Rendering of the Live! Casino Resort planned for Petersburg. (Photos courtesy Alliance Group)
It’s one step closer for a $1.4 billion casino development in Petersburg.
Petersburg’s City Council and Planning Commission unanimously approved final zoning changes for the Live! Casino Resort at a special meeting Tuesday night.
With this approval, construction can begin on the multiphase casino project, which will span 92 acres near the intersection of Wagner Road and Interstate 95. The project is being co-developed by Baltimore-based The Cordish Cos. and Virginia Beach-headquartered Bruce Smith Enterprise.
Last November, about 80% of Petersburg residents voted yes in a referendum to allow the casino in the city.
Tuesday’s council and commission approvals were needed because no district in Petersburg’s zoning ordinance permitted a casino. The unanimous vote allowed for the creation of an Entertainment and Resort Casino zoning district for the city.
“We’re excited to be here, we’re excited to be in Petersburg, we’re excited to be in this room where everyone celebrated the passage of the referendum, and we’re particularly excited to be moving one step closer, hopefully with your favorable consideration tonight, to making the people’s vote a reality,” said Mark Stewart, executive vice president and general counsel to Cordish Cos., before the vote.
Live! Casino Resort is set to include more than 450,000 square feet of gaming, hotel and dining space and more than 75,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
The project will feature a 200-room hotel, a resort pool and a fitness center, 1,600 slot machines, game table areas including a 22-table poker room, and a 4,000-seat entertainment venue.
The resort is estimated to bring $2.8 billion in economic stimulus for the region and over 7,500 jobs in its first decade being open, according to Cordish. That jobs count includes construction-related workers while the project is being built and permanent jobs for employees of the casino and resort. The company said hiring preference for new jobs will be given to local residents first.
The project also promises $240 million in tax revenue to the City of Petersburg over time.
The casino resort will span 92 acres near the intersection of Wagner Road and Interstate 95.
Groundbreaking for the casino is set for mid-March. Construction will be carried out in phases. A general contractor has not yet been announced.
Some Petersburg residents came out for public comment at Tuesday night’s council meeting, with one resident suggesting raises for local police officers if their duties grow with the new casino.
President Rob Norton of Cordish Gaming Group, the gaming division of Cordish Cos., said at the meeting that the group has already met with the local police chief and expects to hire off-duty police officers as Cordish does at its other casino locations.
Another resident expressed concern over House Bill 2232, introduced in January by Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, which would have created a “Tri-Cities Improvement Commission.” The commission would have appointed representatives to disperse gaming revenue equally among surrounding localities.
The City of Petersburg criticized the bill, saying it “disregards the will of Petersburg voters.”
City leaders reminded meeting-goers Tuesday night that HB 2232 was left in committee and that revenue from the casino will remain in Petersburg.
“Everybody in the city put that to rest, … we’re not sharing the revenue. The revenue that will be generated will be staying here and improving the community,” City Manager John Altman said.
The project is set to include over 450,000 square feet of gaming, hotel and dining space.
Petersburg was not the first option for a new casino in the greater Richmond region. The General Assembly gave five “economically distressed” localities permission to work on casino projects in 2020, including Richmond.
That project, planned for Richmond’s Southside, was ultimately voted down in referendums in 2021 and 2023, with 51% of voters saying no the first time and 58% saying no the second time. Casino referendums in the other localities — Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth and Norfolk — passed in landslides in 2020.
The dismissed $562 million project would have been owned and operated by Silver Spring, Maryland-based Urban One and Louisville-based Churchill Downs Inc.
After Richmond voters passed on the casino project for the second time, Petersburg residents had the chance to decide whether to host the fifth and final casino project in their city, which they overwhelmingly supported.
The General Assembly passed legislation last April making Petersburg eligible to host a casino. Petersburg City Council then selected Cordish as the developer.
Rendering of the Live! Casino Resort planned for Petersburg. (Photos courtesy Alliance Group)
It’s one step closer for a $1.4 billion casino development in Petersburg.
Petersburg’s City Council and Planning Commission unanimously approved final zoning changes for the Live! Casino Resort at a special meeting Tuesday night.
With this approval, construction can begin on the multiphase casino project, which will span 92 acres near the intersection of Wagner Road and Interstate 95. The project is being co-developed by Baltimore-based The Cordish Cos. and Virginia Beach-headquartered Bruce Smith Enterprise.
Last November, about 80% of Petersburg residents voted yes in a referendum to allow the casino in the city.
Tuesday’s council and commission approvals were needed because no district in Petersburg’s zoning ordinance permitted a casino. The unanimous vote allowed for the creation of an Entertainment and Resort Casino zoning district for the city.
