The Colonial Downs Group, which owns Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Richmond, Virginia, has announced that it will develop the Rose, a $389 million, 79-acre “gaming and entertainment destination” atop the Potomac Landfill in Dumfries, which will be closed this summer. The Rose will feature a 50,000-square-foot gaming floor with 1,800 slots; a 200-room hotel; eight restaurants; a 1,500-seat theater; meeting space; and a park and green space.
Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood commented, “The landfill has been an eyesore for this community and this is an opportunity to go to the community and say, not only is a developer going to get rid of the landfill but we’re going to bring you something you can use, and your family can use and bring some great entertainment options.”
An independent economic impact report stated projected that the venue will produce about $48 million in annual tax revenue for Virginia, Prince William County, and the town of Dumfries, and create 640 new jobs. The report that noted Virginians would spend gambling money at the Rose instead of MGM Grand Casino in Maryland.
Wood added that the town and the county have long needed a convention center type space to host events. And while the Rose wouldn’t exactly fit that bill, it would offer a center for live entertainment, meetings and some private events that have typically had to be hosted outside the county.
After the project receives a conditional-use permit from the Dumfries Town Council, the town’s planning commission would review the plans in April, and the council would make its final determination in May. Construction would start in August and the facility could open in January 2023.
Officials said Colonial Downs’ Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, which opened in January, would be used as a workforce development center; its historical horseracing machines would be moved to the new venue and the Triangle Shopping Center site would no longer be used as a gaming facility.
Richmond is one of the five cities allowed by the legislature to host a casino under Virginia’s new gambling law. The others—Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth—have approved gaming partners and held voter referendums allowing the new casinos. Colonial Downs Group is expected to submit a proposal to operate the Richmond casino but no timeline has been offered. Meanwhile, the Rose will offer only historical horseracing machines like the ones at Rosie’s Gaming Emporium.
Colonial Downs will host a virtual public information town hall about the Rose on February 24, officials said.
