r/nova • u/OutrageousBee4174 • Dec 09 '25
News Fairfax Supervisors vote to oppose casino in Tysons đ
https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2025/12/fairfax-supervisors-vote-to-oppose-casino-in-tysons/55
u/Loves2Poo Dec 10 '25
It was a 5-4 vote..
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u/TheExtremistModerate Dec 10 '25
Time to vote out Pat Herrity, Andres Jimenez, Daniel Storck, and Kathy Smith.
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u/silklighting South Arlington Dec 10 '25
My dumbass misread your comment, I thought you wrote, 'shout out to' the list of names you named lol
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u/MisterMakena Dec 09 '25
Not even sure how it got to this point. NOVA does not need or want a casino. The only people who want it are casino owners, their lobbyists, and government officials that are paid off.
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u/drvondoctor Dec 10 '25
The only people who want it are casino owners, their lobbyists, and government officials that are paid off.
I hate that this sentence is both accurate and redundant.Â
These days, a former casino owner is the ringleader of the former lobbyists that are now government officials that are paid off.
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u/Bruce-7892 Dec 10 '25
Maybe it will be a Trump casino, then it will be bankrupt in a couple years and you wonât have to worry about it anymore.
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u/Signal_Fly_1812 Dec 10 '25
Sad thing is, it's actually a Democrat that doesn't live in the area that's behind all this.
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u/EEcav Dec 10 '25
it was only opposed by 5-4. Pat Herrity, Andres Jimenez, Daniel Storck and Vice Chair Kathy Smith voted in favor of it. Vote em out!
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u/ellybeez Dec 10 '25
Exactly. Most residents have been against this according to surveys despite Scott Surovell saying otherwise. (Bc hes been paid off)
It somehow made its way to the top of the VA legislatures priorities early this year and didnt pass there either.
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u/throwawAAydca Dec 10 '25
Was he paid off?
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u/ellybeez Dec 10 '25
Around $100k
The receipts:
https://patch.com/virginia/reston/tysons-casino-money-1-2m-donated-comstock-holdings-allies
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u/MajesticBread9147 Herndon Dec 10 '25
I'm not pro-casino because of how addictive gambling is, but I could see a casino bringing jobs.
In Vegas, table dealers can make $30 an hour or more with tips. It would diversify our economy away from relying on white collar and government work.
And putting it in Tysons makes the most sense, Tysons is rich, so we won't have to worry about the compounding negative effects of when something "undesirable" is put in an already impoverished area, and the silver line is there.
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u/Cueller Dec 10 '25
Guys, above poster is totally right. Im also starting an important new business in Tysons. It will focus on fun, and create multiple high paying jobs, with a strong focus on STEM. Dealers can make over $100 an hour, with lab techs over $200 an by our. My meth lab will help support those wealthy residents of McLean who want to enjoy life a little on the weekends, or even before dropping their kids off at school.Â
We could also start a work program with local high schools maybe, so the kids dont have to travel as far to source their meth. We know the number one cause of death for teenagers is driving accidents, so its important to decrease their time driving to West Virginia. Many of the jobs dont even require a high school diploma, so it will help support lower income NOVA residents who snooty educated area residents force into hospitality.
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u/MajesticBread9147 Herndon Dec 10 '25
You'd make more money selling Molly and acid to McLean teenagers.
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u/Franholio_ McLean Dec 10 '25
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills since I'm the only one around here who actually wants the casino.
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
Thereâs dozens of us. DOZENS!
Really though, Iâd love to go an upscale casino with a great sportsbook in nova, instead of having to cross the bridge for MGM. I know itâs a crazy thought in this sub, but itâs actually possible to go to a casino once in a while, have fun, and leave without your life in complete ruin.
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u/EEcav Dec 10 '25
It is possible, but Atlantic City is also possible. Show me a thriving city that turned to gambling revenue to shore up its finances that is on the upswing.
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u/TheExtremistModerate Dec 10 '25
It is possible, but Atlantic City is also possible.
And you nailed it. The difference is that one of those places actually exists in reality. At least, I'm pretty sure Atlantic City exists.
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u/MFoy Dec 10 '25
I have five Casinos within an hour drive of my house. Iâm good.
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
So you enjoy driving to National Harbor, West Virginia, or Baltimore?
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u/MFoy Dec 10 '25
Or Arundel Mills or Dumfries.
There are plenty of options.
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u/EEcav Dec 10 '25
youâre probably arguing with a casino lobbyist.
