Downtown Reno

7/20/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK FOR BUGSY - Alright Bugster, ask and ye shall recieve. Here is a downtown walk showcasing the Montage, the baseball stadium, West Street Market, and more. Click here to view.

7/18/2008 - NORTHEAST DOWNTOWN PROJECT TAKES ANOTHER STEP - Well it's probably about time I put up a permanent page for the NNUD project, because it seems to be advancing quickly. Northern Nevada Urban Development, LLC has named General Growth Properties (GGP), as the leasing and managing folks for the retail component of a new mixed-use multi-block project located in northeast downtown Reno.
GGP already has several local ties, including the 950,000 s.f. Meadows Mall, and several other large 1+ million square foot retail developments in Vegas. NNUD also recently selected world-renowned Callison as the architect.
"General Growth properties has all the qualities we were seeking to assist us in securing just the right mix of high-end, better to luxury tenants for this vital Reno project," said Nicholas Pavich, principal of Northern Nevada Urban Development Company, LLC. "General growth is known throughout the retail industry, here and internationally. They have strong relationships with retailers, experience in mixed-use developments and a successful history in Nevada. It's a win-win situation for us." It sounds like NNUD is pulling in all the right players to make this project one of the most exciting and realistic projects in Reno.
If you aren't familiar with this project, it's a mixed-use development (as yet to be named) which will span nearly six square blocks downtown between Virginia Street, Evans Avenue, 5th Street and 7th Street. It will include more than 446,500 square feet of retail. GGP and the project will focus on outlet divisions of luxury retailers and designers, with the goal of establishing the project as a high-end outlet shopping destination offering luxury merchandise at accessible prices. The project will cater to both locals and visitors alike and scheduled to open Fall of 2010. In addition to retail and a variety of restaurant concepts, the development will also cater to the University of Nevada, Reno, offering 230 housing units and a link between the two facilities over I-80 via a pedestrian bridge. The restaurant concepts will include several street-level cafes and natural gathering places for students and visitors alike. Complementing the retail will be office space, a non-gaming hotel, a luxury spa and live performance and entertainment venues, all on a multi-block pedestrian-oriented environment geared to link downtown and the University of Nevada Reno.

7/18/2008 - VARIOUS TIDBITS -
- Looks like the Starbucks will be closing in the Palladio at 50 North Sierra Street, thanks to some on-top-of-it readers who noticed. The store is listed in Starbucks' store closure list.
- Where is all the other media out there? I have noticed, unless I missed it, no one seems to be reporting on the fact that the Baseball Folks are actively engaged in acquiring the GSR site and adding a new STAR Bond to the mix. And no one reported on the drama that went down at the RDA/City Council meeting on Wednesday (I'll be writing an opinion piece on this tonight), and no one has reported on the 5 STAR Bond requests on the table and how it could impact over half of downtown. Hello news people wake up! You missed one of the most exciting and dynamic weeks of redevelopment news thus far. Or, maybe I just have a different opinion on what is newsworthy.
- Montage is looking better and better.  Looks like they may be done with the exterior and able to remove the rest of the scaffolding in a couple weeks or so.  Adding the metal work around the top of the tri-level poolside residences to match what is at the top of the big towers REALLY dresses it up.
- They are busily working away over at the Urban Market, digging big holes in what used to be the paved area between the buildings- probably hooking up utilities of some sort.  It will be really cool when they get to the point of adding that new front facade, moving in the clock and finishing it all up.
- They are drilling a whole bunch of holes through the tops of the train trench walls where the plaza will be added.  Looks like they might be preparing to bolt on some kind of lifting attachments so that a crane can support and lift out each section as it is sawed away.
- They seem to be working everywhere at the stadium site.  What will eventually become the sloped seating concrete seating areas along the first and third base lines is starting to take shape and they are also preparing the pads for the future new buildings along Evans.  Along the river there is a crew installing what appears to be the beginning of a new very wide riverwalk path that is supported by a concrete base with rebar coming up and then three rows of landscaping style concrete retaining blocks - probably right at and just above anticipated high water levels in a flood situation.  Then they are putting in a lot of DG (decomposed granite) to complete the path and packing it down vibrating compacting equipment.  Looks like it will be a first rate job.
- I also noticed that Basin Street is now starting (on the river side) to begin to extend the primer - and eventually the new paint - around the sides toward the the front of the office building.

7/16/2008 - STAR BOND DISTRICTS GUIDE - Today there is a very important RDA meeting at 2:00 p.m. in City Hall chambers and the main items on the agenda everyone is talking about are the 5 STAR Bond districts proposed. So, I broke down the individual districts for you, complete with maps, renderings of each project if available, and more. It's quite impressive when laid out, and the three downtown STAR Bond districts end up comprising nearly half of downtown. Also, I have a great step-by-step process from the city explaining exactly how the STAR Bond process works. Click here to check it out. This is 'must-read' material.

7/15/2008 - SHOPPER'S SQUARE PROJECT ON TRACK - Northern Nevada Business Weekly is reporting that the new Shoppers Square expansion is 90% leased. Construction is currently underway on this massive project, which you can check out right next to Shopper's Square. On a side note, Shopper's Square is home to one of my most frequented stores; Kona Girl. She sells everything Hawaii, from drinks to food to clothes and books. MMMM lilikoi juice.

7/14/2008 - A SUNDAY DOWNTOWN - I had the chance to spend Sunday downtown with friends and relatives, and introduce the nieces, ages 4 and 5, to the Truckee River. Playing in the south channel on the east side of the park, the water is shallow enough and slow moving to wade all the way across. Also, the water seems a tad warmer in this area, or maybe I just imagined it was warmer so I could tolerate being in water that cold haha. The day included people giving away free hugs and a marionette show as well. Click here for the pics.

7/12/2008 - A PEEK AT WHAT MAY BE TO COME - NORTHEAST PROJECT
Here is a peek and more information about the architect chosen by NNUD, with some project-specific renderings and info. The project on their site seems to have the name 'Téssera', kind of exotic and cool so I'll call it that for now. Click here for some preliminary 'vision stage' information on the project.

7/11/2008 - ARCHITECT CHOSEN FOR LARGE NORTHEAST DOWNTOWN PROJECT
So check this out! Here's a major peek into what the developers Northern Nevada Urban Development Company LLC have in mind for their northeast downtown blocks of property. Callison has been selected by NNUD as lead designer of the new downtown mixed use development. The multi-block plan includes destination retail, entertainment, hospitality, residential and office components. Callison has extensive experience in downtown revitalization projects including City Creek Center (video fly-through below) in Salt Lake City and CityScape in Phoenix (picture below).

Northern Nevada Urban Development Company LLC owns property in downtown Reno proximate to Interstate 80, the University of Nevada and the city's event and entertainment core. The City of Reno's Redevelopment Agency recently entered into an agreement with the company to explore the feasibility of the city's assistance in the financing of the mixed use project.

"This project is a wonderful opportunity to redefine Reno. The development will expand on the city's current hotel, gaming and entertainment core to create a dynamic mix of retail, dining, and residential uses that will appeal to both tourists and residents." - Steve Dwoskin, Principal at Callison

So this gives us the scale and style of what NNUD has in mind for the multi-block area. This could revitalize one of the more blighted areas of downtown. I am all for it.

7/10/2008 - REDEVELOPMENT AGENDA MEETING ITEMS:
B.1 Staff Report: Presentation, discussion, and potential direction to staff regarding the creation of Sales Tax Anticipation Revenue ("STAR") Bond Districts within the City of Reno. This is a continuation of the discussion at the previous meeting of the five STAR bond requests on the table.
B.2 Staff Report: Discussion, direction and potential approval of a Memorandum of Understanding by and between L3 Development Co., LLC, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Reno, and the City of Reno to explore the financial feasibility of assisting in financing a portion of the costs of the project area bounded by Third Street, Second Street, West Street, Center Street. This company has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into downtown Reno. The City should help him in any way possible, in my opinion. This could be regarding any one or more of his three major projects downtown; the Montage, the Fitz remodel coming up soon, and the train trench cover Phase II retail.
B.3 Staff Report: Discussion, direction and potential approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between Nevada Land II LLC, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Reno, and the City of
Reno to facilitate the issuance of Sales Tax Anticipatory Revenue ("STAR") bonds and/or other forms of financing for projects located within the Ball Park District, and/or within the general vicinity of the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino. This is regarding the two STAR Bond requests from the baseball folks, one for a large retail project going in the parking lot (presumably the Waterpark) and one for the retail component of the baseball stadium.
B.4 Staff Report: Discussion, direction and possible approval of amendments of certain agreements between the City of Reno Redevelopment Agency, SK Baseball, LLC, and Nevada Land, LLC,
regarding the development of a AAA Baseball Stadium, to allow the subdivision the Stadium site to support additional retail and commercial development. This is to allow the retail parts of the stadium to become their own components so its easier to secure financing for the retail projects going in around the baseball stadium
B.4.1 First Amendment to Stadium Lease Agreement.
B.4.2 Amendment to Disposition and Development Agreement (Baseball Stadium).
B.4.3 First Amendment to Ground Lease Agreement.
B.4.4 Memorandum of Amendment to Ground Lease.
B.4.5 Memorandum of Amendment to Disposition and Development Agreement (Baseball Stadium).
B.5 Staff Report: Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding Priority Projects for Redevelopment Area No. 2. This is a result of a debate that ensued at the last RDA Meeting where Councilwoman Jessica S. felt it wasn't right to take money from RDA2 (Redevelopment district which include South Virginia Street, Grand Sierra Resort, Cabella's and parts of 4th Street) and loan it to RDA1 to buy the Citicenter property and fund the extension of the waterpark. She requested a full list of redevelopment projects for RDA2.
B.6 Staff Report: Discussion, direction and potential approval of a Memorandum of Understanding Between the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Reno and the Fitzgerald Group to explore the feasibility of developing a project with the University of Nevada, Reno. This is an interesting request. The Fitzgerald Group owns land in the McCarran and Virginia area.

