The Jacobs Entertainment festival grounds permit application, Reno's former City Manager reappears & more
Updates and previews for the week of December 30, 2024
I hope everyone is having a good week, as we prepare to bid farewell to 2024. Just a quick note that the January 2, 2025 Reno Planning Commission meeting has been CANCELLED, which means there are no public City meetings scheduled for this coming week. But development keeps on trucking along, so today’s Brief will provide some updates and links to help prepare you for the new year. Be sure to keep an eye on the Current and Upcoming Meetings page, where any new agendas will be posted.
Jacobs Entertainment has submitted a Conditional Use Permit application for an outdoor festival grounds.
First, a heads-up: as announced in the latest Development Projects newsletter, which you can read here, Jacobs Entertainment has submitted their CUP application for a 15,000-capacity festival grounds right in the heart of downtown, between Arlington Avenue and Ralston Street, West 2nd Street and the railroad trench.
There’s a lot to review here, and I’ve only just skimmed it myself so far, so for the moment I’ll just attach the application below.
The packet includes an abundance of material including Jacobs’ acoustical analysis, site plans, and a narrative letter that features the project description, standards for live entertainment from the municipal code, and the applicant’s interpretations of how this project meets all of the findings that the Planning Commission has to make in order to approve the permit, including compatibility with the Master Plan and the surrounding vicinity, accommodating traffic, etc.
Notably, the narrative states, “The proposed Festival grounds are designed to be consistent with the greater J Resort’s Neon Line developmental plan [emphasis mine] and will therefore be complementary to the surrounding area, which includes the adjacent J Resort Hotel & Casino and the J Resort Glow Plaza.”
Here’s part of the project description, from page 50 of the packet:
On behalf of Reno Real Estate Development LLC, the applicant in this matter (“Applicant”), we hereby submit the enclosed application for a conditional use permit to allow the construction of the J Resort Festival Grounds, downtown Reno’s first and only dedicated outdoor festival space. The J Resort Festival Grounds are located on the south side of W 3rd Street between Ralston Street and Arlington Avenue on APNs 011-360-27, -28, and 011-026-11 through -15 (the “Festival Grounds”). The Festival Grounds are located in the Mixed-Use Downtown Entertainment District (“MD-ED”), and has a Master Plan designation of Downtown Mixed Use (“DT-MU”).
The Festival Grounds will provide a safe and accessible venue and community space for music festivals, concerts, recreation, craft events, car shows, and other events. The site plan includes a 64,800 square foot seating area, a 17,982 square foot entry plaza, a 52,936 square foot staging area, a tent area, a stage, and retail/concessions at multiple locations.
Here’s the Project Site Plan, with Ralston Street on the left and Arlington on the right:
The application is scheduled for discussion by the Ward 1 NAB on January 13, 2025 and for a public hearing by the Reno Planning Commission on February 19, 2025. Here’s contact information for the relevant parties:
Ward 1 Councilmember: Kathleen Taylor, (775) 334-2016, taylork@reno.gov
Applicant Representative: Garrett D. Gordon, Esq., (775) 321-3420, ggordon@lewisroca.com
Staff Contact: Leah Piccotti, Associate Planner, (775) 334-2178, piccottil@reno.gov
For a project with this level of potential impact, it’s important for as many of you as possible to read through the application to determine what questions you have, then tune into the Ward 1 NAB meeting on January 13 to watch the presentation and participate in the discussion. It’s also time for a little crowd-sourcing to find what precedents exist anywhere for a 15,000-person capacity festival grounds in a dense urban center. If you find any, please post them in comments or reply so we can share that information.
Reno City Council will review the request to abandon Stevenson Street & more on January 8.
As the Development Projects newsletter indicates, the following projects including the request to abandon Stevenson Street will be reviewed at the January 8, 2025 Reno City Council meeting. These links will take you to the Accela website, where you can click on “Record Info” and select “Attachments” to view the full applications.
Former (just barely) Reno City Manager Doug Thornley is now representing local developers as a land use attorney.
