One of the many highlights of the meeting was the announcement that a local developer closed escrow on an abandoned and neglected laundry facility located just east of the roundabout on Wells Avenue, at 1695 South Wells. The building itself has amazing bones, brick exterior and is quite large, with a stunning art deco corner entrance. Check out a couple of photos below.

The plan is to convert the 60-year old building into 10 residences, an art gallery, and a cafe. Right now, the building is in a run down, weed-ridden state with broken glass and graffiti among other eyesores. So, you can imagine how excited our neighborhood is over this. It will add to the recent revitalization of Vesta Street with Valour Parlor, Holland Reno, and other recent additions.

The developer is Haberae Investments, who developed 8 On Center, SODO 4, and the the Firehouse Lofts. Haberae is an infill developer with an impressive list of microprojects, and I have a thing for infill developers who improve neighborhoods. For five years, they've attempted to secure this building, and now it's finally happened.

8OnCenter was the first mini-project along Center Street that started the trend there, then came along SODO 4, the demolition of some nasty homes across the street, then the GuiDenby building, Lime/lofts, and Brasserie St James under way. During 8OnCenter's construction phase, people predicted that the homeless would be peeing all over 8OnCenter's doorsteps because they had street access, the windows would always be broken etc. Surprise surprise, that's not the case! People predicted no one would live in the tiny SODO 4 homes, yet they are all accounted for. An 8OnCenter resident just applied for a sign permit to use their residence as a true live/work unit as well. Haberae's projects have had positive affects on the neighborhoods they are built in, regardless of how some turned out financially because of the crash....and that's all I care about.

The Wells Ave neighborhood is pumped up about this one, and Haberae will be going out of their way to preserve the historic character of this building, working with preservation experts like Barrie Schuster throughout the project's duration. And you can bet I'll be snapping progress photos!

This building used to be a weekly motel, with the first floor dedicated to valet parking, a parking garage and the motel "lobby." It has since undergone a major renovation, converting the top floor into affordable apartments, the mid floors into office space and the first floor into retail. The building looks remarkably better.

Rounds Bagels however, is not a new business. They've been gettin' their bagel on in South Reno for a while now, and serve bagels to Peppermill, Atlantis, St. Mary's, Whole Foods, and UNR. Their expansion to downtown will also encompass a move to a larger location for their South Reno store, which gives them room to install pie ovens and donut fryers. And owner Zak Gilbert is excited about the new donut aspect of Rounds Bakery. "We're going to make standard donuts, but also donuts you've never seen this town. Really creative stuff," he tells me. And I believe him too, because they secured the primary baker from now-closed Krumblz Bakery.

In addition to bagels and donuts, they'll have sandwiches, full espresso bar, and most importantly, PIES. They are shooting for a March 1st opening. However, the south Reno space, which will include the new pie ovens and donut fryers, won't be complete until April, so those treats will have to wait until after the south Reno location opens. Rounds Bakery, coupled with Sweet Treats by Kyle right around the corner, who will be serving up sweet treats, downtown food options just keep getting better and better.

- TWO bakeries are now in the build-out process downtown, Sweet Treats by Kyle, which I wrote about for my upcoming February column of Reno-Tahoe Tonight, and then the Rounds bakery, specializing in bagels and other goodies. Sweet Treats by Kyle is going in where Paisan's Old World Deli formerly was, and Rounds bakery is going in at the corner of Court and Sierra, next to Bumblebee Blooms.

- The Aces - Entering their fourth season of Triple-A baseball in 2012 - will play host to the multi-day all-star celebration in July, 2013.  The special announcement was made this morning by Reno Aces Managing Partner Stuart Katzoff, Pacific Coast League President Branch Rickey, International League President Randy Mobley, Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority President & CEO Chris Baum. The annual Triple-A Home Run Derby is set for Monday, July 8, 2013 and the nationally-televised 26th annual Triple-A All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday, July 10, 2013. In addition to those two landmark events, the all-star celebration will include several days of unique entertainment for fans of all ages that will showcase the Northern Nevada region, including a fan fest that will feature interactive games, displays, autograph signings and historical memorabilia.

