By David Macaulay
Tidewater Review
Oct 24, 2022 at 10:56 am

NEW KENT — Money raised from the Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent and Rosie’s operations has provided an economic incentive to help AutoZone build a new $185.2 million warehouse and distribution center.

AutoZone broke ground on the new distribution center in June. The 800,000-square-foot warehouse, on Emmaus Church Road (Route 106) near Interstate 64′s Exit 211, will serve as the East Coast’s distribution operation and import facility and will create 352 jobs.

New Kent’s board of supervisors backed the appropriation of $1.15 million from the Colonial Downs Restricted Revenue Fund for an economic development incentive after a public hearing at its Oct. 11 meeting.

County Administrator Rodney Hathaway said the incentive was previously approved as part of the county’s agreement with AutoZone.

“This particular incentive was the incentive for once they closed on the property, we agreed to provide a discount on the price of the land to help the two parties come to an agreement on the price,” Hathaway said.

Nobody spoke at the public hearing. The board unanimously backed a motion to amend the FY2022-23 operating budget to use the money as an incentive grant.

The center is due to open in 2025. AutoZone is the first tenant in a 1,600-acre commercial and industrial area owned by SPF Investments. The New Kent operation is set to be the largest of the company’s 15 distribution centers across the Americas.

“[This] is a big step for AutoZone,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said back in June when he took part in the groundbreaking. “This is a big step for New Kent County. It’s a big step for Virginia.”

Colonial Downs pumps millions of dollars a year into New Kent County. The local government receives a percentage of revenues from Rosie’s in Richmond, Hampton, Vinton, and Dumfries as well as from the locations at the track.

Money from operations at Colonial Downs has helped fund a broadband initiative in New Kent and the purchase of Makemie Woods, a 274-acre site of a former summer camp and retreat in the Barnhamsville area, for a future recreational area.

David Macaulay, [email protected]

WHAT: Country singer Cooper Alan has built a fanbase of more than 8.5 million followers and has earned over 80 million streams of his music. His name first made the rounds after his original song “New Normal” went viral on TikTok.

WHEN: Thursday, August 4, 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Homestretch Tent at Colonial Downs, 10515 Colonial Downs Parkway, New Kent, VA

WHY: Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, Alan spent his high school and college years playing bars, college campuses, and Honky Tonks across the Carolinas. He and his band became the “go-to” for great music and a high energy performance. After graduation, Cooper packed up his guitar and moved to Nashville as fast as he could, where he had the incredible luck of meeting hit songwriter/producer Victoria Shaw who signed him within weeks to a publishing deal.

HOW: Tickets are on sale now: https://colonialdowns.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=49. You must be 21 or older to attend this concert.

WHAT: Colonial Downs Group (CDG) and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium® in Hampton (Rosie’s) have acquired a beautiful newborn bloodhound puppy (photo attached) and will be donating her to the Hampton Police Department. CDG and Rosie’s will also pay for the dog’s training as a member of the Hampton Police Department to assist in the location of missing persons.

WHEN: Monday, May 2, 10:00 am

WHERE: Rosie’s Hampton: 1996 Power Plant Pkwy, Hampton, VA 23666

WHY: Purchasing and training search dogs like Rosie can be a very expensive endeavor. CDG & Rosie’s are fully committed to supporting community needs of all types, especially ones that will aid law enforcement in protecting vulnerable members of the community. We are very excited about this new partnership with the Hampton Police Department.

HOW: Media is welcome to join us for the presentation of “Rosie” to the Hampton Police Department. Please let us know by return email if you plan to attend. A police spokesperson and a Rosie’s spokesperson will be available for interviews.

Updated November 23, 2022:

Check out how Rosie is doing in her training!

Free Fireworks at Colonial Downs® Saturday Night

WHAT: Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® and Colonial Downs Racetrack are celebrating 3 years of operations and community partnerships in Virginia!

WHEN: Saturday, April 23, 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm (Fireworks at Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent at 9:00 pm with food trucks outside beginning at 6:00 pm – ALL ages welcome!)

WHERE: All Rosie’s locations in New Kent, Richmond, Hampton, Vinton & Dumfries.

WHY: Service, Quality, and Community are the foundation of our business philosophy. Following these guiding principles has allowed us to have made direct monetary and in-kind donations of more than $2,350,000 and have logged over 2,750 service hours in Virginia communities. Therefore, in honor of the community partnerships we have made since opening in 2018, it’s time to celebrate! We are offering free t-shirts to the first 100 guests and $3 beers, plus $20,000 worth of cash prize drawings at our Rosie’s Gaming Emporium locations on Saturday from 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm. “That 80’s Show” band will also be providing entertainment on the gaming floor stage at the Vinton Rosie’s Saturday evening. We call it “R-Day!”

HOW: Just show up and let the fun begin!

Thursday, April 21 – 11:00 a.m.

WHAT: Colonial Downs Group is investing more than $29 million in Emporia, Virginia with the groundbreaking for our 6th Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in the Commonwealth. Tax revenues generated from the project, estimated at over $1 million annually, will have a significant impact on the City of Emporia budget. Local dignitaries will help break ground on this important project to bring an entertainment destination and some added fun to Emporia!

WHEN: Thursday, April 21, 11:00 am

WHERE: 700 West Atlantic Street, Emporia VA 23847

WHY: Rosie’s will provide great jobs, with more than 100 team members. The Emporia Rosie’s will have 150 state-of-the-art slots like games and a stage for musical entertainment. This project will also enhance community partnerships. Colonial Downs Group and Rosie’s are proud to have made direct monetary and in-kind donations of more than $2,350,000 and have logged over 2,750 service hours in Virginia communities.

