The rebranding of the proposed Richmond casino into a resort/spa makes no sense.

Furthermore, the Richmond 300 master plan, which guides the city’s growth, doesn’t even call for this industrial part of town to change.ġ/ Let's get real. Located between a new 1.2 million square foot Lowe’s distribution hub and the expanding Richmond Marine Terminal port, the site is squarely in a thriving industrial zone far from ready to be transitioned to commercial or residential uses. Thanks to the success of Scott’s Addition and Rockett’s Landing, many Richmonders have gotten comfortable with the notion of formerly industrial areas driving the city’s growth however, the industrial area the casino would be built in is far from the former tobacco warehouses that define Manchester. The tract and the majority of its surroundings are currently zoned M-2 Industrial. Nearby runs a “ hazardous liquid pipeline ” - perhaps the reason why the proposed parcel for the casino is also in the 90-95th percentile for proximity to hazardous waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Neighbors include a DuPont chemical factory, an Amazon procurement warehouse, Phillip Morris, and various coal- and gas-fired power plants. Renderings of the proposal largely cut out the industrial uses that surround the site. While much attention has been given to one of the casino’s backers calling local organizers against the project the N-word and “a Jew,” the planned wages being close to the state minimum, one of the firm’s failure to file required financial reports, and the pro-casino camp’s more than $8 million in spending on free lunches, free rides to and from the polls, and a free Isley Brothers concert to turn out the vote, little analysis has focused on the actual Southside site where Urban One and Churchill Downs would build the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino. Does the casino proposal represent a new investment in a long-neglected part of town, or is it just the latest example of the city dumping unwanted industries in Black and Brown areas ? Image by the author.Īlthough Richmond’s last referendum on allowing a casino within city limits was a close vote of 51% against and 49% in favor, both sides seemed to agree that the proposed placement of the facility south of the James River played a crucial role in helping voters make up their minds.

An anti-casino sign displayed in the yard of a Bellevue home.

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