Churchill Downs Inc. is moving forward with opening a gaming venue in Virginia’s Henrico County where historical horse racing (HHR) machines will operate. The project has generated criticism from a local county official.
Kentucky-based Churchill Downs acquired the Colonial Downs Racetrack, six Rosie’s Gaming Emporium HHR facilities, and five additional HHR opportunities across the commonwealth through its 2022 acquisition of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E). Churchill filed plans on June 18 to renovate a former furniture and mattress store located in the Staples Mill Shopping Center in Richmond into a business called Henrico Gaming.
Henrico Gaming, per the project’s application made with Henrico County, seeks to place 175 HHR machines inside the 25,000-square-foot facility that’s between a Virginia ABC liquor store and a Subway restaurant.
The shopping center, located at Staples Mill Rd. and Glenside Dr., is zoned to allow pari-mutuel wagering, which HHR machines are classified as, but county officials are working to alter the approval process for such gaming by updating zoning rules.
Zoning Ordinance
The Staples Mill Shopping Center is located within a business district zoned as “B-2.” According to the Henrico County government website, such a business district is intended to provide office space, retail shopping, restaurants, gas stations, and live/work dwellings.
A B-2 zone additionally allows for a company possessing a parimutuel or HHR wagering license to operate such a business. Under Henrico’s current zoning rules, an HHR venue can house up to 175 machines without needing to apply and acquire a provisional-use permit (PUP) from the county.
The Henrico County Board of Supervisors in May initiated proceedings to advance an ordinance that would require a PUP to be obtained for any HHR business within the county regardless of the number of machines. The county supervisors approved the rule change during their June 15 meeting, seven days after Churchill submitted its application for Henrico Gaming.
Supervisor Upset
Following the supervisors’ vote, HHR developments of any number of gaming positions must now underdog a PUP public hearing. However, since the bid was submitted before the ordinance was endorsed by the county supervisors, the Churchill Downs project under county law will be grandfathered from the PUP condition.
Henrico County Supervisor Dan Schmitt, who represents Henrico’s Brookland District where Churchill is planning Henrico Gaming, says the company purposely applied ahead of the zoning change in a move that shows it isn’t committed to being an upstanding community partner. Schmitt said Churchill was trying “to jam this business into the location” before the PUP ordinance was enacted.
These folks of this county weigh in during PUP processes on far less intrusive items, including the hours a store can operate,” Schmitt said during the county supervisors’ meeting earlier this month. “The residents I represent deserve the right to weigh in if there’s going to be a gambling establishment in their neighborhood.”
Schmitt urged Churchill to rescind its application and reapply under the new PUP rules.
“The applicant has the opportunity to show their awareness of what it takes to be a trusted community partner and participate in the public process,” Schmitt declared.
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