7/10/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK: Ballpark, Park Center Tower, Townhouses at Holcomb Place, Montage scaffolding coming down, West Street Market, and more - Click here to view.

7/7/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALKS - So here are two downtown walks, because I actually escaped the death grip of my computer for a day on July 4th. Gallery One is of my quickly-improving Wells Avenue Neighborhood and downtown, and Gallery Two is of Art Town downtown, courtesy of my friends Juan and Kim.

7/5/2008 - CITIZEN REPORT - CAC MEETING UPDATE -
1. Pioneer Site - A project management committee has been created with 4 City staff members and four County employees. Lewis again mentioned he wanted to minimize the parking aspect of the project, mentioning that this property wasn't the right site for a parking garage. Lewis is pretty stoked about this project. When pinned down for some kind of timeframe, Lewis relented and said MAYBE an RFP will go out in six months after agreements are finalized. Dick Scott complimented Lewis on forging such a close working relationship with the County. Dan Gustin who sat in at the meeting, said 'the project is absolutely tremendous' and applauds county commissioners for coming forward for the help of RDA, and to RDA for pouncing on the opportunity. Gustin went on to say in the four years he has been on the council, this was the most impressive collaboration of government he had seen, or something to that affect.
2. STAR BONDS - This was the more interesting topic of the meeting. STAR Bonds fascinate me, mainly because they sound so exotic. All kidding aside, the omni-present RDA staff member Jessica Jones reported that five STAR Bond 'requests' are in the pipeline. I say 'requests' because they aren't really requests for the Bonds themselves, it's a request for the City to put in serious amounts of staff hours (usually months worth of work) to determine the feasibility of issuing a STAR bond. Remember, there have only been two issued in this state, one for Cabella's and one for Scheel's, so in one way, they ARE pretty exotic. Anyway, the STAR bond requests are as follows: (1) Northern Nevada Urban Development, for their mega-block of land in Northeast downtown, (2) L3 Development (which would include/explore retail portion of montage and rebranding/renovation of the Fitz and possibly Phase 2 of the retrac cover), (3 and 4) Nevada Lands (the Baseball Folks as Lewis calls them) and (5) The Fitzgerald Group, for property North of McCarren and East of Virginia St. It will be interesting to see which contenders make it through the qualification process, since I can't really see the City issuing all five. All politics aside, it should be the project(s) that will actually return the highest retail tax yield to repay the Bond. In understandable terms, a Six Flags theme park would yield a higher sales tax return and be less of a risk than a Museum of Bloggers downtown, honoring Reno's best bloggers with alters. If you were a visitor which would you go to and spend money at? That's the key question to ask in issuing a STAR Bond. Another question would be do the developers have their act together? What feasibility studies have they done on their own projects? etc etc. So on a final note, the CAC and very astute citizens attending the meeting noticed only four businesses were mentioned for five STAR Bonds, so why two for the Baseball Folks? Well, Lewis stated that the Baseball Folks are in negotiation to acquire/buy GSR. Whoah! After the ooh's and aah's settled in the room, he went on to mention the Baseball Folks have a vision of a higher intensity of usage of the GSR property, or envision making it denser, I can't recall exactly how he phrased it, but this is definitely big news. Maybe he meant they are buying part of the gigantic GSR lot..or maybe they are buying the whole thing. He didn't elaborate. Either way it's big. The two STAR Bond feasibility requests for the Baseball folks 'I think' go to Council on the 16th of July, but don't quote me on that I could be wrong.  Lewis mentioned he would like to keep all these feasibility requests on the same track, for optimum usage of his staff. STAR Bonds are cumbersome, and take at least 6 to 9 months to process.
3. Triple AAA Ballpark - An army of dirt-related construction rigs are starting to dig the hole the field will go in. The Baseball Folks are beginning to focus more attention on the retail aspects of the project (which should please the Council) and should go before them on the 16th to separate out the retail portions of the project from the baseball part, which includes separating out the parcels. Planning includes a large office building where fire station used to be, plus the commercial pieces on other side of Evans. No major hiccups with the project thus far. Lewis mentioned they are selling ticket reservations 'like crazy'.
4. 10 North Virginia Street - Lewis mentioned Mr. Papas' new designs are really interesting architecturally, calling them 'Dog-gone interesting'. They are in the process of setting up meeting with 10 North Virginia Canopy Design Subcommittee, which I believe is headed up by Sharon Zadra, to evaluate the designs.
5. ReTRAC Cover - Moving along slower than RDA would like, but nonetheless moving along. Lewis mentioned the railroad is a bit of a pest sometimes…The project is delayed a bit because they had to assign flagman to the project to manage/run/direct the trains etc. As soon as the flag man gets here from wherever he is coming from, they can start to lay foundations for cover. This has held up the project by a couple of weeks, however it should still be completed by the end of December. RDA is gearing up for proposals in Phase 2.
6. Beautification - July9th is a meeting with businesses on Virginia Street to discuss extending the special lighting on the Mt. Rose-to-Pueblo block all the way up to Liberty Street. The facade improvement program is moving forward, should be back to council shortly.
7. Post Office - Lots of good news here. RDA has a tentative agreement with property owner of replacement site, after much negotiation over price. They are also restructuring the post office agreement to be in conformance of HUD which is source of funding, the deal should be council agenda in August. At the same time in August the post office plaza and whitewater park will also be on the agenda to get funding.  Hoping plaza will start construction next year, and whitewater park after that.  There is a 2 year time span between title acquisition and the time the new postal facility is done and the post office can relocate delivery operations..plenty of time for public process and input.

6/30/2008 - BRIGHTON MANOR - Brighton Manor, located on the corner of Plumas and Moana, is looking to fill in some of their lot with single family attached residences. This isn't too much of a change from their original plans, other than being slightly more dense. The Tentative Map shows the attached family units looking virtually identical to the detached units already built. They are cute. Now, if they would just relocate the entire thing to the Grant's Landing property, I would be super happy. All of the information for Grant's Landing has been removed from Silverstar Communities web site, except for the renderings. Grant's Landing was one of the projects I was more excited about. Oh well, you win some you lose some. Click here to view the very detailed Staff Report for Brighton Manor's attached-family concept, including renderings, site maps, etc. It's 33 megabytes, so dial-up users beware.

6/30/2008 - STAFF REPORTS: REDEVELOPMENT MEETING - Very interesting indeed. In the upcoming Redevelopment Meeting on Wednesday, L3 Development looks to be opening the door for a private/public partnership with the Redevelopment Agency. Let's take a look at the exact wording:

Summary: Staff requests direction and authorization from the Council/Agency Board to negotiate and pursue the development of a public/private partnership on a mixed use development specializing in residential, retail, and entertainment venues within the City of Reno Redevelopment boundary generally located in the downtown Reno area bounded by Third Street, Second Street, West Street, and Center Street.
Background: L3 Development Co., LLC (“L3”) has acquired more than 11 acres of real property in downtown Reno, encompassing more than 75,000 square feet of commercial space.
L3 also has the opportunity to respond to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the ReTRAC Train Trench enhancements project which covers two full blocks and could have up to 30,000 square feet of potential retail. L3 is requesting that the Agency seek and be granted authority from the Council to engage in the negotiation of a Memoranda of Understanding and other agreements to enhance the development of the 380 residential unit project known as the Montage, which will also include approximately 16,000 square feet of new retail in the same building. The project area will also include the renovation and re-branding of the current Fitzgerald Hotel and Casino and associated properties which has 351 hotel rooms and over 600 gaming positions. All of these are on properties that are owned or controlled by L3 or its affiliates through long term leases.
Discussion: L3 and its affiliates have invested over $200,000,000 for feasibility studies, acquisition, renovation, and construction activities for the former Golden Phoenix/Flamingo Hilton property, now known as the Montage and the Fitzgerald Hotel and Casino. This redevelopment is located generally between Third Avenue to the north; Second Street to the south; West Street to the west; Center Street to the east.
The development team includes both nationally recognized and prominent local companies. This team has been assembled for the purpose of developing unique concepts that brings new innovative offerings together with local elements of Reno’s architecture, feel, and culture. These projects will further compliment other efforts already underway driving the revitalization of downtown Reno, while also achieving the highest and best use for these properties in the project area.

So what does this mean for downtown? Well it means pretty soon, Fernando's swath of downtown is going to get some major attention. Sierra Street with a revitalized Fitz on one side, and the Montage on the other side, and a huge two-block long public plaza fronting both properties with little mini-retail buildings. That's what Mr. Leal is envisioning. It's time some of the pedestrian-friendly energy of the Riverwalk extend north into the casino zone. What are your thoughts?

