The City Council on Tuesday night voted to formally certify Caesars Virginia, LLC as the City's preferred casino gaming operator and to authorize Mayor Alonzo Jones to execute the City's post-referendum letter of certification and submit the letter and other documentation to the Virginia Lottery Department.
The documentation is required by the state statute on casino gaming that was signed into law in March. Earlier this month, Danville voters approved casino gaming by a margin of more than two-to-one, with 13,151 ballots or 68.73 percent cast in favor of a gaming establishment and 5,983 ballots or 31.27 percent cast against it.
In September, Danville city and Caesars Entertainment officials signed a development agreement for a resort casino to be built at the former Dan River Mills industrial complex in Schoolfield should the casino gaming referendum pass.
The next step for the City is to work with Caesars as it develops final plans for the site. Also, according to the terms of the development agreement between Caesars and the City, Caesars will pay $15 million upfront to the City within 30 days and, by the end of the year, Caesars will pay $5 million to buy the Schoolfield site.
Caesars plans to break ground at the site in fall 2021 and have its $400 million casino resort opened in the second half of 2023.
In other matters, City Council voted to:
- Establish Juneteenth as an observed holiday for City of Danville employees.
- Sell a surplus vacant lot along Spring Street to the neighboring property owners to return it to the tax rolls, and eliminate future maintenance costs.
- Sell a surplus vacant lot along Mount Cross Road to the neighboring property owners to return it to the tax rolls, and eliminate future maintenance costs.
- Amend the current agreement with Inframark to include accepting biosolids from the town of Chatham.
- Enter into an agreement to allow American Municipal Power to manage the revenue meters associated with the Pinnacles hydro facility in Patrick County,
- Update the City’s sewer use ordinance to comply with current EPA and DEQ regulations.
- Submit an application to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to grant a five-year extension for Enterprise Zone 57B. Enterprise Zone 57B was established in 2001 and is a joint zone with Pittsylvania County. This zone consists of 1,658 acres including the Kentuck Road corridor, Airside Industrial Park, the Gypsum Road industrial corridor, and a portion of Cane Creek Centre.
- Amend the city manager's contract.
- Appropriate $1.19 million in federal funds for housing-related programs.
- Appropriate bond proceeds to fund various projects, including fire apparatus purchase, various street and building improvements, elevator and roof replacements, emergency generator purchase, park facility improvements, electric system improvements and upgrades, and estimated bond costs.
- Appropriate grants for foodservice operations and monitoring, outreach and prevention programs at W.W. Moore Jr. Detention Home.
The City Council also held a first reading on a grant from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for equipment and service Upgrades to the Danville 9-1-1 Emergency Services Communication Center.
A first reading is an introductory step required by City Code before some issues can be voted upon by the City Council. This step serves to provide public notice of pending action. The City Council can vote on these matters at its next meeting.
In one final matter, Mayor Jones issued a proclamation for Danville Entrepreneurship Week, which is this week.