Virginia: Henrico lawmakers urge Churchill Downs to pull back gambling facility plans

Henrico County’s Virginia General Assembly delegation has requested Churchill Downs Incorporated to withdraw plans to operate a gambling facility featuring historical horse racing machines (HHRs) in the Staples Mill Shopping Center in Henrico’s Near West End. The eight members of the delegation sent a letter to the company on Tuesday.

Last month, Churchill Downs submitted plans to open the gambling facility at the 25,000-square-foot former site of Surplus Furniture and Mattress, located at the intersection of Glenside Drive and Staples Mill Road. 

The site is zoned for B-2 (business district) usage, which permits up to 175 historical horse racing machines and parimutuel betting without public input, preventing the county from legally prohibiting the facility's establishment.

However, in May, Henrico officials initiated a process culminating in a new ordinance adopted on June 25. The provision mandates any such facility to obtain a provisional use permit (PUP) before opening anywhere in the county, a process that requires a public hearing.

During the board’s June 25 meeting, Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt criticized Churchill Downs for allegedly attempting to bypass the ordinance-adoption process by submitting their plans on June 18.

“When this jurisdiction states the fact that we’re going to look into this and enact an ordinance that... would allow the public the ability to weigh in, that is a publicly known entity and it’s out there that that’s what we’re working on, for weeks or months,” Schmitt said.

In their letter, retrieved by Henrico Citizen, Henrico’s state lawmakers were explicit in their opposition.

“This proposal... has the potential to bring about undesirable changes to our community,” the lawmakers wrote. “As state legislators, we are committed to advocating for the best interests of our constituents. Allowing this project to proceed without proper scrutiny and public input would be a disservice to the people we represent. We call on the Colonial Downs Group and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium to withdraw its application.”

The letter was signed by state senators Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-16th District), Lamont Baby (D-14th District), and Lashrecse Aird (D-13th District) and delegates David Owen (R-57th District), Rodney Willett (D-58th District), Buddy Fowler (R-59th District), Destiny LeVere Bolling (D-80th District), and Delores McQuinn (D-81st District).