As I wrote on December 16, the proposed Webb Data Center was reviewed by the Reno Planning Commission on December 18. Turns out, the applicant’s attorney was none other than former Reno City Manager Doug Thornley, raising questions not only about his private, off-the-record interactions with City Attorney Karl Hall and behavior toward the planning commissioners during the meeting but the ethics of his being there in that role at all. This is Reno has the story:
Former city manager returns to City Hall, pushing planning commission to approve North Valleys data center (Bob Conrad, This is Reno, 12/23/24)
Two more data centers and other development projects are scheduled for review by the Reno Planning Commission on January 15.
The Development Projects newsletter indicates that among the projects scheduled for review at the Reno Planning Commission’s first meeting of the year are two more data centers. Again, these links will take you to the Accela website, where you can click on “Record Info” and select “Attachments” to view the full applications.
Eden nightclub will reopen, just not as soon as planned.
You may recall that the license for the Eden nightclub at 219 West 2nd Street was revoked back in September. Two recent articles cover the latest on that:
City: Eden Nightclub reopening after business license suspension (This is Reno, 12/20/24)
Previously Suspended Downtown Reno Eden Nightclub is Delaying its Reopening with More Remodeling (Our Town Reno, 12/27/24)
The Lakemill Lodge and other properties owned by the same business entity are up for sale.
As you might recall, the Lakemill Lodge on the corner of Mill and Lake Streets was abruptly shut down last month. As Mike Van Houten reports, its owner is now trying to sell it, along with three other properties.
Lakemill Lodge, three other weekly motels put up for sale (Mike Van Houten, Downtown Makeover, 12/23/24)
Mayor Schieve defends recent City Council actions and teases “really big projects” coming to downtown.
Mayor Schieve recently appeared on Nevada Newsmakers as reported by Ray Hagar:
Reno Mayor Schieve no 'lame duck,' wants to fight crime, improve neighborhoods & revitalize downtown in final 2 years (Ray Hagar, Nevada Newsmakers, 12/17/24)
You can access the full video here.
Along with discussing recent City actions regarding security and public surveillance, Mayor Schieve spoke about the need for more urban infill, saying this:
“I think you're going to see—and I can't talk about it—but I'm just going to tease it here for you. But I think you're going to see some really big projects in downtown Reno. You know, I can't talk about them yet, but we're going to make some really big announcements that I'm excited about.”
We’ve heard this kind of rhetoric before from Mayor Schieve, and it always makes me nervous. I can’t help wishing that she would just share what she knows of any big projects coming down the pipeline rather than withholding information until some splashy PR announcement finally lets residents know what’s going on. Stating that “we’re” going to make those announcements suggests city involvement, and when it comes to downtown Reno, an area that needs coordinated planning more than probably any other in town, I’m pretty sure most of us would vastly prefer advance notice to the grand “ta-da.” That’s how a government practices transparency and generates a sense of trust.
That’s it for this week. Happy New Year, everyone, please be safe out there, and thanks so much for your continuing support.
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.
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 contribute, you may purchase a paid subscription through Substack or contribute via Venmo at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510.
I can think of three properties right in the downtown that are huge, under-utilized, and cost the city lots of money. The National Bowling Stadium, Ballroom, and Events Center. The awful Reno City Council and bad neighbor Jeff Jacobs will get a large outdoor festival grounds that can only be used from May to October and will require tons of parking. Not only that, the GLOW Plaza does shows too, not many...
It doesn't make sense. Over 8 years of vacant lots so we can get more vacancies. Who is gong to come to Reno to play at this J Entertainment albatross? Who is going to come to see those performers? Sacramento residents?
Scratching my head in wonder. I will attend and participate in the Ward 1 NAB, but bought and sold Kathleen Taylor ($5,000 contribution from Jacobs lawyer, etc.) won't pass on the chance for more graft.
Ah..another Schieve tease. I remember the same schtick when she hinted at esports at the bowling stadium. I can appreciate enthusiasm however Bob Conrad framing the City culture as “toxic positivity” nailed it. Last council meeting the public heard from the mayor, again, how government spends “loves to spend too much time on process” and takes too long to do anything. She always wants to toss process out the window but then Turney stands and uses all the buzz words in process, I.e. “what’s before this body today” and “what staff needs from the body today is direction to….”, etc. And of course, Mayor opines long past her 3 minutes to clap back at opponents specifically naming “the Alicia Barbers of this town” when pontificating on the Lear. The entire reason for government is PROCESS so that everyone must follow the same guidelines, same rules, same, same. Mayor just does not understand governance as a voting member of council.