‘Extremely Disappointed’: City Of Richmond Eliminates Three Casino Proposals

The City of Richmond has excluded three proposals, including one presented by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, from further consideration for its prospective casino-resort development.

On Wednesday, Richmond officials made an announcement stating that the Pamunkey proposal had been rejected by the city. Additionally, Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos and Wind Creek Hospitality were no longer being considered.

Three additional companies are still in the running and are now advancing in the selection process. These companies are:

• Bally’s Corporation
• The Cordish Co.
• Urban One and Colonial Downs are two entities that are closely associated with each other.

In 2020, the legalization of casino gambling was approved by Virginia lawmakers. Richmond voters will have the opportunity to vote on a casino referendum during the November Election Day. If the referendum passes, the capital city will become part of the group of four cities that wholeheartedly supported the establishment of brick-and-mortar casinos in Virginia during the last election period.

Pamunkey Indian Tribe issues stinging rebuke

Richmond officials carefully reviewed the complete proposals prior to reaching their decision. As a result, the field was narrowed down from six to three contenders through this comprehensive process.

The statement mentioned that the proposals were unable to progress because of various factors. These factors include lacking control over the site, concerns regarding the feasibility of financial projections, insufficient organizational experience, and deficiencies in the proposal.

Despite that assessment, officials from the Pamunkey Indian Tribe expressed their dissatisfaction. The tribe, which is federally recognized and based in Virginia, had put forth a proposal for the Pamunkey Casino Resort Richmond, a project estimated at $350 million. Their plan was to construct the resort in the 5000 block of Commerce Road, just off Interstate 95.

What Pamunkey had to say

In a statement, Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray expressed the following sentiment:

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe expressed deep disappointment upon receiving direct communication from the City of Richmond, stating that their casino proposal would not be further considered in the Richmond casino selection process. This decision, made prior to the completion of the public comment period, greatly diminishes trust in the selection process and implies that a predetermined outcome has been reached.

The decision’s timing implies a lack of consideration for public and community input. Additionally, it seems that the City of Richmond did not give the Pamunkey Indian Tribe the choice to be recognized under state law, which acknowledges their ancestral heritage in the region. It is worth noting that the Pamunkey Indian Tribe submitted the sole proposal that is 100 percent minority-owned and based in Virginia.

Upon discovering our premature exclusion from a process taking place in our homeland, we were utterly astounded. This came as a surprise, especially considering the fact that our Tribe was among the initial entities, if not the very first, to engage in discussions with the City regarding gaming prior to its legalization in the Commonwealth.

The Pamunkey proposal, along with the proposed $400 million Golden Nugget Richmond Hotel & Casino and the $541 million Wind Creek Richmond, have all been discarded.

Next steps for Richmond casino

The Richmond casino still has a few contenders in the running, which include:

• Bally’s Corporation plans to invest $650 million in the development of the Bally Richmond Casino Resort. The resort will be situated on a 61-acre plot of land at the intersection of Powhite Parkway and Chippenham Parkway in South Richmond.
• The Cordish Co. plans to establish a Live! Casino & Hotel Richmond, costing $600 million. The proposed location for this project is the 17-acre site known as the “Movieland property,” situated at the intersection of North Arthur Ashe Boulevard and West Leigh Street in Scott’s Addition.
• An upcoming casino-resort with an estimated value of $517 million is being developed by Urban One and Colonial Downs. The precise name of the establishment is yet to be disclosed. It is planned to be situated on the former Altria Operations Center site, specifically on South Commerce Road.

The final decision on the three finalists was made by a nine-member evaluation panel. Continuing their assessment, the panel, composed of two Richmond City Council members, will further evaluate the remaining three candidates.

Feedback on the casino proposals

In addition to organizing several virtual community meetings, the City of Richmond has scheduled three for next week to gather input from residents. Surprisingly, officials failed to disclose during a recent meeting that the list of candidates would be reduced by half the following day.

Furthermore, as stated on Richmond.com, Councilwoman Katherine Jordan intends to object to the Cordish proposal primarily because of its placement.

“I urge the developers to explore alternative non-gaming ventures within our city, as my constituents have expressed their disinterest, the prosperous greater Scott’s Addition has no requirement for it, and the combination of gaming and college sports is simply incompatible.”

It is highly probable that in the upcoming months, there will be more organized opposition to the proposals as a result of feedback received during community meetings and online.