Welcome to SoDo! This neighborhood is conveniently located between South Virginia Street and Holcomb Ave. SoDo is a term coined by the urban-infill geniuses over at HabeRae Investments Inc. I liked the term so much that I use it all the time now to describe this neighborhood. Although it's about a mile from downtown, it's only a few blocks from me, and thus important to me personally as development there affects my neighborhood directly.
Although no 'official' boundaries exist, I highlighted the general area this includes in the map above. This area comprises a unique combination of businesses re-using historic homes for businesses and new modern construction that blend into the neighborhood. Some of Reno's best kept secrets are in this neighborhood, as well as some more recognizable names. Click the tabs below to explore both the residential and retail side of SoDo, and why this triangle shaped district is the ultimate example of urban in-fill bliss. I live on the edge of this district, and can confidently say it's a safe, clean neighborhood that has something missing out in the burbs; character and soul.
Highlights of SoDo
Award Winning Retail
A wide range of businesses front Center Street, including Maytan Music Center, Achieve Fitness, Asylum Recording Studios, Crystal Springs, Reno's oldest and family-owned water bottling company and some damn fine tasting artesian water, Teak and Hardwood Flooring Company, and a few architecture firms. Rose's Cafe, located on Center St., makes some of the yummiest sandwhiches around. A block or so off Center Street but still in the SoDo district you will find even more eclectic businesses, such as the highly acclaimed Salon 7, and a group of highly regarded tattoo, body piercing and skate shops. On the southern edge of SoDo, you'll find a newly renovated shopping center on the corner of Virginia and Mt. Rose, featuring the new home of Sushi Pier 2, a great bookstore, Zephyr Books, and more.
Also in this area is Stremmel Gallery, LouLou's Cafe, the original Silver Peak perched up on its hill, and the new Chapel Lounge. Quite a few businesses in this area won allocates in Reno's Best Of list, listed below.
SoDo District:
Maytan Music, 777 S. Center, #1 Best place to buy music
A 7 Salon, 20 Cheney St, #1 Best beauty salon
Aces Tattoo, 681 S. Virginia, #1 Best place to get tattoo
Black Hole Body Piercing, 912 S. Virginia, #1 Best place to get pierced
LouLou's, 1470 S. Virginia, #1 Best Restaurant, #2 Best fine dining
Great Basin Food Co-Op, 271 Wonder Street, #2 Best grassroots organization
Rad Betty's Clothing, 141 Vesta, #1 Best place to buy vintage clothes
M Home, 1400 S. Virginia, #2 Best independent home furnishings store
Paperback Exchange, 131 Vesta, #2 Best store for used books
.
8 On Center
This was the first urban infill project for SoDo, and marked a positive turning point for the neighborhood. Completed in 2007 by HabeRae Investments, Inc, , 8 on Center was recently recognized by the City of Reno by receiving the Mayor's Choice Properties Award. It has also been featured in numerous publications including Northern Nevada Business Weekly, Nevada Woman, RLife and Reno Magazine. The project oozes beauty, form and function. 8 On Center also was the FIRST residential project in Reno to implement the live/work concept, and most of the residents living there actually use the bottom floor as a workspace. The project is sold out as of September 2007. You'll have to wait for developer Kelly Rae's next project to be completed, right next door....here's a pic of 8 On Center from HabeRae's web site.
SoDo 4
SoDo 4 is HabeRae's next urban-renewal project. Located just north of 8 on Center are 4 brick homes that until recently were nearly completely obscured by giant overgrown trees. Now that the trees have been trimmed back, one can easily spot these historic gems driving down either Center Street or Holcomb Ave. The 4 homes have historic significance, and were built in the early 1900's as housing for engineers of the V & T railroad, which ran along Holcomb Avenue. The tracks of the V & T ran along what is now the right-hand Southbound land of Holcomb, which would have taken the tracks right in front of these homes...talk about no commute to work!
Those familiar with the features of 8 on Center know about the developer's commitment to utilizing green building principles, and SoDo 4 will continue this commitment to being earth-friendly. The interiors will have dual pane/low e windows, reclaimed douglas fir flooring, extra insulation, exposed 100-year-old brick walls, energy star rated appliances and energy efficient lighting. Vaulted ceilings, a bedroom loft with drop-down stairs and other ingenious space saving features will make each home seem much bigger than the tight envelope they stand on. The exterior will feature recycled material for decking and pathways, drought tolerant landscape, and raised bed organic gardens so that individual homeowners can grow their own vegetables. Each home will have a private courtyard, and a front deck to enjoy the urban vibe of Center St.
