In Norfolk, Virginia, among the items on the November 3 election ballot will be referendum on a proposed waterfront casino near Harbor Park, to be developed by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.
During the kickoff event for the All In for Norfolk Casino Committee, Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray said, “This $500 million project will be part of a long recovery from one of the greatest hits to the economy of our lifetime. We’ll be out there making sure the people of Norfolk know about this great project, the benefits it will bring to the city and why they should be all in for the Norfolk Resort and Casino.”
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander added, “Our city will potentially benefit from millions of dollars in new tax revue that will be committed to public education. This would be the first project of this kind to be financed without taxpayer subsidy. And the land for this project will be purchased at full market value.”
The Virginia General Assembly earlier this year legalized casino gambling in five locations statewide, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Bristol and Danville. Voters in each of those cities will have the opportunity to approve the proposed casinos.
To encourage support, Gray also announced the tribe will contribute $150,000 to help finance a grocery store to the St. Paul’s area, which includes about half of the city’s public housing and has been considered a “food desert” since the Save A Lot grocery store closed in June. “Lack of access to food is not a new concept to the Pamunkey Tribe. That’s why we have chosen this issue as a key priority in our commitment to the community,” Gray said.
Tribal spokesman Jay Smith noted the grant is not contingent on the ballot referendum passing. The tribe anticipates making the payment soon and anticipates the grocery store could open by the end of this year. He added the tribe already contributed $17,000 to local food bank and has been working with eight area churches and nonprofit organizations over the past two months to provide funding for food pantries and hot meals for those in need.
State Rep. Jay Jones noted, “Other states that surround Virginia have gaming, our citizens leave on a weekly basis to spend their money. We’d like to make sure they can spend it here in the city of Norfolk so we get all of that wonderful tax revenue, wonderful economic benefits that this project will bring.”
