The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors doubled down yesterday morning (Tuesday) on their opposition to a Tysons casino — and ramped up criticism of state legislators pushing the measure.
“This was absolutely a direct attack on local government,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the March 17 meeting, which came three days after state legislators passed legislation that would add Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities eligible to host a casino.
The measure — Senate Bill 756, patroned by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) — was adopted Saturday (March 14) on votes of 25-13 in the State Senate and 55-41 in the House of Delegates.
It now awaits action from Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D). When reviewing the General Assembly’s 2026 session yesterday, Fairfax County leaders reaffirmed statements they’d issued over the weekend that they would press her to reject the measure.
“I sincerely hope that the governor vetoes this bill [that] seeks to jam a casino into Tysons,” said Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, the first of a number of supervisors who attacked the legislative action at Tuesday’s meeting.
“The bill was written to benefit a specific developer at the expense of the many,” Bierman said.
Much of that criticism was directed at members of the General Assembly who represent parts of Fairfax County but voted in support of the measure.
“There are times when our own people are not looking out for our best interests,” McKay said.
Those from the Fairfax delegation who voted for Surovell’s measure included Sens. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-33), Dave Marsden (D-35) and Stella Pekarsky (D-36) as well as Dels. Laura Jane Cohen (D-15), Garrett McGuire (D-17) and Rozia Henson Jr. (D-19).
Bierman called it “really sad that the people of Fairfax County were sold out by their own.”
Surovell and Marsden have pushed casino legislation for the past three legislative sessions. If the 2026 measure signed by Spanberger, the matter ultimately could go to voters for a countywide referendum to determine whether casino gambling should be permitted.
Whether the Board of Supervisors would have the power to simply not call for a referendum remains an open question. Language in state law says local governments “shall” petition the Circuit Court for a referendum once a preferred casino operator is selected by the county.
Use of the word “shall” in Virginia law typically gives no discretion in a matter, but county leaders could choose to interpret it as giving the Board of Supervisors a say on whether to advance a measure to the court and, ultimately, voters.
An unexpected amendment to the bill considered by the State Senate on Friday (March 13) would’ve circumvented the referendum requirement by allowing a temporary casino to operate in Fairfax with a state commission’s approval for up to five years or until a referendum for a permanent development passes.
The last-minute machinations represented “the least transparent thing I’ve ever seen,” McKay said. He called it is “no way to do business.”
County officials and staff were able to get that provision stripped out by the House of Delegates over the weekend, but McKay noted that “at the end of the day, that only got us back to where we started” — a bill most supervisors didn’t want.
Several supervisors appeared equally furious at characterizations made by some in Richmond that the Tysons area is in need of revitalization.
“We at the county government know what we’re doing around land use — we have a thriving Tysons,” McKay said. “Those people, including Sen. Surovell, should visit Tysons more often.”
Arguing that a casino-anchored complex in Fairfax along the Silver Line would deliver needed tax revenue for the state and county, Surovell asserted at an early Senate subcommittee hearing that Tysons was “not thriving” and development had stalled, particularly for office buildings.
He also stated throughout the session that the area’s office vacancy rate is higher than the national average.
While construction has slowed in Tysons, multiple housing projects are still going up, retail visits have surpassed 2019 levels, and the office vacancy rate has flattened out at 20% — roughly in line with the national average — for the past five business quarters through the end of 2025, according to a market report from the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA).
The report was released last Thursday (March 13) at the TCA’s Vision Tysons 2026 summit, where county leaders and a panel of developers expressed overall confidence in the area’s evolution and ability to adapt to changing economic conditions.
The only mention of the casino bill came from McKay, who opened his scheduled remarks by assuring attendees that he wasn’t “going to get people worked up” after Bierman — also present — suggested he poll them on the issue.
“We’re building an entire city here,” McKay said in his remarks, countering recent comments he’d heard that Tysons was “struggling.”
“These have not been the easiest of times,” he continued. “We lived through Covid. We’re dealing with what’s happening at the federal level right now and the fallout for some of our commercial office space, and yet, despite all of that, Tysons as you can clearly see in the [market report] before you is succeeding in just about every way.”
“Tysons is not in need of a rescue,” said Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, whose district encompasses most of Tysons, including the parcel along Leesburg Pike near the Spring Hill Metro station where Comstock Companies wants to build an entertainment complex anchored by the casino.
“What has transpired has been the passion project of one senator putting forward a prescribed location that benefits only one developer and ignores the many voices of Fairfax County residents and our Board,” Palchik added at yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Arguing that a “substantial conversation about tax reform,” not a “gimmick,” is needed to improve public education funding, McKay said the efforts expended debating the casino, both in Fairfax and Richmond, interfered with addressing other important issues during the legislature’s 60-day session.
McKay concluded with a wish that legislators would “spend as much time focusing on passing a balanced budget.”
The General Assembly adjourned Saturday without an approved state budget primarily due to disagreements over whether to end tax breaks for data centers. Legislators are slated to reconvene in Richmond for a special session to hammer out a spending plan on April 23.
Elected leaders in the Town of Vienna also lamented the casino bill’s passage and called for Spanberger to veto the measure.
“The Vienna Town Council has always strongly opposed any legislation that would pave the way for a casino in Tysons or anywhere in Fairfax County,” Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said in a statement. “This measure ignores the concerns of our community, and the Town Council and I will continue to work with our regional partners to prevent a casino from being established in our area.”
Spanberger faces a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 13 to sign, veto or amend the legislation sent to her desk by the General Assembly.
