Brief Digest: Week of November 4, 2024
A roundup of the latest in Reno urban development
Well, November has arrived, and with Election Day finally upon us, it’s likely difficult for most of us to focus on much else. The good news is, I won’t make you try. It’s a slow week in terms of City meetings, so today’s Brief will live up to its name by catching you up with the latest and setting you free to concentrate on other things.
City meetings for the week of November 4, 2024
Only two public City of Reno meetings will be held this week, since the previously-scheduled November 6th Reno Planning Commission meeting has been CANCELLED. You can access the agendas and supporting material for the following meetings on the City’s Current and Upcoming Meeting webpage:
Ward 3 NAB: Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 5:30pm. This is a hybrid meeting that you can register to view and participate in online here. Topics will include:
B.1 & B.2 - Zoning Map Amendment and Conditional Use Permit for the ArrowLeaf Apartments on Harvard Way just north of Vassar Street (image below).
B.3 - An application to rezone four Reno Housing Authority-owned parcels near the corner of Sutro Street & Carville Drive from 14 to 30 units per acre (with no specific development project yet identified).
Joint Coordinating Committee for the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility: Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 10am - Online registration link here.
It’s down to the wire for four Reno City Council races
If you live in the newly-defined Wards 1, 3, 5, and 6, have you voted yet for your Reno City Councilmember? Are you still undecided? In addition to my own Guide to the 2024 Reno City Council General Election and all the links I provide there, several media outlets have provided some final recaps to help you out.
The Reno-Gazette Journal has compiled links to all of its published opinion pieces by candidates for all Washoe County offices here.
This is Reno has published a fascinating overview of who is funding local political races, using some very effective color-coded charts and graphics to show the breakdown of funding sources for the Reno City Council, Washoe County Commission, and Washoe County School Board candidates. It’s called “Who’s funding local elections this year? We took a deep dive so you don’t have to” and I highly recommend you check it out, to learn who’s paying for all those expensive mailers and advertisements. Here’s an example comparing the Ward 1 candidates:
Again, both of those charts and many more can be found at This is Reno.
You can find a list of county Voting Centers here (that website will be reporting estimated waiting times on November 5th, when polls will be open from 7am to 7pm). Please do your research and vote for who you believe will best represent you.
The latest development news in downtown and beyond
And now for updates on previously reported items and some new developments.
Cinemark Century Riverside 12 to close November 14
I’ve linked before to Downtown Makeover’s piece about the imminent closure of the Cinemark Century Riverside 12 at N. Sierra Street and the Truckee River, and some early plans for its renovation that fell through. The theater’s closing date has now been confirmed as November 14, almost exactly 25 years after it first opened. Want to visit the place one last time? Check the Cinemark website for show times. And let’s hope someone else comes forward to repurpose the building, which occupies such a prime downtown location and has surely helped the surrounding restaurants thrive.
Planned Kimpton Hotel site auction cancelled
Just a day after I wrote about the scheduled auction for the parcels where the Kimpton Hotel was once planned (and where Mayor Schieve presided over a groundbreaking ceremony in May of 2022), news broke of a bankruptcy filing that apparently headed it off, at least for a little while longer. You can read more at “Reno Kimpton project files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to stave off foreclosure” (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal, 10/29/24). When contacted by Hidalgo, CAI Investments CEO and founder Chris Beavor said, “The project is still viable… This (bankruptcy) will allow the time required to restructure to complete the project.” So stay tuned, I guess.
What’s coming to Wells Avenue, MidTown, and beyond
No one breaks the news of upcoming projects like Mike Van Houten with Downtown Makeover, and he’s at it again with reports of a new establishment preparing to open in the old Rapscallion building on S. Wells Street, plus new and relocated retail nearby, new Vietnamese fusion in MidTown, and new neighbors for the Reno Public Market. Check out the full November 1st update here.
Wingfield and Barbara Bennett Parks Master Plan
As I mentioned last time, the final public workshop for the Wingfield and Barbara Bennett Parks Master Plan was held virtually on October 30th and presented the “Preferred Plan” that has been put together based on prior studies and input.
If you missed it, you can find links to the 90-minute workshop recording, the presentation slides, and a community survey on the project’s City webpage here. The recording is enormously helpful, as the project’s consultants explain in detail the process by which this plan was created, why various options were included (or not), and how everything in it would actually look and function.
