovered more quickly than anticipated,” explains Cory Blankenship, EBCI’s treasury secretary. “We are confident that market conditions — regional population, consumer demographics, proximity to other gaming markets and other variables — are favorable to support an expanded scope to the Danville project.” 

The fate of a fifth potential casino — either in Richmond or Petersburg — was still undecided as of this issue’s mid-February deadline. Richmond voters rejected a proposed Urban One Inc.-backed casino in late 2021, but city officials were pursuing a second referendum vote this fall, while Petersburg leaders were trying to bring a referendum to their ballots.

State lawmakers pulled from consideration two bills that would have opened the possibility for a casino in Northern Virginia, but the legislation could return for consideration during the 2024 General Assembly session. 

Tech-savvy ski resorts weather climate change

Warmer winters mean ski resorts must manufacture more snow to keep slopes open, but improved technology has helped offset costs and streamlined the process.

Wintergreen Resort has more than 400 snow guns that over the season can cover 26 trails in 3 feet of snow, says General Manager Jay Gamble. Under optimal conditions over 24 hours, the equipment could cover a football field with 35 to 40 feet of snow.

“Wintergreen has a very powerful snowmaking system,” he says, but “every year it always comes down to the weather.”

While climate conditions vary from year to year, snowmaking has long been a constant for Virginia’s resorts.

“It’s built into our business model,” says Kenny Hess, director of sports and risk management at Massanutten Resort, which will operate 21 trails this season with the help of about 275 machines.

Gamble and Hess say major advances in energy efficiency and automation over the past two decades help resorts contend with climate inconsistencies.

Ten years ago, it took hours to get the snowmaking system into gear, Hess says. Now the operation has shorter snowmaking windows thanks to automation and can even be controlled by cellphone.

Under ideal conditions, an acre can be covered with 2 feet of snow in one hour, but typically it takes 24 to 36 hours of snowmaking in early season to open the slopes.

More efficient technology also has cut labor and energy costs.

“We’re making more snow, but we’re making it at a lower cost than we used to,” Gamble says. Weather stations at different points on the mountain provide real-time readings so that snow guns can be adjusted for subtle temperature variations.

But nature’s still in charge.

Optimally, snowmaking requires a 28-degree wet-bulb temperature, which is temperature adjusted for relative humidity. “The lower the relative humidity, the more snowmaking production we can achieve,” Gamble says.

The science of snowmaking is something guests don’t always understand, Hess says.

“A cold weather weekend comes in and they expect you to have snow,” he says. But it might be 29 or 30 degrees “and we can’t make snow because it’s humid.”

Another misconception is that the snow is artificial. “It’s real snow,” he says, but more durable because of its higher water content.

Water is the key ingredient, Hess says. It takes 175,000 gallons to make 1 acre-foot of snow.   

Caesars ups Danville casino investment to $650M

Caesars Entertainment Inc. has once again upped its investment in the forthcoming Caesars Virginia casino and resort  in Danville, this time from $500 million to $650 million, while announcing Wednesday that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is now a joint venture partner in the casino project.

Plans for the casino include a 500-room hotel, 1,300 slots, 85 live game tables, 24 electronic table games, a World Series of Poker-branded live poker room and a Caesars sports book. It is also slated to have a full-service spa, pool, bars, an entertainment venue that can accommodate up to 2,500 people and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.

“This venture is a vital opportunity for our nation and our people. We are excited to be expanding our longstanding and successful partnership with Caesars Entertainment to develop a first-class resort that will be defined by luxury and service that Caesars’ guests have known and come to expect,” Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Richard Sneed said in a statement.

Caesars, EBCI and a local minority investor will be partners in the joint venture, according to news release.

The casino will break ground this week and is expected to be completed in late 2024.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Alpine-X names Olympian Bode Miller as chief innovation officer

McLean based indoor snow sports resort developer Alpine-X LLC has named Olympic alpine ski racer Bode Miller its chief innovation officer, the company announced Wednesday.

Miller, who has won six Olympic medals, owns consulting and professional services group M BAR W Enterprises LLC with Andy Wirth.

“Alpine-X is advancing a creative, visionary and inclusive approach to indoor snow sports, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to work with this world-class team,” Miller said in a statement. “Alpine-X will be a leader in welcoming many new people into the sport that has meant so much to me and millions of others. I’m excited to join with their management team to execute Alpine-X’s vision for indoor snow sports resorts for the entire community.”