6/26/2008 - UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS -
CAC Meeting July 1, 3:00 p.m. , Reno City Hall, Caucus Room, 1 East First Street, 7th Floor, Reno, Nevada 89501 - Items of Interest: Update on Star Bond Proposals, Update on Pioneer Site, Update on priority projects including baseball, entertainment core, downtown parking, 10 North Virginia Street, Post Office, RETRAC Phase 1, Community Assistance Center and Urban Market.
Planning Commission Meeting, July 1, 6:00 p.m., City Council Chambers, Reno City Hall, 1 East First Street - Items of Interest: It looks like Brighton Manor may be altering their master plan to include an 'attached single family residential product' of 23 units somewhere in the development. I could be interpreting all that official jargon incorrectly but thats what it seems like. If so, that's great news for that development.
City Council Meeting, July 2, 10:00 a.m., City Council Chambers, Reno City Hall, 1 East First Street - Item of Interest: Looks like the Riverwalk and water fountains may get a reconditioning.' Nice! Staff Report: Approval of bid award for Riverwalk and Water Fountain Recondition Project to Anchor Concrete for a not to exceed amount of $79,580.
Joint Reno City Council and Redevelopment Agency Board Meeting, July 2, 2:00 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 1 East First Street - Items of Interest: Staff Report: Discussion, direction and potential authorization of staff to negotiate agreements with L3 Development Co., LLC, and other parties as necessary to develop a Mixed Use project for the area bounded by Third Street, Second Street, West Street, Center Street. Whoah! Hmmm what could it be? Also, Discussion and possible approval of a Purchase and Sale Agreement in the amount of $6,600,000 for certain real property located at 40 East 4th Street, Reno, NV (APN 007-296- 22) known as the RTC CitiCenter Transfer Center.Nice! That's a big component to the core retail project downtown.

6/26/2008 - NOTE TO PROPERTY OWNER: CLEAN UP YOUR PROPERTY! - Hello, Mr. Waterfront Tower developer. I have received several complaints about the appearance of your property located on the corner of 2nd Street and Lake Streets. So I decided to go take a look for myself. I think the pics below pretty much tell the whole story;



Your property is in pretty poor condition right now; weeds and plants growing up through the street, nearly all the fence coverings torn town, etc. How about you go in and clean it up a bit? Everyone around you is improving their properties, including the Park Center Tower and Baseball Stadium project. Since you don't plan on breaking ground on your project until at least 2009, we residents really don't want to look at this mess for 8 more months. So how about it?

6/26/2008 - WELLS AVENUE NEWS - Congratulations to all of us Wells Avenuvians! The overlay zoning and design standards portion of the Wells Avenue Plan passed city council with no opposition yesterday. Barrie Schuster, our fearless neighborhood leader as I like to refer to her (she's also on our NAB), was on-hand at the council meeting to endorse the proposal. She also, with the help of a slew of complaints from residents in this area, got a special meeting scheduled to discuss our not-so-red-hot sidewalks in what us Wells Avenue residents call 'the island', the group of old homes bordered by Holcomb, Wells, Vassar and Ryland.
Barry Schuster said "Our Vision for the future is of a Wells Avenue Neighborhood where pride in the neighborhood's history and character is clear-evidenced by the area's well maintained homes and yards and ongoing property owner investment in the restoration and adaptive re use of historic homes and structures.  The diversity of the neighborhood is further enhanced through the integration of infill and redevelopment that is in keeping with the established character of the neighborhood." I second that motion!
The best part of the Overlay plan are the mass zoning changes it institutes. Some of the highlights include; re-zoning all of the properties on the east side of Holcomb to Mixed Use Residential, allowing adaptive re-use of the old homes along this street as small offices, something many people have been doing anyway, also rezoning the properties on Vassar between Wells and Holcomb as Mixed Use Residential as well. Some of the Action Plan highlights include enhancing Wells Avenue's treescape (something already in process with the Roots for Wells plan of 100 trees being planted along Wells Avenue this fall), historic walking tours, getting 'historic bungalow district' signs for our neighborhood, promoting homeownership in the neighborhood to reduce absentee landlords and home turnover, architectural standards for new buildings, a facade improvement program for Wells Ave, a neighborhood watch program already in effect, and so much more! I can't emphasize this enough; I love this neighborhood, I have some amazing neighbors who were all as committed to developing this plan as I was, and of course Barrie, who has become an essential beacon of communication between us and city officials. Everyone, from our councilwoman Jessica Sferrazza to the Planning Commission to Jessica Jones, the main community development manager involved, was impressed with the continuous high level of resident participation in this process.
The next issue to tackle are the streets; We have a meeting July 1, 5:30 pm, HAWC Clinic, outdoors: meeting with J. Sferrazza and Charla Honey to discuss streets/sidewalks and curbs. Also of interest to Wells Avenuvians; July 9, 6 p.m., Neighborhood Watch Meeting. Meet outside at the HAWC Clinic This will be a 'strolling meeting' where we identify locations for installation of neighborhood watch signs. This 'stroll' will also be a brief, informal historic walk of some of the homes in the neighborhood not covered in the previous historic walking tour. July 15, 6 pm HAWC Clinic, Wells Avenue Merchants and Property Owners meeting, and July 16, City Council Meeting to approve $7500.00 in funds for Roots for Wells Street Tree Project.

6/26/08 - REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GOODIES
Sorry for the delay in reporting on this one, but I had a deadline on a major project last night to complete.
So let's review; If you remember in the post below, I referred to the large swath of Northeast downtown being owned by those two entities. And just like I had speculated, the RDA would like to trade some land with one entity, in order to work with the other entity on a large scale project in this area. We're talking about 8 square blocks, from Virginia to Evans, and from 5th to 7th Streets roughly.
One of the few powers RDA has in its development arsenal is the power of public/private land exchange, because it requires little investment and is much easier to scrambling to find millions of dollars to purchase property. Let's point out a few facts about this;

• This will be the most complex project RDA has undertaken thus far.
• Never before in RDA's history have they had this kind of opportunity to acquire so many connecting parcels.
• Lewis mentioned he would like any project going on this land to be dense, high rises, and to 'pull the University' over I-80.
• This could be a major high-density gateway into our downtown.
• Comprises of some of the most valuable land downtown.
• Northern Nevada Urban Development, fronted by Nick Pavich, has agreed to pay $150,000 to begin working with the city on it.
• The two entities involved have poured tens of millions of dollars the past few years acquiring these properties.
• The deal with the two entities only opens the doors with both of them to 'deepen' the discussion. So don't get too excited yet. I would imagine any kind of groundbreaking for this project is at least 2 years away, given the complexity and size.

Courthouse lot -

This was the other VERY exciting development. This is regarding the courthouse parking lot that is bounded by Sierra, Court Street, and Virginia Street. It used to be the Pioneer Casino, the a dirt lot for a few years, then recently turned into a parking lot. If you remember, there was a lot of squabble about turning it into a parking lot, from arguing over landscaping standards to the fact the Council did not want such a valuable piece of property sitting as a surface lot.
Both RDA and Washoe County have similar visions for the property, which is awesome and possibly what has made this progress so smoothly. They envision mixed use develop which also includes offices, restaurants and courthouse offices so the property uses its strategic location in the most effective way possible. The MOU between the County and the City creates a Development Committee, with members from both RDA and Washoe, to work together on land uses etc. The property would temporarily be transferred to RDA, so they can use their expertise for redevelopment. Dan Gustin commented he thinks its terrific two government entities can work so well together. Virginia Street would be maximized in any development on the property. And the best news? It doesn't sound like it will be a major parking garage at all, and really focus on the reatil/office aspect. Nice!

