Hard Rock presents demolition plan for Virginia casino site

The operator has submitted its plans to make way for its casino in Bristol, Virginia. 

US.- Hard Rock International, the company selected by Bristol City Council in Virginia to develop and operate the city’s future casino resort, has submitted a plan for demolition and work at the former Bristol Mall, where it plans to locate a temporary casino. Hard Rock intends to operate the temporary Bristol casino at the mall until the resort-style casino is built.

The project includes transforming the 500,000-square-foot former mall into a casino and building two hotel towers on the site. The temporary casino is expected to open by the end of the first quarter in 2022. The permanent casino will take another 18 months to two years.

The final $300m facility will offer a casino with 2,700 slots and 100 table games, multiple restaurants and bars, an outdoor concert venue, convention space and multiple shops. The resort is expected to offer approximately 2,000 direct, permanent jobs and several thousand indirect and induced jobs.

Andy Poarch, a spokesman for the project, said: “We have submitted a demolition plan to the City. This plan relates to preliminary site evaluation work at the Mall that we need to complete before finalizing our design for the temporary casino.

“We continue to work closely with the Virginia Lottery on next steps for construction of the temporary gaming facility, and planning for the permanent one. We appreciate the ongoing cooperation and assistance from local and state officials for all necessary permitting and licensing requirements.”

Recently, residents in Richmond, Virginia, rejected Urban One´s plan to construct a $565m casino on the city’s Southside.

See also: Work begins on new Virginia casino site