Bringing more than 30 years of experience working with the ski resort and private equity sectors, Wirth will be a strategic adviser to Alpine-X. He was CEO of Neom Mountain Region in Saudi Arabia and worked with KSL Capital Partners as CEO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, the parent company of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadow Resorts.

“Andy’s global experience in the resort industry and private equity space will complement every aspect of what we are seeking to achieve with Alpine-X,” Alpine-X CEO John Emery said in a statement.

Alpine-X plans to open Fairfax Peak, a $200 million indoor ski resort in Lorton in early 2025.

Richmond confirms six eligible bids for casino, seeks public input

Place your bets. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s office confirmed Friday that the six casino proposals made public this week all submitted proposals that are eligible for consideration by Richmond City Council and voters.

The city also revealed the proposed locations for all six plans.

Bally’s Corp. and Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos are interested in building a casino on property off Chippenham and Powhite parkways south of the James River and near the western edge of the city limits. In a statement, a Bally’s spokesperson said, “Bally’s is flattered that another bidder appreciates the location that we have the exclusive right to purchase. Though Parkway Crossing is Bally’s preferred site, we have multiple options for other sites, and notably maintain flexibility with the exclusive right to purchase a second site located in Richmond pursuant to the same executed letter of intent.  As such, we are confident that we will have an attractive site upon which to build the high-quality product for which Bally’s is known for the benefit of the greater Richmond community.”

Other contenders include Virginia’s Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., Wind Creek Hospitality and a partnership between Colonial Downs and Maryland-based media company Urban One Inc.

The other locations include:

  • ONE Resort & Casino at Walmsley Boulevard and Interstate 95, at the Philip Morris Operations Center property owned by The Altria Group
  • Pamunkey and Wind Creek’s proposals on separate properties on Commerce Road, also on Richmond’s South Side near I-95
  • The Cordish Cos., at 1301 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, near The Diamond and the Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

The first virtual community meeting to discuss the six proposals will take place March 9, and full details will be available on the city website. An evaluation panel named by the city will make its final recommendations to the Richmond City Council in May or June, with the council choosing a preferred casino operator and project by June.

That will be followed by a citywide campaign to inform community members about the project before the November election, when city residents will decide whether to approve the casino via a ballot referendum.

If approved, the Richmond casino would be the fifth and final approved casino project in Virginia, which legalized commercial casino gaming last year in five cities. Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth voters all voted overwhelmingly in favor of allowing casinos in their cities last November.

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UPDATED: Golden Nugget, Wind Creek enter proposals to build Richmond casino

Updated 3 p.m., Feb. 24

Joining at least four other groups competing to be chosen as Richmond’s choice for a casino operator, bids from two other casino companies were made public Wednesday.

Houston-based Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos has proposed a $400 million casino project about six miles from downtown, and Wind Creek Hospitality, affiliated with an Alabama Indian tribe, has submitted a proposal for a $541 million project in the city’s South Side.

Golden Nugget proposes a 950,000-square-foot facility, according to a news release. It would include a 177-room hotel with 37 suites, a 93,000-square-foot casino floor, a 16,000-square-foot event space, a 1,500-seat concert venue and at least six restaurants, including Morton’s The Steakhouse, and four retail outlets. A pool complex would include a lazy river and cabanas. The company estimates that 1,200 jobs would be created, and completion would take about three years after approval.

The precise location was not identified in the news release. In a statement, Lorenzo Creighton, who would serve as an executive at the casino if selected, said, “The RFP did not require a definitive site for submittal. We are highly confident and have a fantastic preferred location identified and are in negotiations with a couple of different groups that we prefer not to disclose specifics at this time. In addition, we are flexible and prepared to evaluate sites owned by the city of Richmond Redevelopment Authority in an effort to enhance and optimize economic development opportunities for the city of Richmond.”

Wind Creek’s bid would include 100,000 square feet of gaming space, 2,500 slot machines and 120 table games, as well as more than 500 hotel rooms in two towers. The project also would include a 67,000-square-foot entertainment center, a spa, indoor pool, fitness center and seven food and beverage locations. The casino would be on two parcels on Ingram Avenue near the Oak Grove and Manchester neighborhoods in the city’s South Side, plots of 27.8 acres and 18.8 acres owned by the Richmond-based City Central LLC entity with tobacco warehouses.