6/23/08 - VARIOUS NOT-SO-TIDBITS
Train Trench Cover - Some preliminary work has started with putting up some barriers and fences to the North of the trench where they need to remove the old Rainbow Bridge foundation.
Palladio - Slowly but surely, the Palladio continues to sell its remaining units, closing on three units in May, and some in April as well. That may not sound like much, but in this real estate market that's golden. Also, I heard one resident is combining two units to make a mega-unit.
West Street Market - Interesting items in the upcoming Redevelopment Agency Agenda. RDA is seeking an additional $300,000 to cover the cost of the Phase 2 of construction of the West Street Market. Phase 1 includes installation of the grease interceptor and all water, power, sewer and electric conduit through the courtyard to service the three buildings, renovation of the outdoor elements of all three buildings, paving of the court yard and replacements of a portion of the sidewalk on West street adjacent to the market that is in bad disrepair. Phase II construction includes renovation of the roofs and interiors of all three buildings,
excluding tenant improvements. Phase II is estimated at $300,000 including contingencies and unforeseen conditions due to the age of the buildings. Unfortunately due to some existing conditions in the court yard, the $80,000+ donated in time and materials to install pavers can't be used, so it looks like we get concrete or asphalt instead. Boo hiss. But I understand, it's not like they would willingly turn down $80,000 in pavers. I hope they at least use decorative etched concrete or something. The source for the funding has been identified from internal admin funds.
WHOPPER: This involves the new parking lot between Sierra, Virginia, Island Ave and Liberty Streets. Did you know us residents can park there after certain hours and on the weekend for free? I don't know the exact hours so check the signs. Before it was a parking lot it was a dirt field for years, and I believe the Pioneer Inn before that? A long-term local may need to correct me on that. Anyway, the City Council wasn't happy with it being just a parking lot, but really had no choice as they had to provide the parking to Washoe County as part of the new courthouse. Well Mark Lewis mentioned recently in a Citizens Advisory Committee meeting that Washoe County was very interested in utilizing the desirable lot for something besides asphalt. So read this:
B.6  Subject: Staff Report: Discussion and potential approval of Memorandum of Understanding between the Redevelopment Agency and Washoe County to redevelop certain real property owned by Washoe County located within the city block defined by Island Ave to the north, S. Virginia St. to the east, W. Liberty St. to the south, and S. Sierra St. to the west; [Pioneer Site]  ... The County wants to develop the subject property to expand the existing District and Justice Court facilities and ancillary governmental uses on its property. Furthermore, the County seeks to develop the subject property site with expansive land uses, and specifically envisions a mixed-use redevelopment that includes compatible retail, commercial, office, parking and/or ancillary uses.
Now remember, MOU's in reality-check-world simply mean they are agreeing to talk about stuff, and no one is bound to obligated to do anything other than put forth some effort to develop a plan. But majorly exciting nonetheless!
Baseball Stadium - The Baseball Folks have begun closing on some additional properties in the Baseball District.
Northeast - hmmm. I debated about mentioning this or not, but the last time I didnt say anything, every major paper in town reported on it anyway and I got harassed by my faithful readers for keeping quiet. So I'll just say look at Items B4 and B5 here, and then when you see 'further help with the University vision of a gateway', look here on pages 6, 7, and 12 to see the University's vision of a gateway. This could be a VERY significant step. Coincidentally, it was June 23, 2007 when I first posted actvity going on there.

6/20/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - EAST - Pics of the fire station being demo'd, major progress on Townhomes at Holcomb Place, and the paint mystery on the Waterfront Tower deepens. Click to view pics!

6/13/2008 - BEEEER CRAWL! - Mark your pda/google/Outlook calendar for Saturday, June 28th for the inaugural Reno Beer Crawl.  This locally brewed event is being sponsored by 13 downtown Reno taverns. The Beer Crawl spans five blocks from California Avenue to the north end of the Riverwalk District.  Participants include Amendment 21 Grill & Sports Bar, 3rd Street Blues Bar, 5 Star Saloon, Ceol Irish Pub, the Chocolate Bar, Foxy Olive, Red Martini, Red Rock Studios, Satellite, Se7en, Sierra Tap House, Silver Peak and The Waterfall.  A free Reno Beer Crawl shuttle will circulate along the route providing rides and information. Participants can purchase glasses and maps for $5 on June 28 from 2– 5 p.m. at Amendment 21 (425 S. Virginia St.) and The Waterfall (134 W. Second St.).  Each bar will have 5 ounce glasses of specialty beer available for $1.  Beers featured in the first Crawl include international favorites and four quality local offerings by Great Basin Brewery, Silver Peak, and Buckbean.
Each month’s Crawl will highlight a different downtown retail establishment and a benefit a different local charity.  The featured business and beneficiary of the inaugural Crawl is Reno’s own roller derby sensations, the Battle Born Derby Demons (BBDD).  The Demons face off against the Silicon Valley Roller Girls on June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Rink on the River.  The team is offering a $10 special for game tickets and a glass and map to the Reno Beer Crawl.

The Reno Beer Crawl and BBDD are inviting 150 members of the Nevada Army National Guard to attend the Crawl and the game for free.

Free parking is available at the Amendment 21 surface lot located at 445 S. Virginia, the 50 West Liberty parking structure at 440 S. Sierra, the new Washoe County lot on Court and Virginia Streets, and the City of Reno lot at 2nd and Virginia Streets. I'll give you another reminder as the event date nears.  

6/13/2008 - DOWNTOWN RENO WALK
Townhouses at Holcomb Place, Baseball Site, Downtown, Montage, and more. Click here to view pics.

6/13/2008 - PLANNING COMMISSION STUFF - Things have been pretty quite on the Planning Commission front lately, for pretty obvious reasons. However a couple of tidbits are in the upcoming meeting. Not super interesting, but enough to post about:
1. RTC Transit Station - LDC08-00216 (RTC 4th Street Station) – This is a request for:
(1) a special use permit to reduce the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) below the required 3.0 for the Entertainment District of the Downtown Reno Regional Center Overlay Zoning District; and (2) variances to: a) reduce the required setbacks for the site; and b) to modify various lighting, landscaping and screening provisions in Sections 18.08.405(4)(a), (d) and (e) and 18.12.1201 through 1209. The ±2.62 site is located at 200 East Fourth Street at the southeast corner of the intersection of East Fourth (4th) Street and Lake Street in the MU/DRRC (Mixed Use/Downtown Reno Regional Center) overlay district. cdr [Ward 1]
2. LDC05-00547 (Grand Sierra Condominiums) - This is a request
for a one year time extension on the tentative map for the
Grand Sierra Condominiums. The ±144 acre site is located
along the east side of US 395, north of Mill Street and south of
Glendale Avenue in the MU/RLM (Mixed Use/River Landing at
Mill) zones. vak [Ward 3]
I'm not sure if the Grand Sierra item is for the current condos in the main tower, or referring to the Kobi Karp towers Grand Sierra envisioned on their property, but I guess an extension is better than canceling it totally.

6/11/2008 - RDA MEETING
Yay so the RDA meeting finally started, after a pretty intense discussion of Antique Dealers. Mark Lewis began with a general overview of the history of the priority projects. I'll skip that part since most of you that have read this site know the history of most of these projects. I was happy to hear this time around solid timelines have been applied to most of these projects. Review of priority projects:
Beautification art - City hall exterior enhancements are currently underway. On July 9th there will be a meeting with business owners along the remainder of Virginia Street from Mt. Rose to Liberty to discuss possibilities, concerns etc of extending the pilot lighting project.
Facade Improvement Program for South Virginia - Architect is finalizing design plans with the business owners involved, funding for this project has been identified through the same funding source as the Post Office project. It should be before the City Council for approval in final form within next couple of months.
10 North Virginia Retail - Architect has come back with some LEED concepts, better architectural concepts, and still has 'one of the larger restaurants in Tahoe' in tow. My guess is still Garwoods. Mark didn't mention, or I missed, when it would come before Council for approval, but odds are it will hit the Citizens Advisory Committee first sometime early summer. He mentioned the council will be very happy with his revisions. If you remember, the first design the developer submitted was less-than-well-received by the Council.
Post Office - Agreements have been restructuring for HUD compliancy, which is where funding for this project and the Facade Improvement Program have been identified for a loan. RDA and the Post Office are lining up final ducks in a row, and the final agreement should be before the City Council in September. The Post Office has found another location in the downtown area they are happy with.
Post Office Plaza - Scheduled for completion in December of 09. RDA is hoping to bring final design for plaza to council for approval Oct of this year.
Whitewater Extension - Originally started as ecochannel, then converted to whitewater park extension. Three well-qualified design firms turned in proposals. Funding has yet to be identified, and staff is working with the finance dept to identify this.
Two Downtown Parking Structures - One on west side of Virginia, and one on east side. Mark Lewis mentioned parking structures are hard to build, and the city has no funds to build them on their own, and they have to be built from projected revenues of the structure itself…cost of land has been a challenge. So to get around that they have been working with a large private business downtown. I am still guessing the Eldorado. They completed financial analysis in March, and a bond underwriter is reviewing the project. The project should be back before the council for approval by October. I believe this is only for the West-of-Virginia-Street structure. No word on east-of-Virginia structure.
Entertainment Core Retail - Merged with baseball project. Council's main goal was to use baseball as economic driver to bring more retail in town. Completed negotiations with RTC to acquire Citicenter property, funding sources are being finalized for Citcenter. An agreement is in negotiation stage for the proposed ground-floor retail National Bowling stadium retail and plans should be submitted to the council no later than September. Hyatt agreement has been completed.
Baseball - Utilities still being relocated including sewer and stuff associated with the power substation on-site. Fire Station demolition is scheduled this month, and asbestos is being removed right now. An environmental plan has been approved by the County. Concrete should start pouring in August.
RETRAC COVER - The railroad has requested some revisions construction should start first part of July. December 08 completion. New UP staff came on board, has a view different perspectives on the original MOU. Has not submitted to UP the final structure design. UP will provide an EIC to start work at the rainbow bridge to repair the wall. Toward the end of April, UP decided it would not treat it as design/build project, and would not let city start building the deck until the plans are approved.  Are in final changes of approval of structural design, first round of comments back from UP on ventilation system of design in a couple weeks.
Urban Market -  RDA is currently working with tenants for internal improvements, including plans and license applications. UNR Cooperative Extension will design and maintain the West Street Median, which will be a unique horticulture garden and a prime centerpiece of the market. From the renderings, it looks like the clock from Park Lane Mall is also a component. The Outdoor market will begin in July. First one is July 9th!
The Grand Opening for the full interior Market is being finalized for October. A commissioning of a unique bike rack for market has been commissioned from Youth Artworks (sorry if that name is wrong, Mark said it so fast I didn't catch it).
Should have complete presentation by month of July for October Market.

