News 6-22-07 Baseball Stadium Possibly Downtown
Post your commentsPosted by: Bugsy - 6/22/2007 9:33:58 PM
Yes!!!!! A stadium downtown is a huge shot in the arm for downtown just like a shot of steroids is for the players playing in the stadium. BIG..... This is what makes a entertainment type downtown. It looks like this is more popular than you think, huh Mr "Civic center" Chet. Please find a spot walking distance from the river in the heart of downtown for this stadium..Is the Parking lot across from the street from the riverwalk(Corner of 2nd st and west st.)big enough?
Posted by: Wiley_n_Reno - 6/22/2007 11:59:17 PM
if this baseball team is really going to happen then the park HAS to be near Reno's downtown. If it is put out by Double Diamond or E. McCarran somewhere it will be ignored after a couple of months. Sacramento did a great job by putting Raley Field within a reasonable distance from downtown Sacto. They are doing well. http://www.raleyfield.com/
Posted by: Reno_Dan - 6/23/2007 10:45:15 AM
Earlier it was suggested by the author of this blog to put the stadium adjacent to the bowling stadium in the empty parking lots. I think this is the most logical place for the project and agrees with the Downtown Regional Plan (see the essential reading section of this site for the plan and at 6 of the plan for a map of the districts). That particular section of Downtown, in the SE kitty-corner to the bowling stadium, is in the future proposed Entertainment District of the regional plan and is on the border with Truckee River district. One advantage of being on the boarder of the disctricts is that it would open to the door to allowing the site to serve in a multi-use capacity for the future of Downtown and provides the retail/restaurant component with a better chance of success. To fit the requisite 8+ acres for the project, Evans Avenue from Commercial Row to E 2nd Street may have to be killed. In addition, the current fire station and the land East of the station would have to be utilized as well. With the backing from the City, I wonder if this would be a possibility for the developere. I think it would be hard to find another 8+ acres of land in Downtown and in a spot that makes sense according to the regional plan.
Posted by: Steve - 6/23/2007 1:08:13 PM
Reno_Dan, I don't think that either the old Mizpah block or the firestation block or even a combination of the two blocks will work. Both the Men's Club building and the Freight House bulding are protected historic resources and can not be destroyed. If those buildings remain, the maximum distance from their southern edges to the beginning of the second street right of way is only about 460 feet (from Mens Club) and is less than 400 feet (from the Freight House). Not enough. The stated minimum (8 acres) is a square that is 590 feet on each side and the combination of a ball field and stadium seating would seem to require every bit that much. Here are some sites that would seem to fit a ball park. 1) Area bounded by Center, Evans, 6th and I-80. The area is crossed by 7th street and Lake. Those rights of way would have to be abandoned (no big deal for either street since Lake already dead ends at the freeway and 7th is kind of a disconected hodge podge anyway). PRO: It is adjacent to the entertainment district and is large enough to house the stadium (just under 10 acres) with maximum east-west and north-south measurements both over 650 feet). It also has good freeway access via the Virginia Street offramp. Plenty of offsite parking is also in the area. CON: It appears that the owner of all the parcels on one of the two full blocks is about ready to redevelop as suggested by this item on the upcoming City Council agenda... F2 - Staff Report: Case No. LDC07-00349 Request for an abandonment of +/-8,000 square feet of alley connecting between the northerly right-of-way of East 6th Street and the southerly right-of-way of East 7th Street, in the block bounded by Center Street on the west and Lake Street on the east. (M&K Project Alley Abandonment) .... If so, it may put that possible site out of consideration. Wonder if that is why a future "M&K Project" is suddenly becoming public as the owners scramble to have an alley abandoned? 