Dear MCA Member and Interested Parties:
On January 3, 2024, the MCA Board of Directors authorized the MCA Executive Committee to send a letter opposing proposed legislation that would allow a casino in the Tysons area. The letter was sent to all Virginia State Senators and Delegates that represent Fairfax County on Jan. 9, 2024. The MCA letter expressed our opposition to a casino located in Fairfax County but did not go into details as the Bill had yet to be introduced.
Under existing Virginia law, only economically distressed Cities are eligible to host a casino, and local voters must approve any casino proposal in a referendum. Senator Marsden introduced Senate Bill 675 on January 17. It is scheduled to be reviewed in the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee today. MCA sent a letter to that Committee expressing our opposition to Senator Marsden's Bill. The Bill, among other changes, would add Fairfax County as an eligible locality. The specific site parameters put forth in the Bill appear to target Tysons near the intersection of Spring Hill Road and Route 7.
What happens next? If the Bill is passed, Governor Youngkin has signaled he will sign it into law. The law merely permits a casino to be operated, but there are several additional hurdles to overcome before a casino can be built. It was reported in the Washington Post that the Fairfax Board of Supervisors would need to request a referendum to be put the question on a ballot. The citizens of Fairfax County would have the last say by voting yes or no.
Why has this Bill been offered? Local press has noted that Senator Marsden believes that Fairfax County needs a new revenue source due to the declining valuation of office buildings related to high office vacancy rates caused by the work from home trend. He also believes that Virginians would frequent the Tysons site in lieu of spending their money at the MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino.
What is the estimated income stream to Fairfax County? While MCA has not crunched the numbers, the press has reported that a casino could generate as much as $155 million in state tax revenue. But the question for Fairfax County residents is how much new money would go to Fairfax? Host localities receive between 26% to 30% of taxes collected by the State from casinos – the percentage goes down as
the state tax revenues go up. Accordingly, Fairfax County would retain no more than $42 million of the projected $155 million in state tax revenue.
What are the downsides to a casino in Tysons or elsewhere in the County? The MCA Board of Directors and our members have expressed concerns related to infrastructure capacity - from traffic congestion to overtaxing our first responders. Many are questioning how the existing Tysons business community, “the economic engine of Fairfax County”, would react to having a casino as a neighbor. MCA, along with other organizations, are working to understand and quantify the impact on our community.
What is MCA's next step? MCA's action plan is being formulated. We will continue to monitor the progress of Senate Bill 675 and keep the community informed. As always, MCA's approach will be to analyze, educate, seek the opinions of our members, write a resolution and work with our community to form a plan to advocate to our elected officials.
What can you do?
1. Join MCA. Our voice is louder if we stand together. Go to MCA's website or click JOIN NOW.
2. Write your Virginia State Senator and Delegate, Fairfax County Supervisors and Chairman McKay.
3. You might have seen that Reston has had a robust campaign opposing casinos in Reston and it looks like they have been successful. That organization is now expanding their campaign to NO CASINOS IN FAIRFAX. To visit their website, click https://norestoncasino.org/take-action-fairfax-co
Community engagement will be key. Please lend us your voice and join the MCA by clicking JOIN NOW.
Regards,
Linda Walsh
President |