9/3/08 - CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING UPDATE - It's time for the novella that is my monthly CAC Meeting update. For newcomers, the CAC is an advisory committee of citizens that the Redevelopment Agency is required to report to. The CAC includes great folks like Jim Hunting, Dick Scott, Jim Litchfield, and others who care about redevelopment. An increasing amount of Reno residents are attending each meeting. There are a lot of important updates here so I'll get right into it. Special thanks to RenoSteve for attending when I couldn't make it.
Item V - RTC IN TROUBLED WATERS - Derek Morse gave a very good - but pessimistic - presentation regarding the massive underfunding of Reno Transportation Commission. By 2040 he says that waiting times in traffic will increase from an average of 2 minutes per person in 2000 to 47 minutes if much needed and underfunded improvements are not made to the transportation system. Total underfunding is estimated at about 6 Billion - 5 billion for roads and 1 billion for mass transit. He wants voters to pass two RTC 2 and RTC 5 in the upcoming election to help alleviate the underfunding. One adds 1/8 percent to sales taxes, the other adds an inflation adjustment to fuel taxes (he says that federal gas taxes have only increased 2 cents per gallon in the past 15 years - from 52 to 54 cents per gallon - which is absolutely nothing as compared with the cost of road construction and repair). Morse added that 9% cuts were now (October) being implemented to the mass transit system as a result of tax funding shortfalls and that the system faced another 25% cut on top of that in coming months if alternative funding could not be identified (or procured thru the two upcoming ballot measures).
Let me just thrown in my two cents here; Mass Transit is essential to any growing city. The cities that don't invest in mass transit are the ones which ultimately falter. Look at the mess Las Vegas is in now. A city is only as good as its core infrastructure. As ridership on our mass transit is setting new ridership records, we have to cut bus service because of lack of funding. There's something wrong with that. Reno is slowly but surely diversifying it's revenue sources with less gaming, and more manufacturing and tech businesses coming here. But businesses won't relocate here if we have a crappy transit system.
Item VI - COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE CENTER - RDA might be taking over the entire Community Assistance Center. Apparently - at a recent meeting - Reno, Sparks and Washoe County agreed to some kind of interlocal agreement to share funding for the operation and - at the upcoming Sep 10 meeting of the City Council - it is going to task RDA with running the whole thing. RDA is apparently going to seek RFPs for entities to run the various shelters (hoping to get one entity to handle them all) and they plan to replace Reno Police with private security contractors to lower costs. There was also discussion about trying to get private funding (an endowment maybe?) that would cover the large anticipated costs. They plan to try to get the entire "Tent City" removed by Nov/Dec and into other housing.
ITEM VIII: PRIORITY PROJECT UPDATE -
A) Baseball Stadium - Stadium itself is on track for April opening. When asked about the reported feud between baseball and RTC over bus access (or abandonment of the right of way) - by an attendee at the meeting - Jessica said that "as far as she knew" Evans would be closed to regular traffic but open to bus access. The questioner then said something like "can I quote you on that" or "is that a guarantee" and Jessica said "that is the way it is on the maps". Perhaps Jessica isn't aware of the new amendment to appear before the Planning Commission to eliminate bus access on Evans, because the maps included in THAT staff report show Evans as a pedestrian plaza south of Plaza Street. I'll say it again, I think it's a huge mistake to significantly reduce how the 4th Street Transit Station can be utilized when they have been planning that station for years now. In some more positive news, the ballpark retail is currently going thru design approval stage. Yay! Can't wait to see the designs. Hopefully they somewhat match the rendering below. Please, nothing 'plain Jane' or strip-mallish.
B) Entertainment Core - RDA has closed on the old RTC station known as 'CitiCenter' on Center Street across the street from the bowling stadium, and RTC is using the sales proceeds to start construction of the new transit station on 4th Street/Plaza Street/Lake Street. The plan for Retail under the bowling stadium will be unveiled at the Sep 10 City Council Meeting, however I didn't see any agenda items regarding this for the Sept. 10 meeting. Perhaps it will be included in a liaison report.
C) Two Downtown Parking Garages - If you aren't familiar, RDA is dedicated to building two parking structures downtown, one on the west side of Virginia St. and one on the east side. The 'West Side Garage' is almost a done deal - working through the final financial details. In the next week RDA guru Jessica Jones said they would be approaching "property owners" (which I took to mean that some properties will need to be acquired); perhaps the two or three remaining owners (other than Eldorado) on the southwestern portion the block that contains the Eldorado parking garage and parking lot??? As most of my regular readers know, I have consistently guessed it was the Eldorado that is the 'private entity' the city has been partnering with to build the garage (parking garages are simply too expensive for RDA/City of Reno to built it on their own). On the east side she said they were still exploring a "few" opportunities.
D) Both the Facade and Gateway Art (Savoy Motor Lodge Site) projects will be going public to some degree in the next month (I think).
E) 10 North Virginia Retail - Presentation to the subcommittee will happen shortly and will go before council in the next month or so.
F) Post Office - Sale to RDA will close in 3 weeks. Hoping to have parking lot relocated to north of the building in Winter/Spring. Hope to have Plaza construction start in summer 2009.
G) Retrac Covers - Phase 1 - one block mostly covered, expect project to remain on schedule. Phase 2 - Requests for proposals go out next month.
I) West Street Market - Next week or so they will install windows and "roll up doors" (perhaps on front of Northernmost building). Outdoor weekend markets are slowing and will soon end. Indoor construction is falling behind a bit and a later opening date is likely. Definitely not an October opening date however. Official opening date will be announced "relatively soon." Asked about the clock; It was originally depicted in the concept drawings but the council wants it placed somewhere on Virginia St instead. Permanent market spaces are 100% leased.
J) Whitewater Park Extension - Fluid Concepts (Jim Litchfield) has been selected to build the extension. Yay! If anyone knows water it's him. Funding is not yet secured but will be addressed at the Sep 10 City Council Meeting. I didn't see any agenda items regarding this, but that doesn't mean they won't discuss it. NOTE TO COUNCIL: Think long and hard about how much of a catalyst the first whitewaterpark was for bringing people downtown, and additional businesses downtown. Now, imagine the whitewater park 4 times the size it is now, and what that would do to downtown. Pleeeeeeease find funding for this :) It's estimated it would cost in the $4 to 6 million range for the addition. Why so much compared to the $2 million price tag of the original? Construction costs, raw material costs have increased dramatically since then, and it's a whitewater course 3 to 4 times the size of the current one downtown. With a whitewater course that size going through downtown, it would have a seriously positive impact on tourism.