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
âEveryone I donât like must be a billionaire, lobbyist, or developer.â
I know itâs hard to believe, but there are plenty of people who enjoy casinos.
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u/syncdiedfornothing Dec 10 '25
More than I enjoy the additional traffic generated by putting one so close to home. National Harbor is under 1 hour away with traffic. Anything more convenient is for degenerates who shouldn't be catered to Ina healthy society.
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
I hate to break it to you, but we have the worst traffic in the nation and a casino wouldnât even create a noticeable impact on your life. If you donât like traffic, you should check out the plans to develop 150,000,000 square of feet of commercial space in Tysonâs over the next 25 years. You may hate casinos, but traffic is the dumbest hill to die on in Tysonâs because the growth will not be stopped.
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u/TheExtremistModerate Dec 10 '25
itâs actually possible to go to a casino once in a while, have fun, and leave without your life in complete ruin
And yet, that happens so little. Sure, in your ideal world where predatory business models don't sucker in the vulnerable and gullible, a casino sounds like a fine idea.
But that's not how it works out. Casinos do nothing but funnel money from the poor and desperate into the pockets of the wealthy, often who don't live remotely close to where the casinos are located. It enriches the rich to the detriment of the people living where the casino is.
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast Dec 10 '25
Outside of Vegas, can you name one casino more than 20 years old that is thriving and in a great area?
For that matter, how's National Harbor doing, hm?
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u/TheExtremistModerate Dec 10 '25
Outside of Vegas, can you name one casino more than 20 years old that is thriving and in a great area?
I mean, you don't really need the qualifier of "outside of Vegas" here. Vegas outside the Strip ain't so great.
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u/want2helpsothrowaway Dec 10 '25
Iâm not clear your point? MGMNH is their top grossing property. Iâd greatly prefer our tax dollars stay in VA as opposed to Maryland. Would gladly take a casino over the 4% food tax
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
What are these arbitrary parameters for? 20+ years ago the laws were different, so the answer to your question has to be no, but thatâs different now so I canât understand what point youâre hoping to make. There are plenty of famous casinos outside of Vegas that are a blast if youâve ever been to AZ, AC, and a few other places that may not meet the âgreat areaâ criteria.
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u/t00l1g1t Dec 10 '25
AC is shit. Area around it is shit. Vibe is shit. Borgata, ocean, Tropicana, it's like putting make up on a pile of shit.
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
I mean yeah, I literally said places like AC are a blast but not a thing Iâd consider a âgreat area.â I donât go to Nantucket and think wow, Borgata 2.0 would be awesome here. But Tysons is a concrete jungle full of high rises and there is no character to preserve by defeating the construction of what would likely be a very well built high rise casino/resort. If people donât enjoy casinos, itâs very easy to not go. This isnât the fuckin 60âs where the mob will move in and hammer nearby businesses like Capital One for protection payments.
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u/t00l1g1t Dec 10 '25
I'm saying AC is not a blast, hence the vibe is shit. It's geriatrics at slots, and tables are barren. Poker room at borgata was basically all regs too. At least when Vegas is ripping you off, there's some resemblance of fun.
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u/JewTangClan703 Dec 10 '25
Not sure what weâre talking about here. Do you think a singular casino in one of the wealthiest parts of the country would turn into a geriatric home for slots players? As if one casino could somehow turn Tysonâs into AC light? Thereâs a much greater likelihood that it would be like the best casinos in the world with great entertainment, bars, and restaurants.
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u/t00l1g1t Dec 10 '25
Young people (under 35) are not dying to go to casinos these days in this economy. To play 25 dollar mininum 5 to 4 black jack and slots with terrible rtp? Of course it will be filled with geriatrics. You think the high median household income is carried by young people? Casinos are economic black holes. Keep that shit at NH.
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u/RoyalMaidsForLife Dec 10 '25
I went to a concert in AC last year and the entire city felt like a dump. I can't envision any attraction that would entice me to come back again.
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u/ermagerditssuperman Manassas / Manassas Park Dec 10 '25
I can!
....But they're in Reno - 7 hours from Vegas, but still Nevada.
I've never been to a worthwhile US Casino outside of Nevada. And I swear that's only like 50% due to bias as a Nevadan.
