TYSONS, VA — Nick Clemente, son of the developer seeking to build a casino on the Silver Line in Fairfax County, posted on a Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce blog that future legislation should also consider stations in Arlington, Falls Church and Dulles as possible locations for a casino.
“We are disheartened by the decision of Senate Finance to continue the discussion until next year and initiate another study on the potential economic impact of a casino in Northern Virginia,” Clemente wrote. “However, since this matter is concluded, we believe the study should not be narrow in scope. We believe it should also study the potential additional revenue that would be generated from a casino along the Silver Line between Dulles and the District of Columbia line. It is critical that we do not miscalculate the additional economic benefits that would be generated from international business people or tourists who come to the DMV through Dulles.”
The quote appears in the Feb. 9 edition of the 2024 General Assembly, Week 3 Summary. In his role as the vice president of government relations for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Clemente wrote weekly updates that were emailed to chamber members.
Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In the blog post, Clemente suggested that future studies should consider all Silver Line stations between the Washington, D.C., border and Dulles, which meant that Rosslyn, Court House, Virginia Square-GMU, Ballston and East Falls Church in Arlington should be included.
Clemente’s post came two days after the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations voted to hold over Senate Bill 675 until the 2025 legislative session. This was the second time a bill introduced by state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke) that sought to give the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors the authority to put a referendum on a future ballot failed. If the bill had been approved by the general assembly and the governor signed it, voters would then have the chance to decide whether a casino should be built on the Silver Line.
Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Related:
Read all of Patch’s reporting on Comstock Companies’ plan to build a casino on Metro’s Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.
On Jan. 24, Julie Coons, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, testified in support of SB 675 in front of the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology
Coons called the proposed development, which would include a hotel, conference center, and concert venue anchored by a casino, an important driver for diversification of the region’s economy.
“The creation of a mixed-use, transit-oriented complex that would include not only a casino, but a state-of-the-art conference facility and performing arts venue is estimated to contribute an additional $2 billion to the region and would bring thousands of new jobs to Fairfax County,” she said.
On Thursday, Patch reached out to Coons and Clemente for confirmation that it was the stated chamber position that all Metro stations on the Silver Line between the D.C. line and Dulles be studied as possible locations for a casino.
“We do not have anything to add to the February 9, 2024, General Assembly, Week 3 Summary that states ‘study the potential additional revenue that would be generated from a casino along the Sliver Line,” Coons said, in an email.
Click Here: Manchester United Jersey Sale
Marsden had earlier identified the abandoned Audi dealership lot on Leesburg Pike in Tysons as the location where Comstock planned to build the casino. Tysons Development LLC acquired the property from the Cherner Development Group in 2020 for more than $57 million. As reported by FFXNow, Tysons Development is a joint venture of the Clemente Development Company and Khaled Juffali Co.
Comstock Holdings and Clemente Development are two different companies. Comstock CEO Christoper Clemente is Nick Clemente’s father and C. Daniel Clemente is the founder and chairman of Clemente Development. He is also Nick Clemente’s grandfather.
During the March 2 town hall meeting at the Kings Park Library, Marsden said developer Dwight Schar, co-owner of Comstock Partners, was involved in the project. When asked if Clemente Development was involved with the Tysons casino project, Marsden said he wasn’t sure.
Patch first broke the news last September that Comstock Holdings was seeking to build a casino somewhere on Metro’s Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County. That included seven stations: McLean, Tysons, Greensboro, Spring Hill, Wiehle-Reston East, Reston Town Center, Herndon, and Innovation Center.
Language in the bill also limited the location to one of those stations outside the flight path of Washington Dulles International Airport, which meant that Innovation Center and Herndon were probably not under consideration.
If the flight path provision were removed, studies might also look at Herndon, Innovation Center and the Dulles Airport station as possible sites for a casino. Depending how one defines “Dulles,” it might even include the Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn stations.
After receiving pressure from the Reston Association, Marsden amended the language of SB 675 that effectively eliminate Reston’s two Metro stations from consideration.
During the 2023 legislative session, Clemente acted as the chamber’s legislative liaison to the general assembly. In that capacity, he authorized political donations on the chamber’s behalf. That included a $500 donation to the campaign committee of Rep. Wren Williams (R-Stuart), who introduced a companion bill (HB 2499) to Marsden’s first casino referendum bill (SB 1523) in January 2023.
Williams reported receiving a $2,500 contribution from Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente on the same day as the chamber’s donation, according to campaign finance filings. That money was part of the $29,525 in contributions 14 former and current Comstock employees made to Williams’ between Jan. 1 and May 30, 2023.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.