“We’re excited to be here, we’re excited to be in Petersburg, we’re excited to be in this room where everyone celebrated the passage of the referendum, and we’re particularly excited to be moving one step closer, hopefully with your favorable consideration tonight, to making the people’s vote a reality,” said Mark Stewart, executive vice president and general counsel to Cordish Cos., before the vote.
Live! Casino Resort is set to include more than 450,000 square feet of gaming, hotel and dining space and more than 75,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
The project will feature a 200-room hotel, a resort pool and a fitness center, 1,600 slot machines, game table areas including a 22-table poker room, and a 4,000-seat entertainment venue.
The resort is estimated to bring $2.8 billion in economic stimulus for the region and over 7,500 jobs in its first decade being open, according to Cordish. That jobs count includes construction-related workers while the project is being built and permanent jobs for employees of the casino and resort. The company said hiring preference for new jobs will be given to local residents first.
The project also promises $240 million in tax revenue to the City of Petersburg over time.
The casino resort will span 92 acres near the intersection of Wagner Road and Interstate 95.
Groundbreaking for the casino is set for mid-March. Construction will be carried out in phases. A general contractor has not yet been announced.
Some Petersburg residents came out for public comment at Tuesday night’s council meeting, with one resident suggesting raises for local police officers if their duties grow with the new casino.
President Rob Norton of Cordish Gaming Group, the gaming division of Cordish Cos., said at the meeting that the group has already met with the local police chief and expects to hire off-duty police officers as Cordish does at its other casino locations.
Another resident expressed concern over House Bill 2232, introduced in January by Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, which would have created a “Tri-Cities Improvement Commission.” The commission would have appointed representatives to disperse gaming revenue equally among surrounding localities.
The City of Petersburg criticized the bill, saying it “disregards the will of Petersburg voters.”
City leaders reminded meeting-goers Tuesday night that HB 2232 was left in committee and that revenue from the casino will remain in Petersburg.
“Everybody in the city put that to rest, … we’re not sharing the revenue. The revenue that will be generated will be staying here and improving the community,” City Manager John Altman said.
The project is set to include over 450,000 square feet of gaming, hotel and dining space.
Petersburg was not the first option for a new casino in the greater Richmond region. The General Assembly gave five “economically distressed” localities permission to work on casino projects in 2020, including Richmond.
That project, planned for Richmond’s Southside, was ultimately voted down in referendums in 2021 and 2023, with 51% of voters saying no the first time and 58% saying no the second time. Casino referendums in the other localities — Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth and Norfolk — passed in landslides in 2020.
The dismissed $562 million project would have been owned and operated by Silver Spring, Maryland-based Urban One and Louisville-based Churchill Downs Inc.
After Richmond voters passed on the casino project for the second time, Petersburg residents had the chance to decide whether to host the fifth and final casino project in their city, which they overwhelmingly supported.
The General Assembly passed legislation last April making Petersburg eligible to host a casino. Petersburg City Council then selected Cordish as the developer.
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Do we know how many housing units are projected?
I think Richmond dodged a bullet but I still wish Petersburg well. Be interested to revisit this in 5 years to see if any of the promises came true or if they are just draining local pockets of what little money they have.
Cordish presented the most interesting of the casino proposals in Richmond but they had the worst possible location for the traffic impacts. It would have been a mess. I assume that the Bruce Smith that is a partner here is the VT and NFL HOF defensive end?
Honestly, I see folks who can’t afford to be in Richmond/Henrico/Chesterfield helping bring back Petersburg and moving down there. A little entertainment and more watering holes are bound to help too.
Agree. It’s truly the last area that still has affordable housing costs.
I think it’s exciting for the area! I’m hopeful for Petersburg!
I wanted to take a moment to express my concerns regarding the potential development of a casino in Petersburg. As someone who is not a frequent visitor to casinos, I have observed firsthand in other areas the negative impact that such establishments can have on local communities. The rise in crime and the false hope they often create are troubling, and I fear these same consequences could be felt in Petersburg. While I understand that there may be promises of revenue that could help improve areas of the city, I remain skeptical. From my experience, the economic benefits touted by… Read more »
Arundel Mills area improved with the addition of MD Live. Horseshoe Baltimore area improved with addition of their casino. Oxon Hill improved with MGM. Fishtown Philly improved with sugar house (now rivers), Bethlehem PA improved with Parx, area around Philly Love has improved. I’m not sure which casinos you frequent, would love your examples of casino/area where quality of life was worsened. The reality is casinos bring a ton of jobs, many of them better paying than those being offered prior to the arrival of the casino. My suggestion to folks – get your gaming license. Dealers are making $80-100k… Read more »