This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
A grand opening date for The Rose gaming resort in Dumfries remains up in the air, despite officials saying as recently as last month the gaming resort would be open by the end of September.
The resort, which was first slated to open by the end of 2023, has experienced several delays throughout construction.
In August, spokesman Michael Kelly told InsideNoVa the gaming resort anticipated opening doors in “late September.” When asked this week for an updated opening date, Kelly, a spokesman working with Churchill Downs, owner of The Rose, told InsideNoVa the company was coordinating last-minute details, including setting the grand opening date.
“The opening of The Rose has experienced a slight delay due to weather-related construction issues,” Kelly said. “As the finishing details are addressed, we expect an updated opening in only a few weeks.”
Ownership, timeline shift
Shortly after the gaming facility held its groundbreaking ceremony in January 2022, Churchill Downs bought Peninsula Pacific Entertainment LLC, which had owned Colonial Downs and developed the initial plans.
While the prior ownership group originally set the opening date for the end of last year, construction delays associated with the entry road to the facility pushed that date back to the middle of 2024, Kelly told InsideNoVa in February.
At that same time in February, Churchill Downs amended plans for The Rose, which were ultimately approved by the Dumfries Town Council and Planning Commission.
The amendment allows more gaming machines to be installed earlier in the construction phases.
Churchill Downs agreed as part of the amended deal to pay the town of Dumfries $3.6 million to offset the unrealized gaming tax revenue resulting from the delayed opening.
The amendment also states Churchill Downs will pay the town of Dumfries $2 million for use on the Clyde Washington community center.
The company also agreed in the amended proffer to commit to building phase two of The Rose, which was previously left up to the discretion of the company.
Phase one of the project includes:
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Up to 1,650 gaming positions
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Up to 102 hotel rooms
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Up to 1,375 square feet of restaurants
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Parking garage
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CDG Park (a publicly accessible open space and public park on The Rose property)
Phase two of the project includes:
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Up to 150 additional gaming positions
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Up to 203 additional hotel rooms
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40,000-square-foot entertainment center
Ryan Jordan, senior vice president of real estate development with Churchill Downs, told the Town Council the company will commit to conducting a traffic study within six months of completing phase one.
The previously unscheduled traffic study is required before construction of phase two can begin.
One of the largest amenities attached to the development is the opening of a park that will sit on top of the property, which is a closed landfill.
While the park is a part of phase one of the construction, there are some restraints that could delay its opening. The proposed park cannot be opened until the landfill is considered closed and the required post-closure care on the landfill has begun, Jordan said at the February Town Council meeting.
In accordance with Department of Environmental Quality requirements, the landfill has a liner covering the top, with two feet of direct on top of the liner. In order for the landfill to be considered closed, sufficient grass has to be grown on top of it for soil stabilization.
