The Petersburg, Virginia, metropolis council is transferring rapid on its next step toward organising a November voter referendum for a original Cordish Companies Are living!-branded casino.
On 9 July, the Virginia Lottery authorized Petersburg to change Richmond as one in every of five casino areas within the instruct. It gave the metropolis permission to authorise the needed native voter casino referendum. Under Virginia law, the Petersburg Circuit Court docket must approve a referendum by 16 August in time to hold the November ballot.
Petersburg’s metropolis council wasted no time, unanimously approving a ask for referendum approval at a Monday (15 July) assembly. The council voted 7-0 in a two-and-a-half-minute assembly, in step with the Progress-Index.
The casino referendum to be submitted to the court reads:
“Shall casino gaming be well-liked at a casino gaming institution in Petersburg, Virginia as may perhaps presumably well be authorized by the Virginia Lottery Board?”
“Sure” and “No” checkboxes would put collectively the ballotquery.
Petersburg replaces Richmond as one in every of Virginia’s five authorized casino areas. Richmond voters rejected casino plans on two separate votes. In February, the instruct legislature voted to carry the metropolis from the list of designated areas.
Voters within the other four cities designated to host casinos – Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth – authorized their referendums. Casino projects are underneath capability in those cities.
Legislature will get final enlighten
Despite the incontrovertible truth that Petersburg voters approve a casino, the instruct’s general assembly silent has the skill to derail the mission. There’s a reenactment clause within the bill along side Petersburg to the list. In step with the clause the measure obtained’t include carry out except the legislature approves it again.
Cordish subsidiary PPE Casino Inns Petersburg LLC is the official applicant. The company plans a $597m casino, resort and entertainment advanced on 92 acres of land in south Petersburg. The property would be in-built two phases: a $142m meantime casino that may perhaps presumably well birth internal a yr of referendum approval; and a $454.2m permanent location along side a casino, five-star resort, intriguing locations and an entertainment venue would put collectively.
