Petersburg City Council took a big next step in sealing a deal with The Cordish Companies on Tuesday night to develop a $1.4 billion casino resort over the next 15 years in the economically struggling city.

The council voted unanimously to select the Baltimore-based company to develop the casino resort in three phases on about 80 acres along Interstate 95…with contingencies.

“Just because council voted tonight doesn’t mean this is a done deal,” City Manager John March Altman said at the end of the meeting.

The biggest contingency is General Assembly approval to allow casino gaming under state law, but Cordish made clear after the meeting that the project also depends on preventing Richmond from approving a proposed casino resort less than 25 miles away that its voters rejected last year.