Completion is slated for March 2008. A model will be ready for viewing on or before January 01, 2008. Pricing of the individual homes will be under $169,000 with owner financing.
SoDo 3
The SoDo 3 project is in its preliminary stages. SoDo 3 will be a mixed use development on an infill lot directly across from the SoDo 4, another great living concept from HabeRae. A mixed-use project typically incorporates both retail and residential, and from their description of the project, they have some pretty progressive concepts in mind for it, like an award winning salon that believes in giving back to its community, or an art gallery that allows local artists to show their work for free? On the residential side, look for a few affordable apartments wrapped into the mix. Stay tuned for more information on this project.
Thoma Lofts?
This is one of the only major non-HabeRae projects in SoDo. A lot of people think this project is dead, however I keep getting little snippets of info telling me it's not as dead as people think. This town-home/loft project is located about 2 blocks north of 8 On Center, and fronts Center Street, Thoma St, and Virginia Street in kind of a U shape that faces north. They will be 3-level live/work units, with large work spaces on the bottom floor. All units will have 2-car garages, accessible from the rear (always a sign of good urban planning). The architecture of the project is quite stunning, with large, arched windows and varied elevations (see pic below).
The developer is Siena Communities, who recently did a whole-lot of property shuffling in the recent Baseball Deal. The Freight House Lofts, the other planned Reno project by Siena, was killed when the land was acquired for a new Triple AAA Baseball stadium. In return, Siena acquired various properties throughout downtown, including the parcel next to the Riverside Artist Lofts, and the Men's Club Parcel. The Riverside Artist Lofts parcel has a development timeline attached to it, which brought up questions of whether Thoma Lofts would be built at all, since the developer HAS to develop on the Riverside parcel within 4 years. However, recent banter and mumblings have led me to believe this project is still moving forward. There are less than 40 units total to sell, and the project is right in the heart of an up-and-coming neighborhood.
Comments:
Post your commentsPosted by: Kitty - 11/10/2007 5:46:54 PM
Don't forget Nevada Fine Arts moved in to the old bank building next to State Wide Lighting. They have done a great job.
Posted by: Pops - 11/12/2007 12:05:14 PM
Sup restaurant is in that area too. They are my new favorite lunch place!
Posted by: Dagmar Bohlmann - 12/18/2007 1:47:46 PM
Not to forget the very cool Tahoe Yoga and Wellness Center that opened a year ago above the Spy Shop on S. Virigina. It has established itself as a leader in the Reno world of yoga and continueing education for yoga teachers.
Posted by: Reno Native - 7/10/2008 8:45:51 PM
Please i noticed that you skipped south right over Reno's only Adult Bookstore and Theater, hasn't it been open at 1052 S. Virginia St. for over 30 years or something? Also, here is a tie in... Silver Peak's XXX Blond beer was named after their neighbor to the west, the Adult Bookstore and Theater... as it says on thier beer menu.
Posted by: Juan, Mike's Token Bean Friend - 10/20/2008 8:48:04 AM
You forgot Pirates Tattoo, Evolution Tattoo, Dixie Rose Tattoo and Nightmare Studios (tattoo parlor).. Additionally, you missed Lotus Body Piercing. I guess SoDo is the tattoo/piercing and porn district.. =)
Posted by: Terry - 11/10/2008 5:05:19 PM
How about The Isles, Celtic Gift Shoppe at 809 S Center
Posted by: Rachel - 3/18/2010 6:21:22 PM
We have a great building available for rent in this district--one of the afore-mentioned older buildings being used for businesses (the former site of EcoReno, in the "little green house," located at 18 Stewart Street. It is in a great location, practically across the street from the upcoming location of the Nevada Discovery Museum, which will be breaking ground this summer! It will be available in the next month. Please drive by and check it out if you or someone you know is interested in locating their business in this area!
Posted by: Ryan - 5/22/2010 10:44:29 AM
I was checking out the posts and the Tahoe Welness Center is under new ownership. It is called The Studio Reno. It is a great place for Yoga and offers many different styles and you can view the class schedulde on their site. It offers many types of massage like Thai,Swedish,Shiatsu, and Deep Tissue. They also have the only organic juice bar that I can find in town. It is the best kept secret in Reno. I wish more people knew about it. Here is the link. http://www.thestudioreno.com
