New Restaurant on Center, New Distillery, and More - City Council Meeting

This week's Reno City Council meeting is jam-packed with goodies. Let's take a look. 

Tentative Map Submitted for 28-unit Condo Project on Ralston Downtown

A tentative map has been submitted to the planning department for a 28-unit condominium project on Ralston. 

Demolition Work to Begin at old Pine Food and Spirits

Interior demo should begin soon, if it hasn't already, at 190 South Center Street, the old Pine Food and Spirits store. It's part of a larger renovation happening, reported here. 

The permit includes removal of sheetrock and ceiling drywall. 

Siegel Group Teases Virginian Look

Siegel Group Teases Virginian Exterior Rendering

Hudson Project Construction Update and News

As I reported here, the Hudson Project is firing back up, big time. Check out some construction photos of the neighborhood. 

$50 million Student Housing Project Beginning Downtown?

A company known for building large student housing projects is requesting an alley abandonement downtown for an entire block they own, between 6th and 7th Streets and between Center and Lake. 

Video: Interior Facade of Siena Comes Down

Video: Interior Facade of Siena Comes Down

Preserving History: The Responsible Way to Redevelop UNR's Gateway District

The last large grouping of Victorian-era homes in Reno happens to lie in the path of the City of Reno and UNR's proposed Gateway District. Is it worth it to destroy a critical piece of downtown's past to build up? 

Sneak Peek: Renaissance Reveals Room Renderings

Stpping by the Renaissance Hotel today downtown, which pulled a demo permit and will begin construction soon, I noticed a new sign in the building with renderings of the rooms. Check them out! 

Siena Pulls Demo Permit

Siena has pulled a demo permit to begin construction on the Renaissance Hotel. 

Tactical Urbanism - Tackling the CitiCenter Property Downtown

You might have heard that the City of Reno is underwater with the CitiCenter Plaza property downtown wedged between Plaza, 4th Street and Center Street. It used to be our city bus transit center until a larger one was constructed on 4th and Evans that can accommodate more routes and RAPID transit.  The Reno Aces owners were supposed to purchase and develop it, saving the redevelopment agency from being in debt with the property. But alas, that never happened. 

The Projects That Never Were

In the 10 years that I have been doing DowntownMakeover, I've written about a lot of projects that never came to fruition. For some of these projects, that's probably a good thing. For others, well let's just say I still wish some of them would happen. 

Number One on my list would be the Facade Improvement Program on Virginia Street. It was an awesome collaboration of private businesses and the City of Reno, but ultimately the funding just wasn't there to do it. What was amazing about this project, is that for the most part all of the building owners on this block came to a consensus on the building improvements proposed. Check it out below, it's one of many projects that maybe should be given a second look.