Bristol, Virginia

10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 BR I STOL , VA says Farnum. “It’s already become that tourist destination that we were expecting.” With the growing wave of tourist dollars washing up on Bristol’s shores, a lot of interest has been generated around the city’s retail development, The Falls. Originally designed to attract a Cabela’s sporting goods store, Sheetz convenience, and various restaurants, the numerous proposals received to breathe life into the one-million-square-foot mixed-use retail complex never really got off the drawing board. Those challenges, however, are becoming fewer and farther between. “When Bass Pro acquired Cabela’s, we lost our anchor store, so that kind of hurt,” Farnum explains. “We’re still continuing to market that, but it’s been a little slower since Covid-19 happened. Retail is really changing, with the growth of Amazon and online shopping. So it’s a little tougher to bring in a big-box retail store than it was 10 or 20 years ago.” He confesses that the “phone’s been busier” since the casino opened, and the city is “actively recruiting” and trying to fill up those vacant spots to the best use that can be made. “There’s a lot of potential still to turn that into what I like to call a Lifestyle Center, where you can walk outside your front door to the grocery store, bank, hair salon, or restaurant,” Farnum insists. “The casino is going to be the driving force behind a lot of that development,” Chapman chimes in. “I’m excited for the growth that we’re seeing. We’ve got a lot of traction—stuff that hasn’t been announced. But I can tell you that Bristol, Virginia is going to look really good in the next five years.”