Last month a city of Richmond advisory panel chose to move forward with the casino, choosing the Urban One, Inc. backed project over proposals from Cordish Companies and Bally’s.
On Monday five of six Richmond city council members voted in support of the casino, which would be built on the city’s Southside.
“ONE is extremely grateful and proud that Richmond City Council has voted to move forward with a first-class casino and resort in Richmond’s Southside,” said Alfred Liggins, Urban One CEO. “This project will be funded entirely with private investment and will generate millions of dollars in critically needed new tax revenue that can be used for schools, affordable housing, workforce development, infrastructure and other city priorities.”
Urban ONE Casino + Resort would be the nation’s only African-American owned casino if passed by voters this November. Urban One is a Maryland-based media conglomerate tailored toward the Black community.
The company said the Richmond casino would cost approximately $517m to build and would cover 300,000 square feet. The project proposal includes a 250-room luxury hotel, more than a dozen unique eateries, a television/radio production studio and a state-of-the-art sportsbook.
Richmond was one of five Virginia cities approved to build a casino after state lawmakers passed an expanded gaming bill last March. The other Commonwealth cities approved for casinos are Danville, Bristol, Portsmouth and Norfolk.