The company manages seven casino resorts and a gaming website for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, as well as racetracks in Alabama and Florida. It’s the second Indian tribe-affiliated proposal for Richmond; Virginia’s Pamunkey Indian Tribe also has put forward a bid to build what would be its second casino in the state.

If selected and approved by city voters, Golden Nugget says it would would provide several one-time charitable donations, including $60 million to Richmond Public Schools, $10 million to the Richmond Affordable Housing Trust Fund, $1 million to Virginia Union University and $30,000 to the Metropolitan Business League, a Richmond-based organization that assists local minority-owned companies.

Wind Creek Hospitality rendering of proposed casino in Richmond

Golden Nugget, which owns five casinos across the country, would contribute 5% of equity ownership in the casino between two Minority Business Enterprise-certified entities in Richmond partly owned by Virginians Dennis Cotto and Richard Williams, the former Virginia Lottery director. Williams’ Virginia Sports & Technology Group was created to support inclusion of minority groups in jobs and profit-sharing, including an equity stake of at least $180,000 a year. Cotto’s Bet on Gaming Holdings LLC was created for minority communities in Virginia to be included in the process of real estate development and procurement, and the entity will receive a profit share of at least $120,000 a year once the casino opens.

Golden Nugget is owned by Tilman J. Fertitta, a Texas businessman who also owns the Houston Rockets NBA team and Landry’s Inc., a multibrand dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming corporation based in Houston.

Richmond is considering at least six casino proposals, including projects from the Virginia-based Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Bally’s Corp., Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. and a partnership between Colonial Downs and Maryland-based media company Urban One Inc.

The city will announce all the competing casino proposals received by the Monday deadline once it has confirmed they meet submission criteria. A nine-member evaluation panel named by Mayor Levar Stoney will review the casino proposals over the following days, assisted by consulting firm Convergence Strategy Group. Ultimately, Richmond City Council, the Virginia Lottery and local voters, who will have the opportunity to weigh in during a November referendum, must approve the project for it to move forward.

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UPDATED: Richmond now has six major casino proposals

Updated Feb. 26

The city of Richmond is now considering six casino proposals, the mayor’s office announced Friday.

Monday afternoon was the city’s deadline for its request for proposals, and all six submitted were deemed eligible. Starting next month, Richmond will hold public meetings with opportunities for citizen input.

In addition to the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which announced its plans to submit a project last year, the companies include Bally’s Corp., Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., Texas-based Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos, Wind Creek Hospitality and a partnership between Colonial Downs and Maryland-based media company Urban One Inc.

The proposals varied in size, scope, cost and locations:

  • Rhode Island-based Bally’s proposal would bring a $650 million, 1.6 million casino with sportsbook, performance space, a hotel, pool and dining and retail outlets to a 61-acre parcel of land north of Powhite Parkway and east of Chippenham Parkway near the city’s western border. The proposal would include a one-time $100 million payment to the city of Richmond. The company estimates it would create 2,000 jobs and annually generate 3.7 million visitors and $415 million in total gross revenue. The corporation is working with Willie Lanier, the former pro football player from Richmond; Darrell Green, cornerback from the former Washington Redskins; and Warren Thompson, founder, president and chairman of Thompson Hospitality Corp.
  • The Pamunkey tribe’s proposal is on a different site than it previously proposed, but the casino would still be on the city’s South Side, off Interstate 95 and south of the Bells Road exit on 24.5 acres, according to spokesman Jay Smith. The current $350 million proposal includes a 300-room, four-diamond hotel tower with a spa, pool, fitness center and several restaurants. The tribe anticipates the project would create 1,910 permanent jobs, as well as 5.3 million annual visitors, up from an earlier estimate of 4 million. Smith notes that the Pamunkey project is the only submission from a Virginia-based entity and would be 100% minority-owned. The tribe is preparing to begin construction on a casino in Norfolk later this year.