6/10/2008 - NEW POLL QUESTION
- Yes Yes I know I have been lagging big time in getting another poll question up, but I don't like to just ask trivial non important questions. So here's one for you; I had some relatives in town last weekend, and we were sitting around, trying to think of a new restaurant to go to. I've been to most of the restaurants downtown, with the exception of the casino restaurants, some of which are rated really nice. I suggested the steak house at Harrah's, however my relatives wanted nothing to do with a casino, no matter how good the restaurant was. I found that odd, since usually you just have to do a quick walk-through the casino to get to their restaurants. So I asked, 'If Harrah's was Harrah's without the casino, would you go?' They answered yes, which got me to thinking about how locals feel about the casinos downtown, and how they dictate their food/entertainment options. Most people I talk to avoid hotel casinos at all costs, and yet some of the highest rated restaurants in recent 'Best Of' lists are in casinos. So then I pondered for a second...what if a 16+ story hotel tower was built downtown WITHOUT a casino? Most cities, including Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, NYC, Chicago, Sacramento etc have large non-gaming hotel towers downtown. Of course, I doubt one will ever be built, but one can dream! Take my poll....

6/10/2008 - VARIOUS TIDBITS
- You may have noticed, but the Waterfront Tower (I forgot the new name) on 2nd Street across from the site of the baseball stadium is getting a new coat of primer! Most of the western face of the building is covered in white primer. This building will be undergoing a multimillion dollar makeover, with retail being put in on the first floor.
- The River Festival this year drew a record crowd of over 37,000. Nice!
- A priority project update will be given to the City Council/RDA at 2:00 p.m. on June 11 (tomorrow), City Council Chambers, 1 East First Street. Priority projects include Community Assistance Center, Baseball, Entertainment Core Retail, Beautification, 10 North Virginia Street, Post Office, ReTRAC Cover, Urban Market and the Whitewater Park extension.
- The Historical Resources Commission has a couple upcoming items that mean a lot to me; The first one is discussion, location, and possible actions that may be taken to preserve and interpret the original V & T Railroad Abutments on the north and south sides of the Truckee River. If you aren't familiar with these, they are between where Lake Street crosses the river and 2nd Street crosses the river, right in front of the Grant's Landing property, and the are the old bridge supports for where the V & T used to cross the Truckee. The Around Carson dude has some amazing shots of the bridge that used to be there. The V & T also used to go right down Holcomb Avenue, past my house. You can spot the Freight House in the first photo below.


- In the HRC meeting on Thursday, they will also discuss adaptive reuse of the unused portion of the Amtrak Station, perhaps as an information kiosk.

6/6/2008 - MONTAGE WALK-THROUGH! - Alright DTM readers this is what many of you have been asking and waiting for, a full-fledged tour of the Montage! That's right, interior pics finally. Keep in mind, my mid-grade digital camera doesn't even come close to capturing the full essence and vibe of this project; you'll need to see it yourself, which you can soon when the 7th floor models open. I was blown away by the progress I saw on the interior. It's really coming together with over 300 construction workers on site, all in a synchronized dance to the finish line. The pool deck is out of control, it's insane, I just don't know how else to describe it; when completed it will have a large pool, 2 large hot tubs, trellises everywhere, an owners clubhouse, lush landscaping, on-deck fire pits, water sculptures, deck chairs, and more.  Speaking of landscaping, they will be planting 35 foot tall trees from Moana Nursery along Sierra and 2nd Street. I captured great pics of nearly everything; the models, the mega-tall lofts, the terrace townhomes, the 2 main decks, the 2 primary restaurant spaces, and more. Larry, a marketing guru co-worker of mine and who helps me on this site, went with me on the tour and he fell in love with the building as well. Fernando was awesome for taking us on a tour; the more I hang out with this guy, the more I 'get' his vision for downtown Reno. Check it out by clicking here!

5/30/2008 - VARIOUS TIDBITS
- The Dairy Queen downtown is history. This is part of a much larger story unfolding, stay tuned.
- The Baseball folks have a web cam up now. It actually has a pretty good refresh rate (tech talk, sorry). http://www.cityofreno.com/Index.aspx?page=1532
- Roots for Wells - We have some amazing people on the Ward 3 Advisory Board, particularly those that live on 'the island' as it has come to be known. Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board provided a grant of $7500 to fund the first annual Roots for Wells street tree planting campaign for the spring of 2009! With a generous donation of 100 trees from the City of Reno Urban Forestry Department, and with the help of volunteers, we plan to plant 100 trees in a single day in the landscape strips (planting strip between the sidewalk and street) next spring in the neighborhoods surrounding Wells Avenue.  We want this to be an annual event, planting 100 or more trees each spring.
- Have you all noticed that along South Virginia Street from Liberty down to about Mt. Rose, and also on Wells Avenue, that retail spaces are filling in? A Money Tree is going where Kokopelli's used to be on South Virginia, and a hip clothing store has moved into where Resco Restaurant Equipment used to be. And on Wells Avenue, I am seeing less and less graffiti, and several remodeled storefronts. This neighborhood is really starting to turn around.

5/30/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK 5-28-08
- New exterior features added to Montage is making it really look sharp now, plus pics of Townhouses at Holcomb Place, State Street Project ground work, and general pics of downtown. Click here to view!

5/28/2008 - GRANT'S LANDING NEVER LANDED
- So that's that for Grant's Landing, for now anyway. The land is for sale on Loopnet as id 15725396 (or just search for Grant's Landing). Thanks Mike for the tip! Oh well. Maybe someone else will come in and build something eventually. Also for sale on Loopnet is the Ponte Vecchio project. I'm not sure if it's a good sign or a bad sign when an entire project (land) is for sale. But they are for sale. Maybe Ken up at Urban Blog can buy the land and finally make his awesome Circle Square Plan come to fruition.

5/26/2008 - 2008 - YEAR OF THE BUSINESS HOTEL
- Blech it's a rainy not so warm day out. A good day to do a post! So let's talk about business travelers. I used to be one, I know the species well; decked out in mobile electronica and can pack for a plane in less than 10 minutes. It appears Reno has underserved this market, because as one of my favorite tipsters pointed out to me, there is suddenly a flurry of business-class non-gaming hotels being built. Let's review;
1. A new 96-room, four-story Staybridge Suites is being built in South Meadows next to Hampton Inn, designed for extended stays a week or more, each room will have full kitchen amenities.
2. The Hampton Inn, where #1 is going next to, was recently completed in South Meadows.
3. A new business-class hotel will break ground soon on I-80 and Robb Drive.
4. Site work is being done for a 127-room Hyatt Place hotel at the corner of Plumb Lane and Terminal Way.
5. Hyatt Summerfield will break ground in August downtown Reno on 2nd Street. Designed for extended stay business travelers, will have full kitchen amenities.
6. Others Include: Another one just opened by Costco on Plumb, one is being completed next to the Neal offramp, another just west of 395 and north of Plumb under construction, and one just finished by South Meadows and Double R.

5/18/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - PORT OF SUBS DOWNTOWN AND TRUCKEE RIVER EATS AND SWEETS
- It's 3:00 p.m., and there are so many people downtown it feels like downtown will burst at the seams at any moment lol. I am looking over at Wingfield Park, and there isn't even standing room. I see no special events going on, so this is pretty incredible. The city really needs to step up the pace on the extension of that whitewater park, and it wouldn't hurt to see an extension of Wingfield Park somehow...maybe northward up the Truckee a bit....people need more room! Anyway I headed out earlier today to take some pics, click here for my downtown walk pics. There are some great new shots of Montage, State Street Project, Townhouses at Holcomb Place, and First Street area. Go check out Truckee River Eats n Sweets, the store seemingly popped up out of nowhere next to Sierra Tap House on the Riverwalk near Arlington. They sell everything from ice cream to dog treats to salads and sandwiches.

5/17/2008 - LEED CERTIFIED OFFICE BUILDING TO BREAK GROUND SOON ON CENTER STREET
- Check this work of art out. Yes, I like these kinds of buildings, I guess I dig a wide range of architectural styles. Anyway, this is being built on Center Street, across the street from 8 On Center in that empty lot. They recently upgraded the utilities on that lot, and it's due to break ground this summer. It will be a 'green' building and LEED Certified, offering office space on two floors.