HOW: Brief remarks will be made prior to the groundbreaking. Individual interviews available afterwards. Please let us know by return email if you plan attend.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/PCSeq9l5-tY

Recognizing the impact of skyrocketing gas prices on consumers, Rosie’s Gaming Emporium® guests can win one of 245 prizes of $500 gas cards on Saturday, April 30. A new winner will be announced every 15 minutes from noon until midnight at each of our five Rosie’s Gaming Emporium Locations in New Kent, Vinton, Richmond, Hampton, and Dumfries. The cards total $122,500 worth of gas.

The average semi-truck holds about 9,000 gallons of gas. At approximately $4 per gallon, Rosie’s and parent company Colonial Downs Group are giving away roughly 30,625 gallons, or the equivalent of more than 3 tanker trucks full of gas.

Customers can enter to win a $500 gas card by signing-up for a free Rosie’s Player’s Club Card. Customers will receive one entry for joining and can earn additional entries throughout the month by using the card in their favorite game.

Aaron Gomes, Chief Operating Officer at Colonial Downs Group stated, “We are all about having fun and right now going to the gas station is anything but fun! We want to give our loyal players an opportunity to get a break at the pump and let them know how much we appreciate them with this gas card giveaway.”

 Free Concert by Multi-Platinum Band Parmalee to Headline

 Vinton, VA – January 13, 2022 – Colonial Downs Group will host an expansion celebration at Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Vinton this Friday, January 14, and Saturday, January 15. Details for each day are below. The festivities will include a free concert by Parmele, North Carolina based country music band Parmalee, t-shirt giveaway and drawings for cash and prizes. Look for the “Hollywood Style” search lights in the sky to find the fun!

Friday, January 14

• Drawings starting at 3pm for cash and prizes – with one lucky winner receiving 100 free max bets, totaling over $1,500 in free spins, for a chance to win over $1,000,000 in total jackpots
• T-shirt giveaway starting at 5pm

Saturday, January 15

• Country music band Parmalee performs their #1 hits “Carolina” and “Just the Way” as well as their hit new single “Take My Name” at 8pm on our new audience friendly concert style stage

Ernie Dellaverson, Rosie’s Vinton General Manager, stated, “We want everyone to come check out our new 33,000 square foot gaming floor that includes 350 never seen games and a remodeled high limit gaming area. We also want to thank the community that has been so supportive of our construction and expansion in Vinton.”

Plenty of parking available thanks to our new parking garage with over 280 well-lit spaces.

By Aileen M. Streng Contributing Writer, Prince Williams Times

Prosperity is coming to Dumfries and Prince William County, according to those who spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony Tuesday morning for “The Rose Gaming Resort,” a nearly $400 million gaming facility, hotel and public park set to open in 2023.

“We couldn’t be more excited to take this next step towards bringing more well-paying jobs, increased tax revenues to this region and the commonwealth,” said Aaron Gomes, chief operating office of Colonial Downs Group, which is building The Rose. “We will do it by building a top-notch tourist destination right here.”

The ceremony was held at the Potomac Landfill, a longtime construction debris landfill located at the southwest edge of Dumfries bordered by Va. 234 and Interstate 95, agains the backdrop of dump trucks still hauling trash to the site. About 50 people braved the frigid, 25-degree weather to attend the event.

The landfill is closing at the end of January, about 10 years ahead of schedule. It has been in operation since 1984. Work on the new gaming facility will begin with capping the landfill, which Colonial Downs Group must do before construction can begin. That process is expected to start within the next few months.

The gaming resort will feature a hotel with up to 305 rooms, eight restaurants, a 1,500-foot conference and meeting space, a cultural events center and 50,00 square feet of gaming space. Colonial Downs, which will own the gaming facility, has promised the project will be accompanied by a new public park. The park will be built atop the closed landfill, which encompasses 80 acres of the 93-acre site. Colonial Downs will maintain the park for 10 years before turning it over to the town.

Colonial Downs opened Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, a smaller gaming outlet, a year ago in the Triangle Shopping Center in Dumfries. It will close when The Rose opens.

Gomes described Rosie’s as “a terrific success.”

“That’s why we know we can do more and create something that is even bigger and better” in Dumfries, he added.

“It’s time to create something new and exciting that will benefit our community,” said Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood. In addition to the tax revenue The Rose will generate, Wood said he’s “most excited about the green space that will come.”

“I believe it will be a centerpiece of our community. I’m extremely hopeful for what Dumfries will become in the years ahead,” Wood said.

The park will include more than two miles of hiking and fitness trails, historical preservation sites, sport areas, playgrounds and a dog park.

“I see this in Dumfries as a transformation that will spread across Prince William County,” said Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler, D-At large. “This will bring people to Dumfries and Prince William County.”

State Sen. Scott Surovell, D-36th, said The Rose will allow Dumfries and Prince William County to get a share of the tax revenue generated by Virginia residents who travel to Maryland to gamble.

“What has always bothered me is the $350 million going across the bridge every year” to the MGM National Harbor Casino in Maryland, Surovell said. “What this does is create an opportunity for Virginia money to stay in Virginia and go to Dumfries.”

“Twenty years from now, Prince William County is going to look like a very different place,” Surovell said. “This creates a real opportunity to maximize that.”

“We are committed to Virginia, Dumfries and Prince William County and we are in it for the long hall,” said Brent Stevens, founder and chairman of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, the parent company of Colonial Downs Group.

The Rose is Virginia’s first casino-sized gaming facility that’s technically not a casino. By state code, gambling at “The Rose” will be limited to off-track betting and historic horse race betting machines, which are similar to slot machines.

The Rose is projected to employ about 600 people and generate an estimated $11 million in annual tax revenues for the town of Dumfries and an additional $8 million for Prince William County when fully operational, according to an economic development study prepared for Colonial Downs.