Roanoke leaders said in recent weeks that the Berglund Center’s future is under review, and on Tuesday they offered a reason why: The city is pursuing a casino that could reshape the 54-year-old facility.

Details from a morning news conference at the civic center were thin, with city officials saying they are in the early stages of the process. Why the announcement was made Tuesday was not specifically addressed. 

City officials that are part of the talks have signed non-disclosure agreements – and the city has a blanket NDA with a potential partner as well, city spokeswoman Carol Corbin confirmed in an email to The Roanoke Rambler.

Mayor Joe Cobb said the city does have a prospective casino operator in mind but did not disclose the name. The timeframe, costs and other aspects of the project were also not announced. The city does want a transparent and informative process, Cobb said.

Of the project, Cobb said, “Whatever people may say, Roanoke is the hub. It’s the heartbeat of this region. And so anything we can do to strengthen that heartbeat and keep it healthy and vital, it’s important.”

Some state lawmakers blasted the proposal immediately, saying the location and potential harms outweigh benefits.

The casino would anchor an entertainment district that would include more event spaces, restaurants, a hotel and added parking. The city would get 6 percent of the first $100 million in gaming revenue generated annually and that would be invested into neighborhoods, schools, infrastructure and public safety, according to Tuesday’s presentation.

The city council and administration have been looking for ways to generate revenue after a tight budget year in City Manager Valmarie Turner’s first months on the job. There are millions of dollars in maintenance that needs to be addressed, among other needs, and the council voted to raise the city’s meals tax by one percentage point to create some money to address that. The city is also subsidizing the civic center operations by $2 to $4 million annually in recent years.

An entertainment district could also create hundreds of jobs across the region and attract larger arena acts, according to the city’s plan.

“This initiative is about reimagining what’s possible,” Turner said to start Tuesday’s news conference. 

State law requires casinos to receive authorization through a law passed by the General Assembly, signed into law by the governor and then subject to a local referendum.

Questions abound, including: With the city needing state legislative approval for a casino license, who in the General Assembly will carry the request? The last available license went to Petersburg, which is constructing a casino complex set to open next year. Casinos are also located in Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth.

Two Republican state legislators who represent Roanoke or parts of it — Sen. David Sutterlein and Del. Joe McNamara — issued a joint statement opposing the casino idea shortly after Tuesday’s announcement.

“The City should not double down on its terrible decision to use eminent domain against Roanokers during ‘urban renewal’ to build the civic center decades ago by installing a casino there now,” said Suetterlein.

In a meeting Tuesday with legislators, city government officials said they reached out to casino interests because they were concerned about a $2.5-million budget shortfall in the civic center’s operating budget, according to the joint statement.

The city is receiving more in education funding than five years ago in addition to other state investments "yet now, it wants to budget on a casino immediately after hiking its prepared food tax on small businesses and working families,” said McNamara, who is running for reelection in November.

“It’s a long process and while it’s obvious the casino lobbyists will pursue a legislative patron outside of the City, it is heartening that my House colleague, Delegate Sam Rasoul, has consistently opposed casino legislation and also knows this will exploit local folks,” said McNamara added.

Rasoul, a Democrat who fills out the city’s state legislative representation, is also running for reelection this year. He did not respond Tuesday to a question from The Roanoke Rambler asking for his thoughts on the casino announcement.

Maynard Keller, Rasoul’s independent challenger in the 38th District contest, did not respond to messages Tuesday.

In an email to The Rambler, Donna Littlepage, McNamara’s Democratic challenger in the 40th District race, wrote that “robust review” should precede any decision.

That needs to include “the intended as well as unintended consequences of this project, such as financial, environmental and cultural as well as short-term and long-term impact,” she wrote, adding that she’s glad city voters would decide the matter.

Cobb said the city will consult the surrounding Gainsboro community, particularly with the civic center being a prominent symbol of urban renewal.

“It’s going to be important to have conversation with people who live adjacent to this who understand some of the history and to find ways that we can dedicate some of the revenue,” he told reporters after Tuesday’s announcement.

Regional support of the project is another question. When asked if revenue sharing among localities is a possibility — such as Bristol’s Hard Rock Casino arrangement — Cobb said “we haven’t discussed that fully at this point.”

How Roanoke’s project could impact Vinton’s Rosie’s Gaming Emporium is another question.

Cobb said Tuesday he does not view Roanoke’s initiative as competition.

In an email to The Rambler, Vinton Town Manager Pete Peters wrote that he had no immediate comment on Roanoke’s announcement, with it being too early to make an assessment.

And something else that’s involved with the project: Is the Berglund Center name going away?

In recent months, upon questions from The Rambler after bids for new naming rights were scrapped, city officials have said the decision on that is to come later. Cobb reiterated that Tuesday.

Berglund Automotive President William Farrell has not responded to numerous messages left for him by The Rambler.

Nick Hagen, the lone Republican city council member, did not attend Tuesday's announcement due to another commitment. 

In an interview with The Rambler, he said that “Roanokers are going to have an opportunity to say basically, ‘Hey, we want this,’ or, ‘Thanks but no thanks’” via a referendum.

Hagen said he would want to see any revenue increase to the city offset by tax cuts. Among his reservations about a casino are the fact that the city took the Berglund Center land by eminent domain during urban renewal, as well as the long-term viability of the gaming industry. 

There are "legitimate concerns from people who generally oppose casinos that will have to be discussed, and there’s a lot of different views on this,” Hagen said.