Business View Civil & Municipal l November 2022

51 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 BR I STOL , VA “There are studies being conducted right now on both fronts,” he says. “But Amtrak is one of those services we’d definitely love to have. I think it would drive business downtown like crazy.” Big businesses like Hard Rock and Amazon are already headed in that direction. The Bristol Casino-Future Home of Hard Rock opened its doors as a temporary casino space on July 8th, 2022, while the ribbon cutting on the new Amazon distribution facility on Thomas Road near Interstate 81 Exit 7, took place in September 2021. “The fact that we’re a small town but growing, and are attracting major companies like Hard Rock for our casino and the Amazon fulfillment center, is really great,” mentions Farnum. “We really like to brag about that.” Hard Rock actually made history by opening as the state’s first full-service casino; the Bristol location took in more than $37.5M in wagers in its first week alone, and generated over $673,000 in taxes for the state, according to the Virginia Lottery Board. “The legislation was passed in the Spring of 2020 to allow casino gaming in certain localities that fit the criteria,” Farnum explains. “There