Norfolk Casino Project Clears Major Hurdle with ARB Approval

The Norfolk casino project has taken a big step forward. The city’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) gave it the green light to move ahead even though some design issues are still up in the air. 

Norfolk Casino Faces Calls for Further Design Refinements Before Moving Ahead

The ARB, which keeps an eye on city property developments, said yes to the project with a 6-1 vote, reported WAVY-TV. This pushes it closer to the Norfolk Planning Commission. However, people are still talking about how the project might affect the area around it. They are worried about things like keeping birds safe and how it would look on the waterfront.

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe and Boyd Gaming, a casino operator from Las Vegas, are working together on the casino project. Boyd Gaming bought an 80% share in the venture from Jon Yarbrough, a billionaire from Tennessee. Yarbrough had teamed up with the Pamunkey Tribe to build a casino in King William County. The casino in Norfolk set to be built on a 9.35-acre plot near Harbor Park, takes the place of earlier plans for a tribal casino. It focuses on Norfolk as one of five cities in Virginia allowed to host commercial casinos after a public vote in 2020.

ARB members stressed the need to finalize the design details before giving full approval. Gregory Rutledge, an ARB member, pointed out how important this project is for the city’s waterfront calling it a future landmark.

But he made it clear that the building’s design must be done to last a long time. Rutledge worried that the current plans, while looking good, do not have enough details on key things, like what materials will be used and how the building will work with sunlight and people walking by. The ARB has asked for more changes to fix these issues, which they will look at again in a future design stage.

Environmental Groups Push for Lighting Changes in Norfolk Casino Project

Environmental groups brought up ecological issues during the ARB’s assessment. The Cape Henry Audubon Society expressed concern that the casino’s design might disorient migrating birds causing them to collide with the structure. This worry focused on the building’s lighting. Pat Scanlon speaking for the society, asked the developers to think about using more bird-safe lighting and design elements.

Despite these concerns, the project has a significant impact on Norfolk, which has already sold the land for $10.5 million. The casino plans to have a 200-room hotel, 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, and a sportsbook. Also, Boyd intends to launch a temporary casino next year while construction of the permanent building continues.

The project’s total cost will exceed the city’s minimum requirement of $300 million, though Boyd Gaming has not revealed the final budget. The casino will compete with Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which began operations in early 2023 close to the planned location.