- University of Nevada Reno Art Gallery - The University of Nevada, Reno is interested in leasing space at West Street Market to display art and help establish a more visible connection between the University's art department and the community. The citicenter site was another location the university was eyeing, but instead prefers West Street Market. The lease would be at a potential loss to the city, as they are seeking $2.00 per square foot lease rates for the space.
Proposed Lease Terms:
Lease of West Street Market Space D1 also known as Building 144 (Approximately 890 square feet).
Tenant Lease Rate of $1 per year.
Tenant to pay the current monthly West Street Market CAM charge of $.60 per square foot ($534.00).
Lease term beginning as soon as possible, extending for three years. Upon expiration of the original lease term, tenant will have three (3) one (1) year options, not to extend beyond the Agency Master Lease expiration date.
Tenant to incur all improvement costs with the space including mechanical and HVAC.
Tenant to conform to all existing West Street Market rules and regulations in addition to Public Works / Parks Recreation and Community Services procedures for property management and special events.
The art gallery will be a nice complement to Bowl, Z-Pies, West Street Wine Bar and Se7en, and gives tourists and residents an additional activity downtown.

- Presentation on historic Wells Avenue - January 25 at 7 pm. West of Wells residents Barrie Schuster and Emily Rogers will give a presentation titled The Evolution of Reno's Historic Wells Avenue Neighborhood.  This event will take place at Mount Rose School on Lander Street and is sponsored by the Historic Reno Preservation Society (HRPS).  It is free to members of HRPS but you won't be turned away if you're not a member. Barrie and Emily will present historic and current photos of the neighborhood and discuss it's unique evolution within the City of Reno - from it's beginnings over 100 years ago to where the neighborhood is headed today. http://www.historicreno.org/

- 8 on Center – 894 Center Street just sold as an REO for $189,900, full listing price.  That's $10,000 less than the latest resale at the Holcomb Townhouses, and about $105 psf.   The unit originally sold for $495,000.

We start off with a couple of shots of the yet-unnamed Carter brother's project on Thoma and Center street. In the photo above you can see the finished sidewalk. This is looking west from Center Street to the alley and then Virginia Street in the background, with Thoma Street on the right side. This new curvy street is the private drive meandering through two different lots and will soon be the centerpiece of a retail complex of differently-designed structures totaling 17 or so, built out in phases.

New gutter and sidewalk being designed along Thoma for the project on Thoma and Virginia/Center.

The new Midtown project on Virginia/Thoma/Center looking south from Thoma Street.

This house is next to Sup and Aces Tattoo. I'm not sure what it is, but I love the rock bench in the front yard. This paint job and landscaping is fairly recent.

A peek inside the 'CoCo Boom building' on the corner of St. Lawrence and Virginia Street, across the street from Aces Tattoo. What used to be one single space is being walled off into several boutique-size commercial spaces, and a burger joint and juice bar and coffee house are rumored to be going in here. I've also heard a couple of spaces in the under-construction Thoma/Center/Virginia project are spoken for as well.

Another shot of one of the CoCoBoom building spaces being built out, at 701 South Virginia Street.

After some photo taking it was time for lunch at one of my fave Midtown locations, Sup.

Then it was off to PolyEsther's Costume Boutique to talk to seamstres Esther about some custom Burning Man attire for 2012. That's when I spotted this retro disco shirt, perfect for the next 70's-themed party.

Then we headed to Center Street, one block east of Virginia. This is a new spa that opened in a new loft space at 895 South Center, built across from 8 On Center. The water dispensary also moved over to this location, seen in the left of the photo above.

New windows on the brewery/restaurant/bar/artist lofts under construction on Center Street. This former water bottling plant is becoming a brewery that will use the artesian well beneath it to produce yummy beer goodness. Also here will be a restaurant, bar and artists lofts. Yup, Midtown is getting lofts after all. It might not be Thoma Lofts, but who cares, it's even cooler, and it's adaptive reuse.

New windows on the brewery/restaurant/bar/artist lofts under construction on Center Street.