5/17/2008 - VARIOUS TIDBITS
First Street - There is serious activity going on where La Bassola used to be, on First Street between West Street and Arlington. I wonder what is going there? Anyone know? NNBW reports that Port of Subs is staking out a place on First Street, and a place called Truckee River Eats 'n Treats opened on the Riverwalk, yet I can't find a thing about it on Google, RGJ, or on Renoriver.org. Anyone have more info on that as well?
Ponte Vecchio - Well look what project popped back onto the radar! Ponte Vecchio recently had an item on the City Council agenda allowing them to proceed with the remodel of Lundsford Park. Also, Equipment and materials storage containers were on the Ponte Vecchio site today and some guys were there beginning to organize the construction site together -  looks like serious site work will probably start soon.
Shopper's Square Expansion - Ground work has started again here. Perhaps construction will begin soon. The Park Lane Mall property remains eerily silent, nothing in the Planning Commission pipeline either.
Ryder Homes Project on Mill - 2 of the houses on the Willow-facing side are now vacant with no for rent signs in front anymore. A tipster that lives close to the project was told demolition could happen within 90 days. If you aren't familiar with this project, it's on the corner of Mill and Holcomb and Willow and High Streets, a very large parcel with some really run down industrial buildings used by police for raiding drills etc, and then a few old brick 1920s-1930's homes. I am on Ryder's list to get the garage doors off one of the homes before it will be demo'd, and my neighbors are on the list for the old windows, and my other neighbor has dibs on the garage door. Lots of people in Wells Avenue neighborhood like to recycle house parts for our old homes. It's a great practice for restoring homes.
Dairy Queen Downtown - The gated-off Dairy Queen downtown might see the wrecking ball soon. A birdie told me the property owners are possibly seeking bids to demo it within this month.
Tahoe Reno Industrial Center - If you haven't had a chance to go out here, OMG! I tipster told me to drive out and take a look. It's amazing, huge 1 and 2 million s.f. buildings being built everywhere, and they all seemingly already have a company staking claim to each one...i.e. they aren't just being built to remain empty, there are actual companies building them to move operations here. I know its not downtown, but this seems like the correct way to localize and consolidate industrial operations.

5/14/2008 - ADDITIONAL ITEM FROM CITY COUNCIL
- Fire Station #1 Demo - Right before the presentation of the West Street Market, a couple of firefighters addressed the council during the public comment phase of the RDA meeting. The first firefighter that got up and spoke was very visibly upset about relocating Fire Station #1's fire trucks to multiple fire stations until the temporary stations are built. See, one problem is that the firefighters have to vacate the current building before the temporary fire stations are completed in August. So, during that time frame, downtown Reno's response times would be 6+ minutes until the Valley Road and GSR temp stations are completed. He mentioned that Fire Station #1 had over 10,000 calls last year, 75% of them being medically oriented.
Then the second firefighter got up to speak, his name was Richard and he was the President of Reno Firefighters. He mentioned how downtown Reno was kind of blocked in, and that if a natural or large disaster like an earthquake ever happened, there is a high chance access to downtown Reno would be blocked. They were even willing to sleep in tents if necessary just to stay downtown. Something really has to be said about firefighters who feel that passionately about this, yeah? Kudos to them for dedication and protection of their district.
In a rare move, the City Council began to ask questions directly of the firefighters during Public Comment phase and began discussing this issue. City Council is going to look at possibly leasing a property downtown to keep some firefighters and a truck or two, until the temporary stations are completed. Sharon Zadra mentioned she would like to see a REMSA station downtown. Call me dramatic, but what the firefighters said was pretty moving, it got the council's attention for sure, and I just can't thank them enough for being so dedicated to the downtown area. Fire Station #1 you rock!

5/14/2008 2:45 p.m. - BREAKING NEWS - WEST STREET MARKET TENANTS - You saw it here first!

- Brickhouse bakery - Chris Tisdale will be running it, bakery in his hometown is dream come true.

La Marenda Italian Restaurant and Shop - Great Italian Cooking

Wine bar - Run by Rick Martinez, has traveled the world looking for great wines, and is happy to find a place downtown to share his passion.

Great Basin Community Coop - Will handle fresh produce. Started as buying club with few volunteers in 2006. Then operated storefront in 2006. Provide local organic and whole foods to well over 900 people. Fresh local stuff.

Mikanos Greek Restaurant - was born and raised in Greece, has run a restaurant the last 9 years. Simple authentic greek food.

Se7en Teahouse and bar – Great energy with teas and stuff.

Downtown Marketplace - Pioneers in downtown. Will handle groceries and deli downtown.

Great Basin Community Basket - Really interesting. Community Supported Agriculture. Subscription service to buy a basket a week from particular farmer with premium produce.

Sundance books and music - Second store downtown.

Jada's Jewelrry - handmade jewelry store downtown. Natural stone, sterling silver.

Silver Trends jewelry

Additional vendor booths will be available for rent by day or week. There will be outdoor stage, as well.

3 outdoor Markets will start in July, changing weekly -
Every Wednesday night at the market will feature an "Eco Market" produced by Nevada EcoNet. Topics include: Bike & Air; Trails & Land; Babies & Education; Beauty, Health, Clothes; Green Buildings; Pets & Wildlife; Cars, Biodiesel & Public Transportation; Art & Burning Man; Garden & Landscaping; Office; Energy & Sustainability; Waste & Recycling; Eco-Tourism; Truckee River & Water.

Friday nights will feature an "Artist Night" with the Holland Project providing programming with the following titles: "Ode to Crafternoon: Not Yer Granny's Craft Fair; Bazaar Bazaar; Word Up & Vertigo Pre-Party!; Old School Block Party; The Anatomy of Body; Bohemian Circus; All Things Bike!; Recycled Works; Spontaneous Solutions; Spoken Views.

Saturday mornings will feature a Farmer's & Chef's Market in cooperation with the Saturday morning Farmer's Market on California Street.
Jennifer Bushman - Market Consultant – will be charge of 'programming.'
More to come once the meeting is over!

5/11/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - RIVER FESTIVAL PICS
- I spent most of the day downtown on Saturday, and from the looks of it, the river festival was again a huge success. Also included in this gallery are update pics for Townhouses at Holcomb Place and the State Street Project. Click here to view the pics.

5/7/2008 - SOME WEST STREET MARKET TENANT SNEAK PEEKS
- A food angel whispered into food extraordinaire Jonathan Wright's ear that a Nick's Greek Deli is among the tenants scheduled for West Street Market downtown. The other new item not mentioned previously is Se7en Teahouse being part of the lineup. That's surprising given they have a location less than a block away. That should play out interestingly. I would have expected Reno restaurants that don't already have a downtown presence would be the ones interested in setting up shop at West Street Market. We'll see when the big lineup is announced May 14! Let's not forget that people overwhelmingly voted for ethnic-specific grocery stalls in my poll.

5/7/2008 - CAC MEETING 5-6-08
Lots of goodies packed into this meeting, including updates on 10 North Virginia, the urban market, the Truckee River Bridge Envisioning Project, Baseball Stadium, Entertainment District, and more. Click here to read.

5/5/2008 - VARIOUS TIDBITS -
1. Powerhouse Gym's stint in Reno seems to be short-lived. When I walked by today nearly half the gym equipment was gone from the building. Either they are doing improvements to the building to meet fire codes, or they bailed on the project.
2. At the Montage, they are beginning to install really large double-wide decking on the south-facing side of the building facing Sierra. A large crane on Sierra Street seems to be helping put these in place. I imagine this area really coming together in the next month.
3. Ballpark Construction - Activity is limited to a small crew doing some dirt work, but Devcon Construction trailers are there on site.
4. 100 North Sierra - Still no interior construction/renovation, however an 'office space for lease' snippet has joined the 'commercial space' for lease. Perhaps plans have changed?
5. If you haven't heard yet, District at Victorian Square has been scrapped in downtown Sparks. Ken at the Urban Blog has great commentary.
6. I heard rumors that the Belvedere project is/was in trouble, however construction was in full swing when I walked by today.
7. Granite Construction will begin the RETRAC cover on June 2. Phase 1 comprises of a concrete lid over 2.8 acres of train trench downtown.

5/5/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - Vertical construction begins on Townhomes at Holcomb Place, downtown shots, Montage construction. Click to view pictures.

5/3/2008 - NEVADA DISCOVERY MUSEUM TOUR - This is one of the most exciting projects downtown that isn't residential or retail-based. It's an excellent example of re-use of an existing building and central to the revitalization of south downtown. So here's a tour! If you are unfamiliar with the Nevada Discovery Museum, it's a children's museum being constructed in the former Reno City Hall building located at the corner Center Street and Stewart Street downtown, directly across from the Federal Courthouse. It's hard to tell anything has been done to the building looking from the outside in, but nothing is further from the truth. Click here to take a tour of the demo work completed thus far.

4/27/2008 - WINGFIELD? - I've received some odd emails regarding Wingfield Towers lately. One was from a person who 'would be happy to finance the project', another was from a person nearly scolding me for labeling the project as 'scrapped' on this site, and then from the people directly involved with the project itself, telling me that the project is still alive. Hmmmm, could it be one of the most talked about, anticipated project that emerged from the slew of proposed projects in 2004-2005 might see the light of day after all?