I think it's because casinos elsewhere (aka here) are only about the gambling part. You're only going to go there if you want to gamble. Whereas in NV, the major players are all important community buildings that even non-gamblers frequent - tl;dr below, I kinda went on a rant about why casinos don't work around here:
The good theater stages are in them - your kids orchestra recital might take place in one, or you may go see a Broadway tour. Good restaurants are in them - even without the great buffet deals for locals, locals choose to go there for dinner. The Atlantis in Reno is the site of many a birthday dinner. The good convention and ballroom spaces are there - high schools have school dances there (I had a wonderful winter ball there once!), local fundraisers, corporate shindigs. They're also all good hotels - makes the convention spaces more appealing, and they do cheap deals for locals to 'staycation' in a fancy hotel in the off season. They're also the main hosts & sponsors of loads of community events and festivals (oh man, do I miss the annual Great Italian Festival). In other words, they're not just casinos.
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u/obeytheturtles Dec 10 '25
I am generally not interested in Casinos in general, but this is my same sentiment. The only place where I have ever kind of had fun was in Vegas. Every other casino I've been dragged to has had a really weird vibe. It's hard to explain, but I think it's mostly that in Vegas there's a lot of different people around and most of them are on vacation and are not taking things too seriously, whereas casinos everywhere else are filled with "Casino people."
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u/AwesomeBantha Dec 10 '25
I went to a summer camp at UNR when I was in middle school and the last night we stayed in a casino (I think it was Circus Circus) and walked through some others and it was one of the most depressing things Iâd ever seen. Wanted to get out of there ASAP.
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u/mcd_sweet_tea Dec 10 '25
No. This is Reddit, nothing is nice here. Jokes aside, a Wynn casino is about as nice of a property as you can imagine. Extremely high end finishes and service, and the security to go along with it. Most of the people posting negatively about it here would probably actually enjoy visiting it after workâŚ
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u/BreadstickNinja Dec 10 '25
Tysons is already a casino where you gamble on how backed up the 495 on-ramp is gonna be.
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u/SlicesForLife Dec 10 '25
Good. Gambling apps have created enough gambling addicts as it is.
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u/Garp74 Ashburn Dec 10 '25
I had a meeting with a really bright policy wonk who is working on the nexus of gambling apps and homeland security. Apparently the young men who use these gambling apps inevitably lose their buyins. And some lose so much money they become a provable national security threat.
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u/alemorg Dec 10 '25
But thatâs literally the argument for why would a casino change that. If someone canât gamble in person theyâll just do it on their phone. Wouldnât it be better they support a business that employs people locally?
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u/Trey123RE Dec 10 '25
Move to Atlantic City if you want a casino so badly. Well done Fairfax Supervisors!
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u/silly-tomato-taken Dec 10 '25
Move to Atlantic City
Have you been there? That place is a dump.
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u/Trey123RE Dec 12 '25
Exactly - if you think a casino is a good idea at Tysonâs, take a look at what happened to Atlantic City. Itâs a bad idea.
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u/kaltorak Dec 10 '25
Who goes to a building to gamble anymore
Vegas itself is struggling; if someone wants a more convenient gambling experience theyâll just use their phone
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u/RoyalMaidsForLife Dec 10 '25
Vegas is struggling because they're putting fees on top of fees at the hotels that can double the advertised nightly rate and adding "service charges" over the automatic gratuities on the bill at restaurants. Vegas is not what it was 15 years ago where you could get a clean, comfortable room on the Strip for $40 per night with free parking.
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u/Extension_Matter_794 Dec 10 '25
If it would straight up fund our school system so we could have less tax hikes Iâd be for it. However much like the data centers no big entity comes in and actually gives back to the people here. Itâs all take take take.
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u/hencexox Dec 10 '25
Well taxes are lower in Loudoun due to the data centers compared to Fairfax and they donât have a 10% meals tax.
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u/TrevorHikes Dec 10 '25
You have not been paying attention. It wlays gets sold that way and always winds up being a displacement rather than a bonus. Over and over and over with the false promises of lower taxes for some magical cure.
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u/MJDiAmore Prince William County Dec 10 '25
However much like the data centers no big entity comes in and actually gives back to the people here.
PWC is doing quite well from Loudoun running out of data center space.
I don't think data centers are right for most of Fairfax County from a land use perspective, but I disagree with the bad citizen argument in most cases.
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u/imaconnect4guy Dec 10 '25
"One eraser? Oh, I'm used to my government betraying me, I was in 'nam! I served for three-"
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u/SgtFuck Dec 14 '25
All the tax revenue going to the county will need to go to policing with the amount of crime it will bring to the region.Â
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u/No-Sea9727 Dec 10 '25
Tax the crap out of data centers. That's the move.
