A Stafford County entrepreneur has unveiled plans for a massive sports and entertainment destination — but the land he wants is already spoken for, at least on paper.
Farshid Hakimya, a Stafford resident and president and CEO of The Colosseum Sports Resort, is pushing to build a state-of-the-art sports complex on the same site where Stafford County's planning commission voted on March 25 to advance a new Buc-ee's travel center. The county's Board of Supervisors subsequently rezoned the land and approved a conditional-use permit for Buc-ee's — but Hakimya isn't backing down yet.
This is a story worth watching closely if you care about what Northern Virginia's exurban corridor looks like five years from now.
What they're proposing:
The Colosseum Sports Resort would span 250,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor facilities. According to plans presented at a recent virtual town hall, the project would include:
- Olympic-sized pools
- Convertible volleyball and basketball courts
- An indoor ice rink
- Turf fields for soccer, lacrosse, and football
- Pickleball courts, a track, and additional training spaces
- A 10,000-seat arena for sporting events, concerts, and community gatherings
- 50,000 square feet of retail and hospitality space with multiple dining options
- A 110-room hotel
The price tag: $350 million, with an anticipated completion date of 2028 or 2029.
Homes in Stafford, VA
Why it matters:
Stafford County sits at a critical inflection point. The I-95 corridor between Fredericksburg and the Prince William County line is absorbing significant residential growth, and the pressure on local infrastructure — roads, schools, services — is real and ongoing. What gets built on high-visibility commercial sites like this one shapes the county's tax base and quality-of-life trajectory for decades.
That's exactly the argument Hakimya is making. According to the company, The Colosseum could generate $25 million in annual tax revenue for the county, create between 1,700 and 3,500 construction jobs, and support 300 to 500 permanent positions once operational.
For context, a Buc-ee's — however popular — is primarily a travel center. The Colosseum is pitching itself as a regional destination that draws visitors, hosts tournaments, and anchors a broader hospitality economy around it.
What they're saying:
At the March 25 planning commission meeting, more than 40 residents showed up to speak — and a significant number raised concerns about the traffic impact a Buc-ee's would generate on the surrounding road network.
Hakimya leaned into that contrast directly. He argues The Colosseum would produce less traffic disruption than a high-volume fuel and retail stop, while delivering a larger and more sustained economic footprint for the county.
On the land question, he was precise: "The land is not owned by Buc-ee's. It's contracted by Buc-ee's, but with the condition of their approval from the people, from the commission, and also from the board of supervisors," he said at the town hall, per reporting by Northern Virginia Magazine.
The obstacle:
The Board of Supervisors has already voted to rezone the property and grant Buc-ee's a conditional-use permit. That's a meaningful hurdle. Contracts and approvals don't disappear easily, and Buc-ee's is not a brand that quietly walks away from a site it has invested in advancing through the entitlement process.
Hakimya acknowledges the challenge. According to the Fredericksburg Free Press, he has told supporters his group is actively exploring backup locations. "We definitely have the backup plans for it; you know, our team are working very hard on this," he said.
My take:
I've watched a lot of development battles play out across Prince William County and the broader I-95 corridor over the years, and this one is genuinely interesting. The Colosseum is not a vague concept — it has renderings, economic projections, a named developer, and a public advocacy strategy. That's more than most competing proposals ever bring to the table.
The harder question is whether the site fight is already over. Buc-ee's has entitlements. Unless the contract falls through or a superior alternative site emerges for The Colosseum, the more likely outcome is that this sports complex gets built somewhere else in the region — if it gets built at all.
What I will say is this: a 10,000-seat arena with tournament-grade athletic facilities would be a genuine amenity for the families I work with throughout Stafford, Fredericksburg, and southern Prince William County. The demand for that type of facility is real. The location fight may just be the wrong battle.
What to watch:
- Whether Buc-ee's moves forward to a final construction timeline or faces any contract complications on the site
- Whether The Colosseum identifies and secures an alternative location along the I-95 or Route 1 corridor
- How Stafford County's Board of Supervisors responds to continued community pressure around traffic and land use at this interchange
- Whether the $350 million financing picture becomes public as the project seeks a new home
If you're tracking development news across Northern Virginia's fastest-growing corridors, subscribe to my weekly newsletter at realnovanetwork.com. I cover the stories that affect home values, community growth, and quality of life across the region every week.
Looking for the best realtor in Stafford County or the surrounding area to help you navigate what's coming? Reach out directly — 571-437-7575 or ChrisColgan@ColganTeam.com.
Source: Northern Virginia Magazine, reporting by Michele Kettner, April 6, 2026.
About Chris Colgan
Chris Colgan is the founder of Real Nova Network and team leader of Chris Colgan – eXp Realty – Powered by PLACE.
Through colganteam.com and realnovanetwork.com, Chris covers Northern Virginia real estate trends, major developments, and hyper-local market updates to help buyers and sellers make confident decisions.
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