4/22/2008 - JUICY JUICE - So let's talk rumors and speculation! Remember, these are RUMORS so treat them as such.
1. One of my tipsters had a conversation with someone involved with the Masons, and he talked about pending sales of the Masonic buildings.  They plan to sell both buildings - the 1960's era annex housing Bruka as well as the older building to the west of it - and are very close to a sale, but apparently want a sizeable closing delay - til mid 2009 - in order to give them time to make relocation arrangements.
2. Could Legends at Sparks Marina be getting some competition across the pond? They don't affect downtown, but consider these two transactions...On March 18, the Mayor's Cashell Enterprises sold its Alamo Truck Stop / Casino to the entity that owns the TravelCenters of America string of truck stops.  The 42 Acre facility sold for $42.5 million.  It is located on Gregg St in Sparks, south of I-80 between the Sparks and Vista offramps. On March 31, Peppermill Casinos took full ownership of a couple of old motel structures that are part of the its Western Village Casino - located next to the Sparks Marina on the McCarran offramp from I-80.  The transaction was for $10.5 million to buy out a partnership (of which Peppermill was a part) that formerly owned the motel structures.  The motel structures and casino occupy about 9 acres.  The rest of the commercial acreage on that quadrant of the offramp is occupied by a TravelCenters of America truck stop that occupies almost 16 acres. I've heard various rumbles over the past year that Peppermill wanted to renovate and expand its Western Village Casino, which makes a lot of sense given what RED Development is doing with the Legends project on the east side of the Marina.  If they wanted to make changes, they would certainly want to get everything under the Peppermill ownership and get rid of the old partnership ownership of the motels - so that transaction makes a lot of sense. But, why did TravelCenters buy out Cashell, when they already have a truck stop on the other side of the freeway about a mile west of where Alamo is located?  Could Peppermill be in the process of buying their truck stop next to the Marina - perhaps to gain additional real estate for a casino expansion?  And, might TravelCenters be preparing to expand their operation by "trading up" to the much larger 42 acre Cashell operation - which has vacant and unused parts? Looks like a lot of changes "might" happen along that stretch of I-80 over the next few years :-)
3. Property Acquisition - The group that purchased the Woolworths building downtown a while back is snatching up multiple properties in a very strange location of downtown. I don't want to say where exactly, because they still have a few properties left to acquire and I don't want to jinx them. On March 4, the Atherton-based group that have been buying properties in this area bought one more property; an old house - price $230K. In Oct 2007 the Atherton group made three separate purchases and then backed off.  This time, with the ballpark and other stuff commencing, they may be preparing to buy the rest of the privately held properties.
4. To the readers that have been emailing me about RGJ's recent story on downtown, YES I am well aware of the activity going on there, I've been covering it for the past year. However at the request of one of the parties involved, I am not casting any extra attention on the project yet as land acquisition is not complete yet, and the developers don't even know what they are going to build there yet. Can you say 'premature story'? To me, it's important a project of this magnitude has every opportunity to happen, and far outweighs the satisfaction of getting 'the scoop.'

4/20/2008 - NEW PALLADIO RESTAURANT? - This one slipped by me as I am not super into food and check Mr. Wright's blog on a weekly instead of daily basis, but it looks like Starbucks on the bottom floor on the Palladio may finally have a neighbor. Canadian based Firkin & Fox might be moving in. They already have a restaurant in Carson. This has not been confirmed by the Palladio yet, and thus far at least as of last week, 'Available' signs were still on all the retail spaces at the Palladio.

4/19/2008 - WELLS AVENUE WALK - Usually I take my dogs for a walk downtown, however this time I cruised around my own neighborhood, the Wells Avenue area. It's a beautiful neighborhood, and you will be hard pressed in Reno to find a higher concentration of old 1920's and 1930's homes in such a concentrated area. Click here to view the pics!

4/18/2008 - NEW CLUBS OPENING DOWNTOWN TONIGHT - Two new clubs/lounges open downtown tonight. The first is the Red Martini, dubbed as a 'super lounge', located on the 200 block of West Commercial Row across the street from the Montage project on Sierra St., and the second is a dance club (I think) called Club Carnival, located where Vino's Italian Restaurant and Lounge used to be at 240 N Sierra Street just north of 210 North.

4/17/08 - NEW POST OFFICE PLAZA RENDERINGS AND NAME! GIVE YOUR INPUT - City officials, CH2MHILL, and the reno-ites via a few public meetings have narrowed the new post office plaza design to two main concepts. The thought process on this project has come a long way, when comparing the first concepts with these. It's gone from a basic West Street-type plaza river access to 2 final concepts which involve some really cool design elements and landscaping. Many of the new features incorporated were a direct result of public input. I described these in great detail in my CAC Meeting Update. Here are brief descriptions of the two again:
Design 1: Geometric Classic Option - inspired by geometric patterns of the building.
Design 2: River Terrace Option: The distinction of this one than previous one is center portion of the design is more curvilinear, providing more flowing forms to the river.
So, check out the two concepts and tell me which you like better. I prefer the Classic Geometric option as it seems to break up the terraces more. CH2MHill prefers the River Terrace design. Folks in the 4/1 CAC Meeting where it was presented tended to lean toward the Geometric Concept.
ALSO, the post office plaza has yet to be named, so check out my new poll and pick what you like the best :)

Classic Geometric Design (click image to enlarge)


River Terrace Design (click image to enlarge)


Both designs side by side top view (click to enlarge)

4/17/2008 - NEW RENDERINGS AND NAME OF URBAN MARKET - The urban market I think finally has a permanent name; West Street Market. Here's some new renderings with the updated name. A partial-to-complete tenant list should be released any time now.

4/16/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - Wow what a walk! All kinds of stuff you must see, including an exposed Montage's lower floors, yoda, the demo of the Nevada Inn, and various shots of downtown. Click here to view.

4/14/2008 - WINDSTORM - Wow what a windstorm! That was nuts. I took a little drive-thru downtown and my Southeast neighborhood. There were quite a few little pockets of damage; I saw some trash dumpsters on Court Street that had smashed into the back of some parked cars, Sierra Street is closed right now due to the Montage mess, poor Windsor Motel's sign didn't make it, saw many newspapers racks, trees, flowers, signs that were damaged. In my neighborhood over by Holcomb, quite a few large branches and trees were uprooted, but thankfully and quite miraculously none of them I saw hit parked cars or homes. I lost my backyard fence, which required some creative emergency preparing using car jumper cables, clamps and some rope (don't ask lol).

4/12/2008 - ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RUMORS -
1. I heard a rumor, which was reinforced in the comments section of Diane Cohn's blog, that a non-gaming hotel might be in the works at the Sierra and Liberty corner where Arterra was to be built.
2. A new yoga studio/hang out place has opened called Vajra Yogic Lounge, located at 100 North Arlington in the heart of downtown Reno. Go check them out! They specialize in some pretty unique kinds of yoga including AcroYoga, Thai Yoga, and massage.
3. I have a few friends who live on the perimeter of the Ryder Homes project proposed for the lot on High St, Willow, Holcomb and Mill. They saw Ryder people mulling about the property the other day, and went over and talked to them. There are mumblings that the homes will stand at least for another 90 days, but after that....plans could be in the works. They still haven't submitted their maps to the Planning Commission yet.

4/11/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - Construction on Holcomb, river corridor pictures of downtown Reno, Riverside Market Construction, and the Montage. Click here to see

4/9/2008 - IN THE NEWS -
1. The City Council approve a pedestrian & bikeway plan for east Reno as described in a previous post of mine. One interesting note in the RGJ article is the Waterfront Condominium project 'to start by the end of the year.' That would be nice! Click here to read.
2. Stremmel Gallery fusses about the pilot lighting program on Virginia Street changing the color of LuLu's from red to terra cotta. Perish the thought.
3. The ReTRAC study is now complete. Let's start renovating.
4. Legends at Sparks Marina now has web site. Tenant list is enticing, particularly Dickenson Theaters.
5. I can't remember if I posted this or not, but Downtown Improvement Association now has a web site. They are a pretty influential organization that represents the majority of businesses downtown and issues that affect them, including crime, homelessness, development and more. Click here to check it out.

4/2/2008 - CAC MEETING REPORT - 10 UPDATES YOU MUST KNOW! - All kinds of goodies packed into this month's CAC Meeting Report, including new renderings of the Urban Market, details on the urban market, Baseball Stadium, RETRAC Cover schedule, 10 North Virginia (yes it's still a project!), detailed info on Post Office Plaza, and way more! Click here to read.

4/2/2008 - FLATLINERS SHOW TOMORROW - I rarely post actual events on here, mostly because I am a busy workaholic hermit who doesn't get out much. But a close friend of mine has been working hard on a very cool punk show that will be at the Underground tomorrow, which is Thursday. The band hails from Canada, are known to never put on a bad show, and is traveling a looong way to play for Reno. So if you like good punk music, come and check them out! Here's the flyer. I'll be there!

3/29/2008 - NEW POLL - The last poll results were very interesting. Combined, about 63% of you have been downtown the past week. To the 12% who haven't been downtown in years, get down there! I have a new poll. Given the hoopla over this Thunder Head resort expansions across the blogosphere, I figure I would put downtown casinos on the spot. In my opinion, the downtown casinos are a tad passe. The Atlantis, Peppermill, and Grand Sierra Resort have all undergone hundred-million-dollar+ expansions, and the Silver Legacy recently added an ultra-lounge. Ooooooh exciting. The exterior of Silver Legacy is architecturally pleasing, but it's interior leaves something to be desired. The Eldorado is a bit aged all-around, and the Circus Circus seriously needs some help. So take my poll! And tell me in the comments section some innovative ideas for renovations to the downtown casinos.