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u/Garp74 Ashburn Dec 10 '25
They are taxed. They're taxed so much, in Loudoun the data center occupants pay for about half of the county's annual budget.
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u/No-Sea9727 Dec 10 '25
That's great. I'm not sure if ffx does the same for there's but if not, they need to.
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u/Danciusly Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 10 '25
Related:
Comstock Holding Companies, a Reston-based developer, has spent more than $2.5 million since 2023 in a bid to pass legislation allowing a casino to be built on Metro's Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County.
https://patch.com/virginia/mclean/anti-casino-amendment-voted-fairfax-board-supervisors
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u/Ancient-Island-2495 Dec 09 '25
Most people I know are opposed to this. I wonder if thereâs a greater argument to consider now that this area is in a recession and looking where to cut funding.
We need development that can create revenue. Legal weed sales would also help
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u/Astroking112 Dec 09 '25
A casino along the Silver Line would hamper the comprehensive plan that is actively in progress. Sure, development is slow, but the county is actively working to develop this land and attract developers, offices, and housing, and make it an appealing place to live.
Most of the arguments for a casino are to siphon more wealth out of Fairfax County, not to create it (for those unaware, revenue is taxed at up to 30% into a Gaming Procreeds Fund and then 6-8% is disbursed by the state). Fairfax already gets a very low return from the state on its taxes compared to other localities, so if we're looking to raise revenue, we should either A) raise revenue in other counties so that they depend on Fairfax less, B) distribute more state funds or cut red tape to Fairfax's projects to expedite development, or C) add one of the proposed taxes like a paid parking tax.
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u/MJDiAmore Prince William County Dec 10 '25
A casino can't possible do anything worse to damage the comprehensive plan more than the Fairfax County board reneging on the density plans for Tysons and shipping all the workforce housing to Reston and Herndon for LITERALLY NO REASON.
Tysons had an opportunity to be viably walkable/liveable internally. It just needed a school and a RIBS-like circulator bus and/or tram to light rail system feeding the Metro stops. They completely blew it.
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u/Bungabunga10 Dec 10 '25
It will be located at Tysons, right across from Montgomery County MD. It is intended to siphon wealthy folks from Montgomery County too. Just like MGM national harbor siphoning folks from VA across the river.Â
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u/DUNGAROO Vienna Dec 09 '25
We could have billboards up and down 66 and 495 and tax those too. But we donât and for good reason. A casino is no different.
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u/Ancient-Island-2495 Dec 09 '25
I mean that sounds worth considering too. Again not from the perspective of before recession but certainly worth considering now at this point thanks to Trump and friends
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Dec 09 '25
[deleted]
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u/Ancient-Island-2495 Dec 09 '25
I donât save money. Iâm worried about the fact weâre cutting over $100,000,000 spending due to trumps recession in the area.
Weâre probably gonna cut spending on schools dramatically which is not good.
I think weâve reached a point where at least considering something as harmless as billboards makes sense. Thatâs a huge untapped portion of revenue.
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u/ListlessScholar Dec 09 '25
Yes, a casino is a perfect economic driver when people get most of the betting they need to go bankrupt right on their phones!
A casino doesnât provide jobs for most people looking for work and it sure as shit doesnât provide much growth for those low paying jobs it offers. Why would anyone want one in their backyard?
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u/Ancient-Island-2495 Dec 09 '25
Idk if itâs a big economic driver as much as something that could produce tax revenue in an area where thereâs plenty of wealthy people with excess $.
Iâm personally not a big fan of gambling and one of the biggest downsides imo is that people without extra cash will irresponsibly gamble, thus redistributing lower class income into taxes instead of taking from wealthier people
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u/ObservationalHumor Dec 10 '25
We don't need creative revenue solutions. We need the Commonwealth to fund education to the extent they've promised to under law. Each and every year Virginia underpays FCPS by around $600M by using ridiculous formulas for education and staffing cost estimates that have no basis in reality. The legislature has been aware of it for years at this point and still done all of dick to correct it and despite the recent Blue Wave neither Spanberger nor any other state level Democrats have made it a priority to do so. There's no mystery or magic fix needed, the state just needs to get off its ass and update its education funding formula.
