Caesars Entertainment shared a timeline for its Danville casino project, Caesars Virginia, with the City Council during a regular session last Tuesday and promised a $15 million up-front payment.
First Payment To Be Made Next Week
Leading casino operator Caesars Entertainment just started the selection process to find an architect for the extensive design of Danville’s future casino, Caesars Virginia, which is set to open in 2023.
During a regular meeting Tuesday, Danville City Council was provided with a three-year timeline for the project via Steven Gould, Caesars’ local attorney with Byrnes Gould Law.
Caesars Entertainment promised the city a $15 million up-front payment to be done before December 9, while the acquisition of the Schoolfield site for $5 million will happen before the end of the year, as expected, Mr. Gould said.
City Council had an initial reading of a budget and appropriation ordinance approving the $15 million up-front payment. However, Danville will not allocate all of the sum at once but said it will organize votes case by case for each expenditure.
Groundbreaking in The End of 2021
Mr. Gould announced that Caesars will select a manager for its Danville project next year. With plans to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2021, a contractor will be selected between the second and the third quarter. Training programs for the casino’s workforce are also in the works, Caesars having just initiated talks with education partners.
According to Mr. Gould, The group will start its hiring process in the last quarter of 2022 or in the beginning of 2023. Construction is expected to be done in the second or the third quarter of 2023, with an opening planned for Caesars Virginia in the second half of 2023.
“We want to open as soon as we can,”
Steven Gould, attorney with Byrnes Gould Law for Caesars
Council Agrees to Discuss and Approve Individual Expenditures for Remaining $9.1 Million
About $5.9 million was already set aside by vote for the $17 million brand-new police station off Memorial Drive, in the former headquarters of Dan River Inc. Council member Madison Whittle stated that Danville residents believe they did not have enough information to have a say on the new police station project.
Lee Vogler, City Council member, announced that he would not vote on the matter as it currently is, and shared his concerns about spending all of the remaining $9.1 million in one go. He then proposed that each expenditure should be discussed and then approved by Council individually, which was agreed on by his fellow Council members.
“I hope we’re not too anxious to spend this money without having a real good plan that the general public will have a comment on,”
Sherman Saunders, Danville City Council member