The Aces Edge

SK Baseball released renderings of the ballpark project's proposed retail portion, presented to the Reno City Council January 14 as part of their effort to convince the city to help them finance this part of the project.

See all the renderings in the Photo Gallery.

The press release:

SK Baseball today revealed its newest set of renderings, illustrating the state-of-the-art downtown ballpark and its accompanying entertainment district.
 
The ballpark, located at the corner of 2nd and Evans in the heart of downtown Reno, represents the first phase in a multi-tiered project from SK Baseball. The stadium is being constructed at an unprecedented pace, and the facility is on schedule for the Reno Aces’ April 17 home opener vs. the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
 
The supplementary entertainment district will feature three restaurants—one encompassing the historic freight house—, three nightclubs and an outdoor events plaza in front of the stadium. Much of the entertainment district’s infrastructure is already in place, and the final product will culminate in one of the finest fan experiences in all of professional sports.
 
The latest renderings released from SK Baseball include detailed depictions of the entire complex, including views from inside both sides of the ballpark, street-level landscapes and interior vantage points from several sections of the entertainment district.
 
“We’re very passionate about this entire project, so it’s gratifying to share these renderings with the entire City of Reno,” said SK Baseball Managing Partner Stuart Katzoff. “The ballpark is literally being built before our eyes and is nearing completion, but these artist renderings will let us share our vision of the downtown entertainment district with the residents of this city.”

This week's Northern Nevada Business Weekly contains an article about Basin Street Properties' plans for the Nevada Inn site and their office building next door, the former Waterfront Plaza, which some marketing geniuses have renamed "Park Center Tower."

In addition to building a seven-story Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotel on the old motel site, the developers plan to "put at least $6 million — maybe more like $8 million — into a big renovation of the office building," which would include upgrading systems and adding first-floor retail geared toward hotel guests. I don't know what's behind the blank wall facing Second, but if they could open that up with storefronts, it would go a long way toward breaking up an ugly concrete monolith while creating a pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

An unexpected bonus, of course, is the project's proximity to the ballpark site across Second Street. But it was no master stroke of perspicacity. Says Matt White of Basin Street: "That was just a tad of dumb luck."

Of course, there's always a catch, as the RGJ reports:

Under city zoning, the hotel must have a 50-foot setback from the Truckee River. But if it did, there would be little room to build the seven-story, 156 unit hotel.

John Hester, community development director, said he has the authority to settle for a 10-foot wide river path, on low land next to the river. Putting the path so near the river would require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval that could delay the project many months.

Mayor Bob Cashell said the path would go nowhere. A tall office tower would block the path to the west and a bridge is to the east. He questioned the sense of building the path at all.

"Why don't you just tell the developers to go home," Cashell said. Others agreed.

With that, Hester was sent off to find another solution. Councilman Dave Aiazzi proposed creating a bikeway on Second Street to go around the buildings.

Mark Lewis of the Reno Redevelopment Agency provided a ballpark status report to the Citizens Advisory Committee today. Here are the bullet points:

• Groundbreaking is projected for the end of January. Rough grading and demolition of the River Apartments should begin shortly afterward, followed by excavation of the "bowl" for the field.
• The permitting process is proceeding quickly.
• Relocating the fire station in the required timeframe is proving a challenge, but should not delay construction.
• The fire station building, which appeared in a conceptual rendering of the completed ballpark as part of the retail component, will not be retained after all. Lewis said the developers looked at renovating the building as an adaptive reuse, but turns out it will cost less to knock it down and put up something brand new. Demolition looks to happen in March or April. (Good riddance to an undistinguished piece of late 20th Century utilitarian architecture.)
• The retail component is in the land assembly stage.
• Siena Communities, the new owners of the Men's Club building, would like to eventually put a restaurant in there, but the strip joint has "a few years" remaining on its lease.
• The city is looking at constructing two additional parking garages downtown. One is expected to be built somewhere in the general vicinity of the ballpark, possibly just south of the river, but no specific location has been identified or secured.