3/26/2008 - COUNCIL APPROVES WALKWAY PLAN - The City Council today approved a plan to link the baseball stadium, a planned transit Station, and a new Hyatt going in.
If you haven't noticed, the north side of the Truckee River starting from Lake Street up to Wells Avenue is a bit 'rough around the edges' to say the least, particularly along the proposed Waterfront District property where the edge of the embankment is crumbling slowly into the Truckee.
A walkway on the north side of the river would start at the proposed Waterfront condominium project at Lake Street and head east to the former Harrah’s office tower.
Basin Street Properties, owner of the former Harrah’s tower, would provide access along the west side of the building to Second Street. This will tie into Basin Street's plan to open back up the bottom floor of the West side of the building, where an Auto Garage used to be, and convert it to retail. So it makes perfect sense a walkway would go there. From there, a crosswalk across 2nd street will link over to the Stadium..
A new, wider sidewalk to handle crowds from the stadium would be east on Second Street and become a walkway along the river. Another walkway would head north, through the stadium plaza, and west on the north side of the railroad trench where SK Baseball owns land for retail. The walkway also would reach the to-be-built Fourth Street Transit Station.
According to the RGJ, "Reno Redevelopment Agency administrator Mark Lewis told the council Wednesday that SK Baseball is near finalizing purchase agreements for properties for its proposed entertainment and shopping district in the Baseball Park District." See my crude map below.

3/26/2008 - LIVING THE HIGH LIFE - Jonathan Wright has a great piece on a couple that has decided to embrace downtown living, on the penthouse level of the Palladio. Click here to read.

3/24/2008 - NEW POLL - I was talking with a City employee the other day about the phenomenon where some Reno residents haven't been to their own downtown in years. So, take my new poll; tell me the last time you were downtown (excluding just driving through). We're talking lunch, business, pleasure, dinner, a movie, the riverwalk, a bar, dog walk, theater, etc. AND/OR tell me in the comments section WHY or WHERE you were downtown last.

3/24/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - It was a beautiful day on Sunday, and warm weather is all it took for Reno-ites to venture downtown to soak in the sun and warmth. Click here for pictures.

3/21/2008 - DOWNTOWN WALK - Townhouses at Holcomb Place, Montage, Future site of Hyatt, and more. Click here to view.

3/19/2008 - URBAN MARKET POLL RESULTS - Wow with 231 unique votes (I track by IP) I have a viable amount to represent people's opinions. Let's take a look. The question was what would people like to see in the new Urban Market going downtown? The results as of this writing are:
Bakery - Fresh baked goodies like breads, pastries, etc - 16.45%
Produce - Local farmers selling fresh seasonal produce, carrots, onions, fruits etc - 24.24%
Local Arts and Crafts - Art, flowers, trinkets etc - 3.9%
Meats and Poultry - i.e. Butcher Boy type stand - fresh meat - 19.05%
Ethnic - Ethnic-specific stalls, like an Italian pasta/sauce stand, Oriental foods stand, Latino stand, etc. You'll find these at places like Pikes Place in Seattle. - 29.44%
Creamery - Local dairy, specialty cheeses, frozen yogurt, anything dairy. - 6.93%
First, it's pretty clear from the results above that downtowners don't want the Urban Market to be a glorified swap meet. Sorry, Arts and Crafters! Also, the cows didn't do so well with an idea of a creamery selling ice cream, specialty cheeses etc. Darn, because that was my favorite option. What's surprising is the Ethnic Stalls narrowly beating out the traditional farm stalls. So what is an Ethnic stall? Let's take a look at some that exist in two of my other favorite urban markets, Pike's Place and LA Farmers market.
Pikes Place: If you haven't been there, it's a must when visiting the Seattle area. It's a bit touristy, meaning you'll find most locals frequenting smaller-scale farmer's markets scattered throughout the area; but there are some amazing shops there to check out. Their ethnic/specialty stores include: Bottega Italiana for the best Italian ingredients, Chukar Cherry Company, for everything cherry, La Buona Tavola Truffle Cafe and Specialties Foods, Pappardelle's Pasta (self explanatory), El Merchado Latino (Latino and Spanish foods), Mick's Peppouri Pepper Jellies, Sotto Voce flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars, and Uli's Famous Sausage.
L.A. Farmer's Market - What can I say? I spent so much time here as a kid and teen it's ridiculous. It was a family staple. The 3rd and Fairfax Farmer's Market isn't so much a farmer's market anymore as it is an urban market. It's in downtown L.A. proper, and has been open since 1934, so one has to give props for that. Their specialty/ethnic stalls include: Light my Fire, the most amazing condiments store anywhere with thousands of hot sauces from around the world, Littjohn's English Toffee House, where they make every last morsel from scratch (this guy is AMAZING to watch work through the window), and Magee's House of Nuts, and Puritan Poultry.

There are a lot of possibilities to fit the ethnic foods/specialty shops category, and hopefully the City folks and any local vendors that fit this bill are listening. What types of specialty shops would you like to see at our urban market? Click the comment button below and let them know!
The Meats and Poultry stalls and standard farmer's market produce stalls were close runner-ups, so it's definitely important to make the market diversified.

3/19/2008 - BRIDGE VISIONING MEETING MARCH 20 - Don't forget! Tomorrow is the Bridge Visioning meeting for replacing all of the Truckee River bridges in downtown Reno. This will be the second in a series of three public workshops being conducted to establish design guidelines for future engineers and planners to follow when considering replacement of the bridge structures across the Truckee River in Reno. The goal of this second workshop is to present refined concepts for replacing the downtown bridge structures and discuss the varying levels of flood protection that differing structures would provide the downtown area. This work is a result of public input collected in workshops in October 2007. It's super important the City gets your input on this, so four or five years later when the City actually breaks ground on the first bridge replacement, we won't be shell-shocked at what is going on. Are you interested in what the new bridges for Booth, Arlington, Sierra, Virginia, Center, and Lake Streets will look like? Come and check out the revised concepts!
When: March 20, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Where: McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive

3/19/08 - UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITY COUNCIL - The upcoming City Council Meeting and Redevelopment Agency Board Meeting are full of little goodies regarding downtown. The Meeting is March 26, City Hall downtown 1 East First Street, or if you are like me and have a job, check back here for updates or TRY to watch the City Council meeting online or on Charter Cable.
1. New bar - A new bar is applying for a new liquor license, Strega Bar, at 310 Arlington Avenue.
2. An Environmental Consultant is being brought on board for the Bridge Replacement project, as well as continuing services for the ReTRAC Cover Phase 1.
3. Reno Film Festival may get a Community Pride Grant from the City
4. Conveyance of certain City owned Real Properties to the Redevelopment Agency to serve as collateral for the Fire Station No. 1 Relocation Loan in furtherance of the Disposition and Development Agreement by and between the Redevelopment Agency and Nevada Land,
LLC for the development of a AAA Baseball Stadium. The properties include: 001-190-15; West Wash Dam parcel (3.73 acres), 006-223-04; Vacant - old Burger King site (1.00 acre), 006-223-08; Vacant - old Precision Auto site (.25 acre), 006-223-12 & 21; 265 Keystone (building) & vacant land (1.79 acres), 006-223-unparceled; vacant land between Gardner & Chism (2.80 acres), 006-223-22; vacant land between Chism & Dickerson (4.15 acres), 007-214-26; vacant - old Savoy Motel site (.17 acres), 007-292-14; old Reno Sparks Gospel Mission (.09 acres), 007-303-12; 4th & Valley - Fire Station site (.77 acres), 008-360-07; Western Sealing & Striping (1.27 acres), 011-026-03; 2nd & Stevenson - UNR parking lot (.90 acre), 011-350-01; 3rd & Keystone - vacant (1.10 acres), 011-380-05,04,03; Men's Club Parking Lot (.49 acres).
5. Staff Report: Presentation, discussion and potential direction to staff on the Second Street/River Connection Plan, the Transit Station/Stadium Concept and the Truckee River setback requirements and to use these as guidelines for obtaining easements and making pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
6. Presentation, discussion and potential direction to staff regarding Police Efforts in the Downtown Areas.
7. Staff Report: Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding a +/- 6700 square foot portion of property owned by the Union Pacific Railroad Company, in the which the City of Reno retains an interest, which lies adjacent to APN 07-030-02, formerly a portion of East Street, Reno, Nevada on certain maps identified Record Street.
8. Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding the closure of the Voila Cafe, Parking Issues and consideration of Code Changes.
9. The Redevelopment Agency meeting, which begins at 2:00 p.m., is ALL about the Urban Market and setting up Lease Agreements etc. Also, expect an update on all Priority Projects, including the Community Assistance Center, Baseball Stadium, Entertainment Core Retail, Beautification, 10 North Virginia Street, Post Office, ReTRAC Cover and the Urban Market.

3/16/2008 - VARIOUS DOWNTOWN PROJECTS GET SOME RGJ HOMMAGE - Reno Gazette rehashed the improvement projects in the pipeline for downtown. These include the Facade Improvement Program, Post Office Project and 4th Street Transit Station. Click here for article.

3/15/2008 - THE EXTENT OF THE SHOPPER'S SQUARE DEMO AND EXPANSION - For those of you who don't frequent the Shopper's Square/Kirman area, I made this graphic showing the extent of what was demo'd for the expansion of Shopper's Square to draw in more big box retailer