    ONE casino rendering, backed by Maryland’s Urban One Inc.
  • Urban One, which owns and operates 55 radio stations and the TV One cable network, is proposing a $517 million project that would be the first casino under Black ownership in the country. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the company will partner with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, Colonial Downs Group’s owner, which also owns the Rosie’s Gaming Emporium franchise in Virginia. If approved, the casino would be built on 100 acres near Interstate 95 owned by Altria Group Inc., parent company of Philip Morris USA. In details released Tuesday, Urban One’s casino resort would be called ONE, and it would include a sportsbook, 150 hotel rooms, a 3,000-seat theater, 90,000 square feet of gaming space, 12 bars and restaurants, including many with local ties, as well as 20,000 square feet of event space. Urban One, which has a minority stake in MGM National Harbor on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., in Maryland, would also partner with Live Nation to put on 200 live entertainment events.
  • The Times-Dispatch also reports that The Cordish Cos., which owns casinos in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Florida, has submitted a plan for a $600 million project that would include a hotel with 300 rooms and 30 suites, a 4,000-seat entertainment venue and 250,000 square feet of gaming space. This project would be built on the current Movieland movie theater property near The Diamond across the Boulevard from Richmond’s Scott’s Addition neighborhood. Cordish, which developed Norfolk’s Waterfront district, last year threatened to sue the city of Norfolk over its 2013 development agreement with the city, which said that the company could expand a $40 million dining and retail project into a casino if the state legalized gambling. Cordish also backed casino opposition efforts in Norfolk.
  • Announced Wednesday is a $400 million proposal from Houston-based Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos, which would bring a 950,000-square-foot facility about six miles from downtown, according to a news release, and would include a 177-room hotel with 37 suites, a 93,000-square-foot casino floor, a 16,000-square-foot event space, a 1,500-seat concert venue and at least six restaurants, including Morton’s The Steakhouse, and four retail outlets. A pool complex would include a lazy river and cabanas. The company estimates that 1,200 jobs would be created, and completion would take about three years after approval. The proposal also includes one-time donations of $60 million to Richmond Public Schools, $10 million to the Richmond Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $1 million to Virginia Union University. The proposed location would be on the same property as the Bally’s proposal, north of Powhite Parkway and east of Chippenham Parkway near the city’s western border, according to the mayor’s office. A Bally’s spokesperson released a statement saying that it has the “exclusive right to purchase” the Parkway Crossing site, although the company has other options and has an exclusive right to purchase a second site.
  • Also announced Wednesday is Alabama-based Wind Creek Hospitality’s $541 million project in the city’s South Side on two plots with 46 acres combined. Wind Creek’s bid would include 100,000 square feet of gaming space, 2,500 slot machines and 120 table games, as well as more than 500 hotel rooms in two towers. The project also would include a 67,000-square-foot entertainment center, a spa, indoor pool, fitness center and seven food and beverage locations. The company manages seven casino resorts and a gaming website for the federally recognized Poarch Band of Creek Indians, as well as racetracks in Alabama and Florida.
Rendering of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s proposed casino and hotel project in Richmond.

Of the five cities across Virginia where commercial casinos have been legalized, Richmond was the only one to delay its approval process until 2021. Casino projects in Danville, Bristol, Norfolk and Portsmouth were overwhelmingly approved by voters in last November’s referendums, and are on their way to construction over the next couple of years.

A nine-member evaluation panel named by Mayor Levar Stoney reviewed the casino proposals over the following days, assisted by consulting firm Convergence Strategy Group, and the panel will make a recommendation in May or June to the Richmond City Council, which will then choose the site and operator in June, according to the city.

The city’s first virtual community meeting to discuss the six proposals will take place March 9, and full details will be available on the city website.

At that point, the Virginia Lottery must approve the proposed casino operator, and local voters will have the opportunity to weigh in with a November referendum on the ballot.

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Rush Street Gaming announces general contractor for Portsmouth casino

Rush Street Gaming, the developer and gaming operator for the upcoming $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth, announced Friday it has chosen a joint venture between Virginia Beach-based S.B. Ballard Construction Co. and Philadelphia, Mississippi-based Yates Construction as the resort casino’s general contractor.

Ballard and Yates will construct the 400,000-square-foot casino, which will include a hotel, indoor and outdoor concert venues, conference space and multiple restaurants. Rush Street Gaming in July 2020 revealed the initial renderings for the project, which will also include parking garage and surface parking.

S.B. Ballard was founded in 1978 and has constructed more than $1 billion and nearly 10 million square feet worth of projects in Hampton Roads. Yates Construction has built more than 250 hospitality and gaming-related projects, specializing in casinos, resorts, hotels, condos and sport venues. 

