Early Plans for Casino Resort at Washington Dulles International Airport Emerge
Posted on: May 5, 2026, 10:25h.
Last updated on: May 5, 2026, 10:25h.
- A real estate developer in Northern Virginia is considering Herndon for a casino
- Herndon is located just miles from Washington Dulles International Airport
- Fairfax County and local governments remain opposed to casinos
Local officials in a town adjacent to Washington Dulles International Airport are considering whether a proposed casino resort could be interwoven into the region’s fabric.
Following its recent defeat in nearby Tysons, Northern Virginia real estate developer Comstock Companies has relocated its casino pursuit to a property it owns near the Herndon Metro Station. The Silver Line transit station is only three stops west of the Spring Hill Metro Station where Comstock previously targeted a multibillion-dollar casino development.
On Monday, the Herndon Planning Commission reviewed a zoning ordinance to establish land-use provisions for a casino. The ordinance recommended amending the town’s definition of a Planned Development District to include “casino gaming establishments as part of a mixed-use development.”
Zoning Administrator David Stromberg said the specifics of such a casino development would require a hotel with at least 225 guestrooms, a minimum of 34K square feet of retail space, a minimum of 11K square feet of event facilities, and a grocery store measuring at least 20K square feet.
Dulles Casino Pitch
Comstock controls a property located within Herndon’s town center near the Old Town Hall and Sully’s Pour House. The vacant lot is about a mile north of the Herndon Metro Station, less than three miles east of Dulles International, the primary international airport serving the nation’s capital.
Comstock is seeking a new locale to construct a casino after residents in Tysons strongly pushed back on such a development. Herndon is also in Fairfax County, the county that Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) singled out for a casino through Senate Bill 756.
Last month, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) vetoed SB756 because the Fairfax County Board of Commissioners never asked for a casino opportunity. The governor also criticized SB756 for prescribing a specific site for where a casino within the county could be located, a former auto dealership linked to Comstock entities.
Comstock has donated more than $200,000 to Surovell’s 2027 reelection bid.
Planning Commission Denies Ordinance
During their Monday review, Herndon planning commissioners opted not only to reject the casino ordinance but also to recommend that the Herndon City Council pass a resolution banning slot machines and table games within the town.
Surovell’s SB756, which garnered the General Assembly’s support through a special conference committee, sought to preclude local input and decision-making, Spanberger said in her veto.
Surovell responded by claiming a casino resort in the county would generate thousands of union construction jobs and thousands more “permanent hospitality and entertainment jobs.” The powerful state lawmaker pledged, “We will be back.”
The Virginia General Assembly remains in a special session, where lawmakers are primarily focused on the state budget and its funding.
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