Irving Commission Approves Casino Zoning Change at Marathon Meeting

^{The Irving City Council met into the wee hours Tuesday night before approving a zoning change that will allow for the city to welcome a new casino development being proposed by Sands. (Image: CBS News Texas)}

A Las Vegas Sands proposal to build a casino and sports arena complex is still alive after the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission narrowly approved it by a 5-4 vote on Monday night.

The meeting ultimately stretched past 2 am Tuesday morning due to an unusual level of public comment ahead of the vote.

Sands Wants Casino Plan in Place Even Before Gambling Expansion

The positive vote will now send the proposal to the Irving City Council, which will consider it later this week.

Sands wants to build a casino entertainment complex on land near the former Texas Stadium. The company also owns the Dallas Mavericks, and the proposed site could include both a casino and a new stadium for the NBA team.

However, casino gambling is not legal in Texas, despite the best lobbying efforts of Sands. The votes don’t appear to be there to change that in the current legislative session, and there’s no guarantee that support for casinos will increase in the years to come.

But Sands wants to have a potential location to build in the Dallas area in the eventuality that casinos are legalized in the state, and at least some members of Irving’s Planning and Zoning Commission were welcoming of the idea.

“We have been presented with a unique opportunity, and I believe we should welcome this proposal, as it would put up back on the map,” Commissioner Gerald Sanguino said during the meeting.

Residents Share Worries Over Crime, Traffic, Addiction

But hours of public comment on the zoning change showed that many local residents were strongly and passionately against the idea of casino gaming coming to their city.

“We are talking about more than money: the fabric of our community, our relationships, spiritual well-being,” one Irving homeowner said, according to FOX 4 KDFW. “What about long-term costs? Increased addiction, broken families, decline in community values.”

Commissioner Terry Prichard argued that the Sands development would generate benefits that went well beyond the casino. 

“This affects our convention center or Toyota Music Factory, Prichard said. “A rising tide raises all boats.”

Sands has said that it will work to mitigate some resident concerns over issues like crime and traffic by pledging funds to the Irving Police Department. However, some residents are skeptical about exactly what that will mean for the city.

“The Sands Corp will protect their own property and wash their hands of anything that happens off of it,” one resident said during the meeting. “The great officers of Irving Police and taxpayers will be forced to deal with the problems the Las Vegas Sands Corporation causes.”

Nonetheless, the marathon meeting ultimately resulted in a recommendation to rezone the plot of land to allow for a casino. The Irving City Council will make the ultimate determination on approving the change during a Thursday meeting. 

If casino gaming in Texas isn’t approved in the near future, it’s unclear if Sands would use the land in Irving, as the company has suggested that the casino is the key to making the rest of the complex financially viable. The current plan would also include a large arena, a hotel, restaurants, retail shops, and more, but it could take several years to open the complex even if casinos do become legalized in the state.

“Neither the area nor the casino gambling are yet in the cards, and it does not appear that the Texas Legislature, particularly the Texas Senate, is going to approve casino gambling this year,” SMU political science professor Cal Jillson told NBC 5 DFW. “So they’re just getting the conversation started that might go on for years.”