Tysons Casino Bill To Be Reviewed By VA Senators Jan. 20

RICHMOND, VA — While many Virginians will spend Monday celebrating the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump or performing a day of service to honor the late Martin Luther King Jr., members of the Gaming Subcommittee of the Virginia Senate will consider the Tysons casino referendum bill.

On Wednesday, 29 members of the No Fairfax Casino Coalition traveled to Richmond to lobby lawmakers and speak at the first meeting of the full General Laws & Technology committee.

However, Senate Bill 982 as the casino bill is officially named, was not discussed at the committee’s meeting. Instead, it was referred to the Gaming Subcommittee.

"We understand this is a short session, so our legislators have to make every day count, especially when their first few days got canceled due to the water problem in Richmond,” said No Fairfax Casino Chair Lynne Mulston. “Accordingly, we are mobilizing to get to Richmond for this Gaming Subcommittee meeting that offers the citizens of Fairfax County their only opportunity to provide public comment regarding SB982."

Patch first reported in September 2023 that Comstock Holding Companies wanted to build a casino somewhere in Fairfax County on Metro’s Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway.

No Fairfax Casino plans to send a bus to Richmond on Monday. More information is available online.

The subcommittee’s chair, Sen. Jeremy McPike (D-Woodbridge), determines when the group meets. SB982 is one of 13 gaming-related bills the subcommittee has on its docket for Monday.

Supervisors Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) and Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill) were among the local lawmakers who traveled with No Fairfax Casino to Richmond on Wednesday. They also spoke during a news conference hosted by Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon).

“The County and the Commonwealth have benefited greatly from the success of Tysons as a business and commercial center, and adding housing along the Silver Line, including workforce and affordable housing options, has been very important to the County’s development,” said Bierman on Friday.

“A casino clearly throws a wrench in current plans for the area without any added benefit," Bierman said. "Dressing up the alleged plan with the promise of things we already have or are building in Tysons — housing, a theater, 'entertainment' — doesn’t change the fact that a casino directly conflicts with the commercial and family friendly community we have worked hard to build and which is one of the County’s big success stories.”

"I hope the subcommittee votes against SB 982," Alcorn said. "Putting a casino at a Silver Line station continues to be a bad idea. This bill was not requested by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the General Assembly should not try to do land use, especially for land uses that are not wanted by the local community."

Comstock Contributions To Gaming Subcommittee Members

Since Jan. 1, 2023, Comstock Holding Companies and its employees, entities and allies have spent more than $1.5 million on lobbying efforts and campaign contributions to state and local officials, according to financial filings with the State Board of Elections.

To date, the campaign committees of the 11 state senators on the Gaming Subcommittee have received a combined $107,565 in donations from Comstock and its allies.

Related: Tysons Casino Tramples Neighborhoods, Ignores Residents: Opponents

In addition to McPike, the other subcommittee members are Sens. Mamie E. Locke (D-Hampton), Bryce Reeves (D-Fredericksburg), Todd E. Pillion (R-Abington), Christopher T. Head (R-Roanoke) and Schuyler VanValkenburg (D- Henrico) and Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-Woodbridge). Pillion is also one of the three co-patrons of the bill.

The following are the donations members of the subcommittee received since Jan. 1,2023, according to the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. Scroll down to see details about the donors.

• $15,000 - Sen. Jeremy McPike/Comstock Hospitality
• $10,000 - Mamie E. Locke/BRVAPAC
• $5,000 - Mamie E. Locke/Thompon Hospitality
• $10,000 - Bryce Reeves/BRVAPAC
• $21,982 - Bryce Reeves/Comstock Partners LC
• $12,583 - Bryce Reeves/Comstock Employees
• $10,000 - Todd E. Pillion/Comstock Hospitality
• $10,000 - Todd E. Pillion/BRVAPAC
• $2,000 - Christopher T. Head/BRVAPC
• $1,000 - Schuyler VanValkenburg/BRVAPC
• $10,000 Jennifer Carroll Foy/Comstock Hospitality

Read all of Patch's reporting on the plan to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.

Donors

Comstock Hospitality Holdings: LLC Comstock Holdings formed in 2023.
Building a Remarkable Virginia: Political Action Committee Comstock Holdings formed in September 2023.
Thompson Hospitality: Minority-owned hospitality company headquartered in Reston that has an agreement with Comstock to provide hospitality services for future casino/entertainment district.
Comstock Partners LC: A private real estate investment company led by Comstock CEO Chris Clemente and his father-in-law Dwight Schar, who is the founder and chairman of NVAR, Inc.
Comstock Employees: During the last week of May 2024 five Comstock employees contributed to Reeves’ campaign committee and made an in-kind donation to cover the cost of dinner.