NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — There is renewed confidence from both developers and city leaders that a resort casino on the Norfolk waterfront will become a reality.
When Norfolk City Council voted last week to allow Las Vegas gambling giant Boyd Gaming to replace Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough as the bankroller of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s resort casino dreams, both Council members Tommy Smigiel and Andria McClellan described it as a “rescue” effort.
Frustration had been growing with the lack of progress on the development team’s promise to deliver a $500 million development to banks of the Elizabeth River. Time was also running out. Per state law, a casino license must be awarded by early November of 2025, or the city would forfeit its right to have casino gambling.
With Boyd now leading the way, Mayor Kenny Alexander is positive they will meet their deadline.
“I never was discouraged and never thought it wasn’t going to happen,” Alexander said. “We just had to ensure we had the right partner with the wherewithal like Boyd.”
He hopes to see a groundbreaking sometime early next year, with the complex completed by 2027.
Much of the agreement between the city and Golden Eagle Consulting II, LLC, the company initially set up by Yarbrough to develop the casino between Harbor Park and the Amtrak station, remains similar to the one signed in 2020.
But there are some changes aside from Boyd taking over a majority share in Golden Eagle.
Size of project and site
The minimum standards set by the city for the final casino development remains unchanged.
Developers must have a capital investment of $300 million — as required by state law — at least 750 slots, 25 table games, a 150 room hotel, fine dining restaurant, sports bar and grill, cafe and 500-seat “intimate showroom.”
However, as 10 On Your Side reported ahead of the referendum vote approving casino gaming in 2020, the Pamunkey Tribe was ensuring more would come in their advertising material.
Boyd plans to try and meet those expectations with a more than $500 million investment, 200 room hotel, 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, eight bars and restaurants, as well as the showroom, pool, spa and meeting space.
That would make the casino portion roughly the same size as Rivers Casino Portsmouth, less than seven miles away.
“It is going to be a unparalleled experience in this market and we think in short order will become the market leader,” Uri Clinton, executive vice president for Boyd gaming, said.
What has changed in the development agreement is the land Boyd and the Tribe has to build on.
Initially, the project would sit on 13 acres of land. However, due to the need to build a seawall along the Elizabeth River, the developers will now be purchasing just more than eight acres of land.
Many on social media have wondered why the casino just doesn’t move to MacArthur Center, the half vacant shopping mall the city bought last year downtown. The infrastructure is already there. So is the need for an attraction.
However, when the 2020 referendum allowing for casino gaming was written, MacArthur was seeing better days.
The referendum language had to be specific. It stated gaming can only occur at “an approximate street address of 200 Park Avenue,” between Harbor Park and Amtrak.
Changing that would require another referendum.
Amtrak
Since 2020, it isn’t just the mall’s fortunes that have changed. So have Amtrak’s.
The Norfolk Amtrak station is among the busiest in the state, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. Last year, nearly a quarter of a million people traveled in and out of the station across from the Harbor Park parking lot.
Currently, parking is free and easy for Amtrak passengers. Cars can use one of hundreds of spots shared by both Harbor Park and the station.
It has always been a part of the agreement with the city that 103 spaces in the planned casino parking garage be set aside exclusively for Amtrak passengers.
While the spots will remain free, architects with HKS recently told the city’s Architectural Review Board that passengers driving into the 1,300 space lot will have to park in spots labeled for Amtrak, and have their parking validated upon exit.
During construction, the casino development team is required to provide free shuttle service between the yet to be determined temporary Amtrak parking lot and the station.
Smoking
While smoking indoors was mostly banned in the Commonwealth in 2009, state legislation allowing for casino gambling carved out and exemption.
The exemption didn’t go unnoticed during the first few days of operation at Rivers Casino Portsmouth, as smoking occurred on the gaming floor. It was the number one complaint 10 On Your Side received.
In less than two weeks, Rivers changed their smoking policy to split the gaming floor in half: Smoking and smoke free.
Following community uproar in Portsmouth, Norfolk Council members became more concerned about the issue and wanted to make separate smoking and non-smoking areas on the gaming floor.
However, in the development agreement, it’s simply written that “Gaming areas of the Project shall be designed and constructed … with ‘best-in-class’ ventilation systems existing as of
Plan approval and installed prior to the date the permanent Casino is open to the general public for Casino operation.”
“From our perspective, you know what we want to create is an enjoyable environment for everyone, smokers and non smokers,” Clinton said. “And today’s technology allows for that to happen.”
There are not plans currently for separate smoking and non-smoking gaming areas Uri said.
Harbor Park parking
While parking the casino’s eastern neighbor, Amtrak, is mentioned in the development agreement, parking for its western neighbor, Harbor Park and the Norfolk Tides, is not.
Architects told ARB members that, while they wouldn’t stop Harbor Park patrons from parking in their garage, there was no plans to provide parking for the Norfolk Tides.
Instead, plans on how to make up the loss of more than 800 spots rests on the city.
“I’ve advocated that the two parking garages that were torn down right here at City Hall that we consider rebuilding one and followed by the second one,” Alexander said. “So the manager has already heard from me and other council members.”
However, Councilman Tommy Smigiel encouraged more people to take The Tide light rail to the games in the future.
“We have a boondoggle that was called The Tide, that is costing the citizens of Norfolk $10 million a year that needs to be utilized to its fullest,” Smigiel said.