Move Over, Rollerball, the Derby Girls are downtown

A couple of weekends ago I took my parents out for dinner downtown at Silver Peak, and as we walked by the 10 North Virginia Plaza, we saw a group of women with skates and helmuts participating in roller derby. What a great way to utilize the Plaza. They are called the Battle Born Derby Demons, and they are in love with roller derby, and in love with the plaza, citing they love it more than the indoor rink. One of the girls, Royal Lush, told me there’s a rumor City Council members saw them practicing and is interested in booking them as a summer event downtown on the plaza. So in a way, the plaza is a success even without the cover and retail building, because the public is using it, the City plans on using it weekly all summer. The retail building and canopy will be the deal-sealer for this property, and I firmly believe it will be one of the most-used properties both in the winter and summer. Can you imagine how packed the restaurant / cafe there would be during both the winter AND summer? That ice rink was packed nearly every night it wasn’t below 28 degrees. And with cool events in the summer like the Reno Munipal Band, Art Town, Street Vibrations, Hot August Nights, roller hockey, and hopefully roller derby all scheduled and booked for the plaza in the summer, it is turning into the town plaza the City Council first envisioned.

Wedding or a Funeral

I wonder what’s going on with the property pictured? This is directly South of the Pioneer Theater on Virginia St, and north of the Wells Fargo Building. What’s interesting, besides the fence up around the three buildings, is the three parcels facing Pine St., from Center Street to the unnamed street in between the memorial park and the wedding chapel, have requested an abandonment of part of Pine St. The reason for the abandonment? ‘Future Development’. I wonder if the buildings being fenced off and the sign for restaurant/retail space available and the street abandonment are related? Is it a funeral for the wedding chapel and adjoining building? Or are they just being renovated? I have no idea, but we’ll find out!

Progress Report on Nevada Discovery Museum

I have a progress report back from Chris Riche and the Discovery Museum project. Things are going well! Click to read and see new pics.

We are not the only downtown without groceries

Occasionally I check in with my hometown of Los Angeles to see what’s goin on in their downtown. And guess what? They are set to get their FIRST DOWNTOWN GROCERY STORE, set to open June 2007. That’s right, with a central core population of roughly 30,000 and 14 established districts, downtown L.A. is getting a Ralphs, originally set to open in 2004 but riddled with controversy and rising construction costs, will open this year. I found 8 condo projects that touted the fact a Ralphs was about to open nearby as one of their key marketing points. I will have a more in depth look at Los Angeles later tonight, and the ordinances they enacted to spur unprecedented redevelopment in their downtown. Maybe we can learn something!

Virginia St. Bridge to be replaced

The City Council voted to replace the Virginia St. Bridge. The Senior Project Manager with the Flood Control Project told Council the most recent model by the U-S Army Corps of Engineers shows a much wider “by-pass” channel would be necessary on the north side of the bridge to potentially offer protection against a 100 year flood event. The wider channel would require re-construction half of the Plaza at 10 North Virginia Street and require the demolition of the Masonic Building. On the south side, the by-pass design would also eliminate portions of the River walk and Post Office parking lot.
It is estimated the cost of a wider channel for the by-pass plan could potentially double the estimated $40 million dollars for restoration. The Council wasn’t happy with the 2010 start date for construction, and asked Legal to see if there was a way they can start building the bridge sooner. Dan Gustin was the most reluctant one to concede the bridge should be torn down, while it was pretty much a no-brainer to Sverazza, Dortch, Zadra and Hascheff. Most of the slides shown showed a signature bridge style with support on the top side of the bridge, and all council members expressed concern with the replacement option and having to ‘grade up’ to the new bridge’s higher level.

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