The presentation slides include images of the preferred plans for both parks, as well as the Whitewater Park. You really need to watch the presentation and access the PDFs for yourself to see everything clearly. Above is an image of the proposed new (relocated and completely redesigned) amphitheater. The current amphitheater location would become the site for shade structures, food trucks, vendors, and restrooms—and could house picnic tables when no special events are underway.
The most surprising element to me was the sudden appearance of an entirely new proposed component that you can see at the left in the above image, and it’s a big one: a six-story observation tower that would sit in the small park at the corner of First Street and Arlington Avenue and feature a long arm extending out over the Truckee River, with perhaps an outdoor climbing wall and an illuminated “light sculpture” on the top that could potentially advertise events. The architect stated that this tower emerged after “a couple of the Councilmembers” directed them to include something unique and special that would draw people to downtown Reno and to Wingfield Park, and cited as inspiration the 10-story observation tower at the de Young Museum, which is, of course, in the middle of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
Here are some more images they provided (there are more in the presentation).
I have many thoughts about this proposed tower, which is being pitched as an “iconic landmark,” but I said I’d try to keep this Brief short, so for now I think what’s most important is for everyone to access all these materials and take a look for yourself (take a look at everything, of course, but the description, images, and video of the new tower idea specifically begin in the recording here, with more discussion during the Q&A in the last half hour or so). Everyone should be sure to watch that final Q&A, where you might get some of your own questions answered.
Once you familiar yourself with the preferred plans for these parks, be sure to take the online survey to indicate your opinions of their various components, including the bandshell structure and stage with removeable restroom/greenroom, the observation tower, the pedestrian bridge that would connect Wingfield and Barbara Bennett Parks across the south river channel, a dedicated surf wave and fish passage, and the entire plan for each park as presented. As some of the live attendees noted, the survey provided no way to submit nuanced opinions of most of these components (if, say, you like some aspects of them but not others), although there is one space for “Additional Comments” at the end of the online survey, so if you have thoughts on anything in the preferred plan, you could write about them at length there.
As the website states, “This is the last opportunity to weigh in on the preferred concept for these parks before the plan is submitted to the Reno Recreation and Parks Commission for consideration. The final Master Plan document is planned to be presented to the Recreation and Parks Commission at their January meeting. There will be an opportunity for community members to provide public comment at this time.” So I’d advise everyone to view these materials and submit your thoughts ASAP.
Washoe County Library Local Author Fest: November 9
Just a reminder that on Saturday, November 9th, I’ll be at the Downtown Reno Library with more than 40 other authors for the Washoe County Library 2024 Local Author Fest. I’ll be selling and signing copies of Reno’s Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City from 10am to 4pm and reading in the auditorium at 1:40pm.
For more information, participating authors and the full schedule of readings, visit the Washoe County Library website. Come get a head start on your holiday shopping, meet some wonderful people, take in some readings, and be sure to say hello!
Be sure to check out my Citizen Guide for helpful resources and links for anyone hoping to become more informed and engaged in issues related to urban development (& more) in Reno.
As always, you can view this and prior newsletters on my Substack site, subscribe to receive each new edition in your email inbox, and follow the Brief (and contribute to the ongoing conversation) on X, Facebook & Instagram. If you feel inspired to support my writing and research with a financial contribution, you can sign up for a paid subscription through my Substack site or contribute to my Venmo account at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510. Thanks so much for reading, and have a great week.
Thank you for your efforts to inform the public of Reno's journey towards a better future.
Alicia, you are, of course, so special and needed. The literary event I had not seen before. When I was in the downtown library today (Sunday), there was no mention of it. And it is on a Saturday when parking is fee-based. I always go on Sunday.
As for the park proposals, it was unclear to me how many people, including me, were participating in the online presentation and survey. I am sure staff provided what they felt was in the public interest. As for the tower, it added interest but cost of building and managing seems way out of the park budget. It would only be available on special occasions requiring staff. It is out of the box, something to talk about. I did not want to lose anymore park to parking. And to keep as much open space i.e. lawn and trees as possible. Lawns can be "active" with walking yourself, dogs, playing with a frisbee, sitting, lying on a lawn. A lawn is the only place to be enjoyed by all ages. Further, parks with their lawns and trees will be increasingly the only green space available as more of the public lives in apartments . Passageways for fish do not include food for them. As the banks are developed as benches, birds like waterfowl lose access and food. Parks do face problems with increasing "games", the need to show they are "improving" by adding more features.
Anyway getting late and a highlight of my day was seeing and listening to Senator Bryan....a time of decency.