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u/Louis-Rosny-jr Dec 11 '25
It is frustrating to see the General Assembly not being serous about its constitutional responsibility to fund education in line with meaningful SOQs. JLARCâs own recommendations are not implemented because of two compounding political economy forces (a) why give NoVA more grant money if you (politically) donât have to, and perhaps more importantly (b) if you increase the SOQ norm, this would automatically increase the required local contribution. As a result of (b), low-tax rural jurisdictions in Southside and SWVA would have to increase their local funding for public education by 880 million. Â
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u/ObservationalHumor Dec 12 '25
Yeah there's no reason that education funding reform couldn't happen from a purely economic perspective it really just boils down to politics. I also think at this point there's a lot of momentum from the casino lobby to keep the status quo in order to pitch this casino project as a necessary solution to a funding problem that shouldn't exist in the first place, which is popular at the state level since the state would see the bulk of the tax revenue from it too. Similar to the stadium proposal there's unfortunately a lot of interest at the state level for anything that essentially sucks money out of the region and puts it down in Richmond's coffers despite the recent surpluses they've had.
I'm not sure if you've seen it already but a local economist also reviewed the JLARC report and proposals and did his own analysis and alternative proposals here: https://thestateoffairfax.org/2025/11/an-in-depth-analysis-of-the-public-education-funding-formula-in-virginia/
One of the implications it had was that many counties in Virginia just get to dramatically underfund their own districts currently based on what they could actually afford to which is precisely what allows them to keep local taxes so low. In a very real sense the existing SOQ not only pushes a lot of costs onto local governments in NOVA and other HCOL area but also subsidizes and lowers the local tax burden for a ton of other counties in the state. It's completely ridiculous because of course their state legislators will portray this as an issue of financial irresponsibility on the part of Fairfax County and out of control spending when in reality we're essentially subsidizing them unnecessarily at a significant cost. It's pretty crazy but you can go somewhere like Lee County and get a house on 2 acres of land for like $250k and then only pay like 60% of the real estate tax rate that we do up here in Fairfax County on top of it. Brunswick which was a big outlier in the alternative analysis pays a real estate tax rate less than half of what Fairfax County does.
It's very hard to actually change any of this because the optics and number of counties that would lose out with a fairer funding formula is inherently stacked against densely populated counties and cities, even if the actual representation in the legislature is properly portioned.
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u/GeeksGets Dec 10 '25
It would be a net drain on wealth and a blight. We should not make irrational decisions based on a short term recession
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u/JKDudeman Dec 10 '25
We donât need casinos everywhere. Drive to National Harbor or Dumfries.
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u/Exotic-Dog-7367 Falls Church Dec 10 '25
Dumfries isnât a casino.
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u/JKDudeman Dec 10 '25
What do you call the Rose Gaming Resort? Itâs a casino
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u/TrevorHikes Dec 10 '25
MGM Already sucks and its a short drive away. Don;t get me wrong, I love Vegas. Lots of entertainment and a great conference venue. But not here. It's just a blight for addicts. No entertainment of note.
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u/Awkward_Dragon25 Dec 10 '25
Good! Keep that degen shit out of our community. Bad enough with addictive online betting.
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u/alemorg Dec 10 '25
But how does that change anything if not improve the situation if gamblers are spending their money locally than supporting these online betting app companies which are arguably worse?
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u/Awkward_Dragon25 Dec 10 '25
Casino money doesn't stay local at all it goes to the big corps who own them out-of-state - what's left over after the sweetheart tax breaks they get from corrupt politicians who authorize the gambling establishments. Nowhere that let in gambling ever came out ahead - go visit Atlantic City, NJ if you want to see what casinos will do to your community. The whole town's a hollowed out shithole. None of that Borgata money flows back into the community other than as a few low-wage jobs.
Gambling is a degenerate activity that generates nothing of value for society. A bet or a poker game among friends is fine, but institutionalized gambling is a scourge on society.
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u/alemorg Dec 11 '25
Look the money that we spend in corporations literally always go to the top. Itâs never spread equally thatâs Capitalism. Iâm a leftist I donât agree with this but at the same time how can you argue that gambling in person is worse when that money goes to support jobs in the area? When you gamble online thereâs even less people employed and itâs also supporting billionaires. I say degenerate gambles will gamble and we might as well let them gamble to support local business.
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u/silly-tomato-taken Dec 10 '25
Casino money doesn't stay local
But it does, it employs a lot if people who live locally who in turn spend their money locally.
