Council OKs Baseball Deal

I was able to watch part of the meeting, mostly where Jessica Sferrazza had serious concerns about moving the fire station….the current fire station allows for a time of 1:10 minutes of arrival to Wells Ave, and if it were moved the two remaining stations have about a 3:00 arrival time, yet still under their protocols for response time. In the financial part of the deal, the City really seemed to have covered itself in this case. There are various clauses included to cover the City; in case the team leaves early, the City won’t get stuck with the mortgage on the stadium, and from what I gathered if the retail portion isn’t built, the developers don’t get the $2 million a year that would otherwise go to redevelopment property taxes. The tax breaks are completely related to the retail portion, not the stadium. So in this deal, the city would gain a baseball stadium and shopping district that could revitalize the east end of downtown. The main thing the city is giving up in this case is land, and having to pay back a $10 million loan from the developers for a new fire station. One interesting note is one of the parcels Sienna Communities would get is the Men’s Club. I know a lot of people are griping about it, but I don’t have a problem giving them the $20 million or so from county car rental taxes which can only be used for certain things anyway.

Upcoming CAC Meeting

On September 4, 2007 in the 7th Floor Caucus Room at One East First Street (City Hall) the CAC will get updates about the Council’s/Redevelopment Agency’s priority projects, including the various beautification projects, the Post Office plaza/eco channel, and more. More importantly, we’ll get an update on the 10 North Virginia Project and where they are with choosing one of the two finalist developers. I unfortunately have a conflicting meeting I can’t get out of (I tried, believe me, but these 3:00 in the afternoon meeting times for the CAC are difficult to attend to say the least), so if you attend, or if are are a CAC Board Member and want to anonymously comment on the updates, here’s the place to do it! I know yall read my site, so help me out a bit and inform the public at large the exciting things going on. Thanks!

Baseball Stadium Goes Before City Council Today

Well today is the big day, or one of the upcoming big days anyway; the baseball plan goes before the City Council and Redevelopment Agency at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall. Also on the table is the facade improvement program, a program I feel is vital to updating the decades-old facades on Virginia Street. I am out of town so I won’t be able to attend, so if anyone watches, please post what happens in the comments section for me! Thanks!

HUGE Plan for Baseball Stadium unveiled at CAC Meeting

The Downtown Baseball Stadium moved one step closer to being a reality when the Citizens Advisory Council unanimously approved a $55,000,000 plan to not only put the stadium downtown, but transform the ENTIRE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN into a new baseball district. We’re talking from the current Citycenter Bus Station all the way over to the Freight House and then South all the way to the Truckee River along Evans and Lake St. Now I’m REALLY excited about this. The Developers are complying with the Council’s concerns they don’t want JUST a stadium built downtown. Are you guys getting exited yet? I am. The deal would give developers city owned land at Evans and Second streets, including the Freight House, the downtown Reno Fire Station and a third piece of property where a weekly motel/apartments is located. Siena Communities who originally was going to build lofts there, has entered a tentative land trade deal for other land the City owns. The developers would also get the Citicenter bus terminal if the city buys it from the Regional Transportation Commission. I believe the property is currently being appraised. RTC is planning a new bus station east of the Bowling Stadium. Developers also would get a 20-year lease for the first floor of the National Bowling Stadium and would agree to finish the south end of the building, which has been left half-built for a decade.
Evans Street would close for a plaza connecting a new shopping area to the vacant block to the west, where the Mizpah was tragically lost. The Reno Gazette Journal reports Lewis said the developers are trying to buy the block.
Now here is the wild part. THIS ALSO INCLUDES THE PROPERTY WHERE THE WATERFRONT IS/WAS GOING. It’s been confirmed the project is in redesign, as we had suspected The condo project will cover two small blocks at Lake and First streets.
So wow! We now have a project that has gone from 10 acres to 42+ acres. AND, it’s getting very close to becoming a reality. Next step: The plan goes before the City Council/Redevelopment Agency on Wed. OK now that pedestrian bridge makes some sense, lol. I will have a graphic up this afternoon visually outlining their ideas.

Arterra down but still putting its feelers out

Arterra, which recently backed out of their Spring 2008 groundbreaking date, is down but not apparently out. I received an email from them asking to take a survey on what should be modified on the project. I was told by Capstone they underestimated the number of people wanting larger units. That, combined with the current real estate market, caused them to put their project on hold as reported before, however they still remain committed and hopeful for a late 2008 groundbreaking. In that same mailer, it mentions Village at Idlewild prices start at $150,000, substantially lower than previously advertised.

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