City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MARCH 23, 2016
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of the Receipt of the MGM Readiness Task Force Recommendations.
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ISSUE: City Council receipt of the MGM Readiness Task Force Recommendations.
RECOMMENDATION: That Council receive the MGM Readiness Task Force Report (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND: In late 2016 or early 2017 MGM Resorts will open a $1.3 billion destination resort casino in National Harbor, Maryland, directly across the river from Alexandria. Projected visitation to MGM is 9 million annually, which would double National Harbor's current visitation, and is roughly 2 1/2 times Alexandria's current visitor volume.
Major features of the resort include:
? 125,000 sq. foot casino
? 3000 slot machines
? 140 table games
? 4800 parking spaces
? 120 to 150 shows/year
? 308 hotel rooms (74 suites)
? 12 restaurants (3 featuring celebrity chefs)
? Spa/salon---27,000 sq. ft.
? Upscale retail chains
? Ballroom that seats 800
To prepare for the MGM National Harbor resort opening, the City Manager asked Visit Alexandria to convene a task force to assess the opportunities and risks of this new regional attraction and draft recommendations to respond to it. The Task Force was to be modeled closely on a similar initiative in 2007 to 2008 to prepare for the original opening of National Harbor. The work of that 2007 Task Force led to Alexandria's creation of the King Street Trolley, marina modernization, enhanced marketing, lighting and aesthetics.[EB1]
In the fall of 2015, Visit Alexandria convened the Task Force consisting of twenty local leaders, collaborative in approach and diverse in expertise. The team encompassed City staff, economic development partners, business leaders, and citizen repre...
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