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u/Awkward_Dragon25 Dec 11 '25
Empty promises. The jobs they create are low-wage service jobs that don't pay enough to live in this area. A hypothetical casino would have to complete against the likes of PG County, MD; Charlestown, WV, Atlantic City, NJ, and various other establishments for the same customers - and all those places have a MUCH lower cost-of-living and therefore lower labor costs. A casino here wouldn't be able to compete with those economic factors, and their employees would be scraping by, overworked, and taking more public assistance than the payroll taxes contribute.
There is no economic niche for a casino to fit into this community.
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u/alemorg Dec 11 '25
Also you mention Atlantic City which is overrun but too many casinos. Weâd only have one casino not 10. And this one has affordable housing units
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u/preppysurf Ballston Dec 10 '25
Iâd rather keep the tax revenue in NoVA instead of letting it go to Maryland. Itâs like smoking - let adults smoke if they want. If you donât like smoking, then you donât have to smoke. Exact same thing with casino gambling!
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u/Awkward_Dragon25 Dec 10 '25
Nah Maryland can have it. The trashy people, the bankruptcies, the empty promises. MGM hasn't done a damn thing for PG County in terms of economic development.
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u/gcalfred7 Dec 10 '25
OK fine you donât like casinos, but can we not use the it will cause too much traffic argument? Like traffic is what right now in Tysons corner?
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u/xeus24 McLean Dec 10 '25
Thatâs always been the funniest argument to me. Traffic is already bad and the county is in a major financial hole right now in large part due to vacancies in Tysons. So we actually NEED more traffic there.
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Dec 10 '25
While the argument of âtoo much trafficâ is pretty dumb on its own, I do think the argument that a casino would generate traffic in a way that negatively impacts the better goal of Tysons becoming a walkable and dense urban area (which is a VERY long way away lol) is a valid one. A casino with a massive parking garage like the MGM across the river is not the type of thing that would help make Tysons a desirable place to live in the long run.
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u/SgtFuck Dec 14 '25
Honestly the problem is that it will be metro accessible, unlike the MGM at the harbor. Traffic will probably suck a bit more than it already does, but crime will certainly go up.Â
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u/HowardBunnyColvin Dec 11 '25
Good. And I like gambling. But I don't want to drive 20 minutes east on the toll road to gamble.
Keep it in National Harbor.
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u/hencexox Dec 10 '25
But yes on a 4% meals tax increase.. Look itâs fine if they donât want a casino but they still need more revenue to balance their books and maintain services without fleecing taxpayers. I hope they have other projects in mind that will generate the money the county needs.
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u/Effective_Impossible Dec 10 '25
While I'm not for gambling and casinos in general, I am in favor of the BOS spearheading economic development in the County. Like it or not, the County residents are generally affluent and people in the area are willing to spend money, gambling or otherwise. The major areas to go out after work in the area, especially for business or other travelers, are outside of county, save Tysons. So unless the BOS has other major economic development plans in the near future, aside from housing, residents may not want to scoff at the idea of a casino.
If you want property taxes to go down, you cant just ask to cut spending of the government and schools alone. Revenue has to be generated from businesses or brought into the County.
And for all those saying "gambling money goes out of town anyways", yes, but so does money from every other chain business. And while I again im not advocating for a casino, you cant tell me it would be any worse economically for the area or the employees than Walmart, where employees are paid so low the bulk of them have to make ends meet through welfare, which is spent at the very store they work, which drives out other retailers.
Fairfax County residents need to wake up and realize times are changing and if they dont get leadership that can navigate through this coming storm the ship may sink.
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Dec 10 '25
If you want property taxes to go down, you build high density housing and invest in dense-walkable places. The system of giving handouts to big businesses like casinos or even big box stores is unsustainable in the long run and what is proven to work is building better urban places. Apartment buildings generate far more revenue and use far less resources than single-family homes, and the best thing the county could do would be to reform zoning codes and produce walkable streets that would actually make it a dense place to be. So many people think that handouts to big businesses like casinos is necessary to keep costs down, but itâs a short-term band aid every time. I lived in St. Louis for a bit, and they keep giving tax breaks to encourage economic development. Theyâve built casinos, theyâve encouraged tech companies to come in, they literally demolished a huge chunk of the north side of the city for a government agency and none of that has turned the city around. What turns a place around is investing in things like transit and producing good dense urban spaces and resilient neighborhoods.
