Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood announced the soft opening of The Rose, a highly anticipated resort and gaming venue, on Facebook today, ahead of any official statement from the operator, Churchill Downs.
“The soft opening of The Rose is in full effect!” Mayor Wood shared in his post. “On Monday, I had the pleasure of joining the Town Council, staff, family, and friends for a private tour of this exciting new addition to Dumfries. I even had the honor of taking the first spin on the machines!”
This soft opening sets the stage for the resort’s grand opening, scheduled for November 7, 2024. The Rose, located at 17680 Colonial Street with the main entrance off Route 1, is positioned to become a central hub of entertainment in Northern Virginia. The resort sits on the site of the former Potomac Landfill, once used for construction debris.
The Rose project is being built in phases. Phase one includes up to 1,650 gaming positions, 102 hotel rooms, 1,375 square feet of restaurant space, a sports bar, a parking garage, and CDG Park, a publicly accessible open space. Phase two will introduce 150 gaming positions, 203 more hotel rooms, and a 40,000-square-foot entertainment center.
Despite the soft opening, the company’s website does not yet list hours of operation, leaving some curious about when they can visit. Mayor Wood urged residents and visitors to take advantage of the new amenities.
“It’s been a journey of dedication and collaboration, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished together,” Wood said, underscoring The Rose’s economic and recreational impact on Dumfries.
Ryan Jordan, senior vice president of real estate development at Churchill Downs, assured the Dumfries Town Council that a traffic study will be conducted within six months of phase one’s completion to assess the impact on local roads.
Several county residents concerned about increased traffic generated by the resort were shut out of public meetings because they do not live within the 1.5-square-mile town limits. The establishment sits just off Interstate 95 at milepost 152, where the highway, Routes 1, 234, and Potomac Shores Parkway converge.
The Prince William County Government’s Transportation Department essentially rescued itself from the discussions about traffic impacts before the town council approved the gaming resort.
The Rose follows in the footsteps of Rosie’s, a gaming venue that opened in January 2021 in the Dumfries Shopping Center. It served as the town’s first foray into gaming entertainment.
“Remember—don’t drive through Dumfries, drive to the Town of Dumfries,” Mayor Wood concluded, encouraging everyone to experience the excitement of The Rose.
