Casino gaming still isn’t permitted in Northern Virginia, but that hasn’t stopped the Town of Herndon from considering zoning parameters for a potential establishment.
At a work session tonight (Monday), the Herndon Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss a proposed zoning ordinance amendment that would add a casino gaming establishment as an indoor entertainment use allowed near the town’s Metro station.
The draft ordinance from town staff would require a casino to be part of a mixed-use development with at least the following elements:
- A hotel with at least 225 guest rooms
- A minimum of 34,000 square feet of retail space
- A minimum of 11,000 square feet of conference or ballroom space
- A minimum of 20,000 square feet of retail grocery
It would only be allowed in the town’s Planned Development transit-oriented core district (PD-TOC), which aligns with the Herndon Transit-Oriented Core that covers approximately 38 acres of land immediately north of the Herndon Metro station along Herndon Parkway.
Approvals of the development plan and a special exception would also be required, processes that involve public hearings and final decisions by the Herndon Town Council.
“Amending the Zoning Ordinance now to define casino-related terms and establish land use provisions will prepare the town for casino-related legislation that may have direct or indirect impacts on land use within the town,” staff wrote in a memo for the planning commission.
Consideration of the amendment was initiated by the town council on March 24 as part of its consent agenda, meaning there was no discussion about the proposal.
At that time, community members and local leaders across Fairfax County were still waiting in suspense to see if Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger would sign, veto or amend Senate Bill 756, which would’ve added the county to the list of localities eligible to host a casino.
If approved, the legislation championed by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) would’ve directed the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to identify a preferred developer and order a referendum asking voters whether casino gambling should be permitted. It included criteria limiting potential sites to Tysons and requiring the casino to be incorporated into a mixed-use development of at least 1.5 million square feet.
Spanberger ultimately vetoed the bill, to the relief of the Board of Supervisors, and the General Assembly declined to revisit it during a veto session on April 22. Surovell, however, has stated that the push for a casino in Fairfax County “will be back” in a future session.
The Herndon Planning Commission was initially scheduled to discuss the proposed zoning amendment at its April 13 work session, but the item was withdrawn from the agenda during the meeting. An April 27 public hearing was also canceled “due to an error in the legal advertisement,” according to the staff memo.
The town didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on when the public hearing will now be held.
Photo via Kvnga/Unsplash