In September 2020, Rush Street Gaming announced it would offer 5% or $5 million ownership (whichever is greater) of the Rivers Casino Portsmouth to a local minority-owned business or private investor who is a person of color. On Friday Rush Street announced that the casino “aspires to a goal of 30% spend constructing the casino come from businesses that are either minority-owned or certified as SWaM [Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned] or DBE [Disadvantaged Business Enterprise].”

Rush Street Gaming on Feb. 16 will host a virtual construction trade partner outreach program from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to inform prospective subcontractors about bidding opportunities.

“Rush Street Gaming has a long and proud record of diversity and inclusion throughout all its business operations nationwide,” Rivers Casino Portsmouth spokesperson Delceno Miles said in a statement.  “Rivers Casino Portsmouth will utilize minority, women and veteran-owned small businesses in every phase of its construction and operation.”

The Portsmouth casino will be located along Interstate 264 in an area the city plans to market as its entertainment district. Rush Street Gaming will also pay an additional $10 million to Portsmouth for acreage located on Victory Boulevard in Portsmouth.

The Rush Street Project alone is anticipated to generate $16.3 million in annual tax revenue for Portsmouth and $260 million in annual regional GDP. The Portsmouth EDA anticipates that the casino will create 1,400 construction jobs, 2,000 permanent jobs — and $62 million annually in wages, salaries and tips.

Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation in 2020 allowing five economically challenged cities to open casinos. Voters in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth overwhelmingly approved casinos in referendums held during the November 2020 elections. Richmond plans to hold a casino referendum in November 2021.

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Pamunkey Tribe proposes $350M casino in Richmond

Updated at 4 p.m. Friday

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe has proposed a $350 million, 275-room resort hotel and casino in Richmond, the tribe announced Friday as the Virginia House of Delegates considers legislation to allow the Pamunkey to pursue commercial gaming in Norfolk and Richmond.

The resort will include a four-diamond hotel tower with a spa, pool, fitness center and several restaurants, as well as a 1,000-space parking garage.

The tribe, which is also moving toward full approval of a casino and resort in Norfolk, says this project will attract 4 million annual visitors and create more than 1,500 permanent full-time jobs, in addition to more than 1,000 construction jobs, according to a revenue forecast the tribe commissioned.

The resort and casino would be located on 36 acres in South Richmond along Ingram Avenue near Commerce Road, on three adjacent land parcels.

“We view this as a destination resort and casino,” said tribe spokesman Jay Smith, drawing people from all over the state. The 4 million visitor estimate comes from a revenue forecast the tribe commissioned, Smith added.

Jon Yarbrough, the Tennessee billionaire investor partnering with the tribe on its Norfolk project, has optioned or contracted land for the Richmond project and has closed on at least one of the properties, Smith said.

Sales prices for the privately owned land have been set, but Smith declined to disclose the full cost.

“We’ve spoken numerous times with city officials,” including elected officials and staff, said Pamunkey Indian Tribe Chief Robert Gray in an interview Friday, adding that the city government is supportive of the tribe’s plan to bring the casino to the Manchester area, which Gray said is part of the tribe’s ancestral homeland.

“The Pamunkey Tribe has had close ties to Richmond for several hundred years,” he said. “We saw a lot of development potential in that part of the area.” He added that the tribe would encourage further investment in Richmond’s Manchester area, which has seen fits and starts of development over the past two decades, mostly residential.

“The mayor is excited about the opportunity to bring a resort-style casino to Richmond,” said Jim Nolan, press secretary to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, in a statement. “We’ll wait to see what happens in the General Assembly and what it means for the city.”

A timeline has not been announced on the project, but the Norfolk casino has taken more than a year to move toward City Council approval. The General Assembly is considering legislation this session that would allow limited casino gaming in Portsmouth, Norfolk, Richmond, Danville and Bristol, restricted to one casino per locality, with operators being required to invest at least $200 million or more in each project.

Gray said that once the General Assembly session is over, he’d like to have “shovels in the ground as soon as possible.” As for whether the Richmond casino might open before Norfolk’s, Gray said he’s not sure. “I hadn’t really put that much thought into it.”

He added that the casino would have slot machines and table games, as well as events and entertainment, but “nothing to cannibalize what the city of Richmond is offering,” Gray added.

The casino land is part of a federally designated opportunity zone, one of 212 in the state, which allows investors to defer capital gains taxes by putting money in projects in lower-income areas. However, Gray said the tribe does not plan to take advantage of opportunity zone status or other available tax benefits.