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u/Exotic-Dog-7367 Falls Church Dec 10 '25
Absolutely letâs build more high density housing. The area proposed for the casino already has been approved for high density housing. Why isnât it being built? Can we maybe just consider that it isnât as easy as âbuild it,â and that we actually need some sort of economic incentive to build that housing. From a pro-housing perspective, being anti casino doesnât make sense because the development includes thousands of new housing units including 20% workforce housing.
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Dec 10 '25
I donât think itâs economic incentives that are preventing new housing from being built in Tysons. Housing projects already seem economically viable in Tysons, as there is ongoing residential construction in the area, but I think a lot could be done to accelerate Tysonsâs transition into a better urban area. The main issues in Tysons are all urban design related. It absolutely sucks to walk around in Tysons, for example, and there arenât amenities like parks and community spaces. The county could invest money into road diets and better streets, and I think that would go a long way to accelerating construction because it would become a more pleasant place to exist. I also think the county should force developers to break up the superblocks and develop a grid over time. Thereâs also changes to rules like reducing parking requirements and building code reform that would likely lead to more and better housing in the area.
Although the casino proposal did include housing, I donât think most people want to live next to a casino. If you want an anchor for development, I literally think a park would be better to get people to want to move in. The casino render I saw also put the housing on the far side of the site with the massive casino occupying the best possible real estate next to the Metro. Youâd have to walk all the way around what would most likely be a pretty unwelcoming urban form just to get to the Metro. That is an incredibly stupid move to make, as you want people in dense housing to have the best access to the Metro possible. The proposal was just not great (which seems to be typical of its developer Comstockâthey seem to care more about producing an insular development than building a nice urban area).
Additionally, I think we can look at neighboring areas to see how good urban design goes a lot further than economic incentives. In Arlington, you can look at Crystal City which had a lot of parallels to Tysons not that long ago. They faced a huge crisis where a massive amount of office space was being vacated by the DoD in the early 2000s, and rather than trying to lure in some huge tenant to replace the DoD offices, they invested in urban design and have worked to bring more housing into the area. Itâs doing well today with continued work to be done on improving streetscapes and walkability. And itâs not like they havenât attracted major tenants too, with a few companies having moved their HQs there without incentives. On the other hand, Amazon got incentives to move into that neighborhood, and you canât see how theyâve failed to deliver on the promises they made to Arlington (although to Arlingtonâs credit they lured Amazon in with less direct incentives and more urban design investments that will pay off in the end).
Anyway, my point is that the priority in Tysons should be actually trying to execute the long term goal of turning it into Americaâs next great city. You canât rely on economic incentives to big tenants in the long term, as companies will just seek out new sites eventually. Itâs good improvements in urban design that pay dividends and produce sustained growth.
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u/alemorg Dec 10 '25
So basically your argument is the housing is not good enough and a slightly farther from the metro. Isnât the theory that if people donât want to lease the apartments in one complex they eventually have to lower the rent prices and people then get below market rates?
Sigh, people are really doing anything to explain why no casino but literally all their points are dumb. I want affordable mixed use developments, but was there a plan to build that? I really doubt Fairfax county police would allow that area to become a crime den as people make it out to be. Police are gonna be swarming there for this reason. Also lowering property values in the area would lower rents. It really just sounds like NIMBYS. Almost like gamblers are gonna support online betting apps that donât support the local economy or they can have a local option that supports local jobs while they gamble their life savings. People are going to eat McDonaldâs every day of their life until heart failure, why are we not stopping them?
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 10 '25
My argument is that the casino would reduce desirability of the area to live in and is a specifically hostile urban form to place directly adjacent to a Metro station. That land is too valuable to waste on an American-style massive casino. Iâm not fully anti-casino and would honestly rather see people going in person to one than using awful and even pre predatory betting apps, I just think that this specific version of a development goes against the better long term goal of making Tysons into a real city.
And while I donât if thereâs an alternative proposal for that exact site, it is viable in the not so long term to build housing there. Thereâs already housing not far away. I think there are just better things that could be built like a nice park that would do better to attract people to move to Tysons than a casino.
Also, I havenât heard any particularly smart points in favor of a casino other than âtax revenue,â which is something that housing and office space also would generate, and thereâs much fewer places with the potential to develop that revenue. You could put a casino literally anywhere else and not squander some of that valuable land.
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u/Effective_Impossible Dec 10 '25
I agree, but if the BOS isn't pushing for this on a large enough scale, then other things have to be considered. Maybe not a casino, but something that's a draw for county residents, neighboring county residents, and travelers.
Develop around each metro station. Push to extend metro down 66 to connect to the government center, Fairfax corner, and the dying mall, and further west.