2) The large block bordered by Keystone, 5th, Vine and I-80 that just got rezoned for a hotel casino. It is plenty large and - like the block above - is now requesting an abandonment of city right of way (for 6th street). PRO: Has wonderful freeway access. It is close to downtown. CON: The new owners appear to have other thoughts in mind. 3) Four other blocks are "possible" in what I will call central downtown area (bordered by I80, the River, Keystone and Evans) but look like a stretch to me. All have one dimension that is only about 500 feet, even though all have "about" the minimum 8 acres. Two of the blocks are are adjacent to option 2 above, one to the south across 5th st currently contains a mix of retail and the other to the east across Vine contains a mix of housing. The other two blocks lie south of the tracks between Washington and Arlington. They are the two "oversized" blocks north of 2nd St on either side of Ralston. They each measure almost exactly 8 acres including any embedded rights of way for alleys, etc. Outside of Downtown... Just outside of "Central Downtown" is a possible site to the north of 4th street and west of Keystone. The Retrac corridor study identified this area as a possible site for either an office complex or big box retail and suggested that it be the northern end of a proposed long pedestrian bridge connecting to Idlewild Park over 4th street, the tracks and the river. It would also make a great stadium location and is plenty large. Other sites (to the east of downtown)... There is room between 4th and 6th streets and east of Valley in a couple areas to build a stadium. There may also be room down by the spaghetti bowl to the north of 4th street (a municipal ball park already occupies part of the land). A final possiblity is just east of Kietzke and north of 2nd St before Kietzke goes under the freeway. If the city does make a deal - it will undoubtedly be expensive. Today's RGJ article says $30 million for the stadium (probably low end). And, the ground could well cost about the same depending on where it is located. $10 million would be "cheap" for 10 acres downtown up to maybe $50 million (or more) in a prime location. It would be nice, but will it be worth the overall cost to the city compared to alternative projects?
Posted by: Mike Van H - 6/23/2007 1:21:09 PM
Hi Steve, I think bringing a baseball stadium downtown compared to other projects is absolutely essential. You are talking about on good days filling the stadium up with 6000+ people, 10,000 if it sells out. That, couple with a district of shopping plus new residential would boost downtown traffic more than any condo project or current retail project would. It would just be another thing people could do downtown...catch a game, then a movie or show. Course I love baseball so I am biased. Dont forget the public itself isnt paying for the stadium, its coming from room taxes correct? If Second Street were abandoned or moved south, it would be possible to have a baseball stadium where Dan indicated, because then it could be moved south and both the Freight House and Mens Club could be spared. Another place it could go is north of theriver and directly west of Wells Ave, where theres a bunch of run down industrial buildings. Kind of behind the freight house between that property and Wells Ave.
Posted by: Ken - 6/23/2007 4:10:10 PM
My vote is for the area bounded by 5th, 6th, Valley Road and Eureka Ave. This is mostly blight. Elko Ave would have to be abandoned, as well as possibly 5th Street, but freeway access via Wells Ave would be easy and there are plenty of adjacent tire yards etc, that could be turned into parking. Elko Ave leading up from 4th Street could become a pedestrian mall, anchored by Flanigan Square at the south end, which could become a district project, to give the area an identity.
Posted by: Steve - 6/23/2007 7:38:43 PM
Ken and Mike, Keep in mind that you need over 500 and probably about 600 feet (oar more) in each direction of a nearly square parcel to accomodate the stadium - 590 by 590 is 8 acres which is what they claim is "minimum." Ken, the area you mention could work if it went all the way south to 4th not just 5th. Valley to Eureka and 6th down to 4th. Mike, the city will never close off 2nd street - it is a MAJOR artery into downtown services by the dual bridges over the river just to the east. As far as north of the river is concerned, you would have to go north, not south of 4th street to get a big enough parcel. I don't think the city would agree to "breaking" any of these east west streets to create a parcel... 2nd, Kuenzli, 4th, 6th... as well as any of the north south streets that CROSS the freeway including Record which serves as a rail spur crossing. Just my opinion, but as the downtown makeover continues, I think the city will need to keep all of its major downtown arteries intact.