“We’re not looking for any handouts. We’re not Amazon,” Gray said. “We want to bring this venture to Richmond and pay a fair price for the land.”

The tribe is waiting to see what happens in the General Assembly, which is considering allowing commercial casinos in the state, before presenting the project for Richmond City Council approval. Because the tribe’s casino project in Norfolk is on city-owned land, and Richmond’s is on private land, the process is a bit different, Gray and Smith said.

According to property records, 1401 Commerce Road is an 18-acre commercial office and warehouse development currently occupied by Dominion Energy, the city of Richmond and other companies. Assessed at $2.7 million in January, the land is managed by Harper Associates, a commercial real estate firm in Richmond. The 1120 Gordon Avenue property is listed as 12 acres assessed at $4.985 million, and it is managed by Chesterfield Commercial Realty.

Principal Broker Terry Earnest said he could not comment on the Gordon Avenue deal because he had signed a confidentiality agreement with the prospective purchaser.

Both properties are zoned M-1, light industrial.

Gray said he wants to help members of his tribe find jobs, both in Richmond and Norfolk.

The tribe also has secured a 13-acre property on Richmond’s Jefferson Davis Highway near Walmsley Boulevard, which would be used to build a workforce training facility. Ultimately, that property will have a different use once the resort opens, such as a grocery store or health clinic to benefit the community, the tribe says.

“We want to talk to the community and see what they want,” Gray said.

 

 

Pamunkey tribe, city sign Norfolk casino agreements

The city of Norfolk and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe announced Monday that the tribe’s proposed $700 million casino along the Elizabeth River is moving closer to reality.

According to a tribe press release Monday, the Pamunkey and the city have signed two agreements: an option to purchase 13.4 acres of undeveloped city property adjacent to Harbor Park for more than $10 million, and a developmental agreement that will govern and regulate the resort.

Under the option-to-purchase agreement announced Monday, the tribe would have a term of three years to buy the land, with the option to extend the term twice for one year each; a full-value purchase price of $750,000 per acre based on a third party’s appraisal of the land; and a provision to allow the tribe the right to conduct commercial gaming before the land is purchased.

The development agreement requires that the tribe complete the project by a yet-to-be-determined deadline and pay for all transportation and infrastructure improvements, as well as construction of a trail around the resort.

“The signing of these agreements makes it official — we are partners with Norfolk to bring a world-class resort and casino to the region,” Chief Robert Gray said in a statement.

Jon Yarbrough, the billionaire founder of Tennessee’s Video Gaming Technologies who now runs a private investment firm, has partnered with the tribe to build the casino. He has a long history with the Native American gaming industry and purchased property in New Kent County in 2018.

Last September, Norfolk City Council voted to grant the city manager authority to execute the agreements, after the casino plan was announced in December 2018.

The Pamunkey Tribe has decided to pursue a commercial route for building the casino, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander announced in December, instead of a federal tribal casino, which would have required approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The General Assembly is currently considering legislation to allow commercial casinos in Virginia.

The Pamunkey reservation is east of Richmond in King William County by the Pamunkey River, where 85 tribal members live. Gray said in a November 2019 interview with Virginia Business that he hopes to bring more members of the tribe back to Virginia and improve housing, infrastructure and educational options for them.

Norfolk is considered part of the tribe’s ancestral homelands, he said, “where we live, where we hunted, trapped, traded with other tribes.”

The casino met with some opposition from the Nansemond Tribe, which lives in Suffolk and Chesapeake, and voiced concern about preserving their own history and heritage in the region if the project went forward. Also, some city residents tried to overturn the 7-1 City Council vote with an anti-casino petition last fall, but the effort failed.

“I am pleased to announce that we have reached mutually agreeable terms with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to pursue a resort project that will conform and comply with commercial gaming legislation being considered in Virginia,” Norfolk City Manager Larry “Chip” Filer said in a statement Monday.

He added that pending legislation in the General Assembly will determine the “size and scope of our resort casino project,” and Norfolk voters will vote on a gaming referendum in November. City staff also will report on the gaming market, Filer said in his statement.

Other casino projects have been proposed across the state, including a deal in Washington County between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and developer Steve Johnson, and the Hard Rock Bristol Resort and Casino in the former Bristol Mall. Other possible locations include Richmond, Portsmouth and Danville.