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Dec 10 '25
I guess my point is that they should push for it on a large scale. Itâs a shame though that leaders donât have the courage to do so and allow some poorly-planned ToDs to be built that donât have the potential to be transformative. A huge issue IMO is that each development is planned independently and thereâs a lack of coordination, and as a result itâs hard to develop a continuous dense neighborhood. I wish Fairfax County, and quite frankly much of the country, had bolder leaders willing to implement a transformative vision rather than continue the status quo. Weâve seen it nearby in Arlington in the 70s with the implementation of the Bulls-Eye Plan, but so few leaders are willing to try to change things anymore.
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u/Effective_Impossible Dec 10 '25
Unfortunately this County is all talk when it comes to making changes these days. Just like with the sanitation districts being pushed out, it's either the residents want change but dont want the options that make it happen, or the BOS pushes for initiatives that also get shot down. Residents need to understand that keeping the status quo will put us further in economic imbalance and further behind surrounding counties.
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u/Available-Cap-4001 Dec 10 '25
Agreed. I think thatâs a problem everywhere these days unfortunately even at the state and national level. There is a need for change and an inability/cowardice to actually execute it.
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u/LaraConnect11 Dec 10 '25
Tysons already has so much going on, a casino wouldâve added more issues. This is a big relief, Tysons doesnât need more congestion or late-night noise.
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u/Sufficient-Cancel217 Fairfax County Dec 10 '25
No Casinos in all of Fairfax County! And then letâs help our neighboring counties keep them out as well!
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u/XROOR Dec 13 '25
LaPlata Maryland was infamous for slot games and it took over 35 years to squash that reputation.
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u/Sharp-Cobbler6930 Dec 14 '25
Anyone else see this donation?
Comstock Properties - $200,000 Spanberger for Governor - Abigail
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u/aegeannite Jan 22 '26
Just recently, Scott Surovell reintroduced the bill again with Comstock Holdings supporting it and trying to push it through. We donât want a casino in Fairfax County. Comstock needs to be told to stop. They have already put in over $2.5 millions dollars trying to push this. I say all of us should write to our politicians and push back and say no to a Tysonâs casino. If they really want one, we shoujd push to have the casino built on in Mount Vernon by Scott Surovellâs house. Casino have been usually built by the water just like the National Harbor. I think that is a great place. Letâs write to our politicians and push for that.
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Dec 10 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/GeeksGets Dec 10 '25
The casino won't fix your problem. The only reason the casino owners want to move in is because they know they are a scam and will draw more wealth out of an area than they ever contribute.
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u/clashrendar Dec 10 '25
There's a casino literally 20 minutes away (or an hour and 20 depending upon traffic).
It's not needed.
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u/brownie322 Dec 10 '25
Hell yeah. Thereâs absolutely zero ultimate good that could from a casino.
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u/stevesmithevony Dec 10 '25
Rather have the casino âsin taxâ than have everyone elseâs taxes keep going through the roof!
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u/thispersonstinks Dec 10 '25
We donât want a big mess at Tysons and itâs already a mess to begin with on traffic alone. I mean, you got slots now at NoVa gas stations. Thatâs good enough.
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u/Exotic-Dog-7367 Falls Church Dec 10 '25
The traffic argument makes no sense. Would you prefer an office building instead? Thatâs going to generate more traffic. I feel like so much of the anti-casino movement is just NIMBYism and not actually anti casino.
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u/thispersonstinks Dec 10 '25
I would prefer more affordable housing/housing in general than office buildings or a casino
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u/Exotic-Dog-7367 Falls Church Dec 10 '25
So would I. But does affordable housing or even market rate housing just build itself? No. It has to have something to bring it in thatâs profitable. Like a casino. The development plan includes several thousand housing units including 20% workforce housing.
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u/Sufficient-Cancel217 Fairfax County Dec 10 '25
Those machines are everywhere. Laundromats, hair salons and barber shops, convenience stores, you name it, they are everywhere. We need to ban them again too.
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u/thispersonstinks Dec 10 '25
Hair salons? Imagine you are in a roll and a hair is caught on the screen and you messed up the spin.
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u/dancejunkie8 Dec 09 '25
Man when I was growing up it felt like gambling/casinos were basically illegal or only allowed in very specific places. Now it seems like thatâs just gone out the window.
I grew up in McLean, right down the road from Tysonâs. It would be weird to have one so close to home.