As evening fell upon us, it was time for some drinks at Reno Public House! Love the architecture in this neighborhood pub on St. Lawrence Ave. The light fixtures, including the one pictured above, features old-filament bulbs for a nostalgic feel.

Reno Public House's crowd is as diverse as the neighborhood it sits in...people from age 21 to 71 enjoyed the relaxing quiet atmosphere.

Last stop of the evening was the newly renovated Zephyr Lounge. A fire pit, bi-level seating, candlelit table tops and a 4-page beer menu is what greets you at the new Zephyr Lounge. If you have not been to this bar in the last month, you wouldn't recognize it from its dive bar days.

It was fun strolling around my neighborhood with friends, and I'm finding Midtown is becoming more enjoyable and walkable with each passing month.

Saturday, January 21 commemorates Cargo's official Grand Opening where nationally-touring musicians Royal Bliss will headline their C.D. release party starting at 8 p.m. This all ages, $10 per person event will benefit a local charity. Their soulful modern rock is infused with heavy riffs and heartfelt lyrics, demonstrated in their new album, “Wake up”, which was produced by Brian Virtue, who has also worked with such artists as Chevelle, the Deftones, and 30 Seconds to Mars.

Ronnie Montrose will rock Cargo on January 28 when doors open at 8 p.m. In his four decade-long musical career, this legendary American guitarist has led several bands plus performed with renowned musicians like Sammy Hagar, Van Morrison and Edgar Winter. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of show, and $40 VIP seating.

Country artist Terri Clark brings “Roots and Wings Unplugged” to the Cargo stage on February 3, with doors opening at 8 p.m. This guitar-strumming songstress has sold more than four million albums and was the first Canadian female to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Tickets are $23.50 in advance, $27.50 day of show, and $56 for VIP.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day just a bit early are Irish rockers the Young Dubliners on February 24. With a devoted fan base and their original Irish and Celtic-flavored rock, the band's shows are renowned for having “jig pits” break out in the audience. Doors will open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 day of show, with VIP seating starting at $40.

Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5 fame will show off his hip-hop prowess on February 11 at 9 p.m. Having performed to sold-out crowds across the globe, he attributes the shaping of his lyrical skills to the wide spectrum of socio-cultural and geographical influences he's experienced throughout his life. Doors will open at 8 p.m., performance begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are available for $17 in advance, and $21 day of show, with VIP seating starting at $31.

Below is a full line-up of Cargo's entertainment, more of which will be added as the year progresses. Doors for all listed will open at 8 p.m., with the show beginning at 9 p.m. Tickets for all are available at www.TicketWeb.com.

• Downplay - Saturday, January 7; 18 years and older, $15
• DJ Set by Ladytron, featuring Reuben Wu – Thursday, January 12; $11
• Hemme – Friday, January 13; $6
• Royal Bliss – Saturday, January 21; $10 to benefit local charity
• The Adicts – Wednesday, January 25; $18/advance, $21/day of
• Ronnie Montrose – Saturday, January 28; $20/advance, $25/day of, $40/VIP
• Terri Clark Performs “Roots & Wings Unplugged” – Friday, February 3; $23.50/advance, $27.50/day of,  $56/VIP
• Billy Martini – Saturday, February 4; $9/advance, $11/day of, $16/advance VIP, $21/day of VIP
• Chali 2Na - Saturday, February 4; $16/advance, $20/day of, $31/advance VIP, $36/door VIP
• Tommy Castro – Saturday, February 18; $20/advance, $26/day of, $40/advance VIP, $45/day of VIP
• Wayne Static of Static X– Thursday, February 23; $20/advance, $26/day of, $40/advance VIP, $45/day of VIP
• Young Dubliners – Friday, February 24; $20/advance, $26/day of, $40/advance VIP, $45/day of VIP
• The Green with Passafire – Tuesday, March 6;$11/advance, $16/day of, $36/day of VIP
• Brother Ali – Tuesday, May 1; $19/advance, $23/day of

The pet-friendly HANG Hotel and an outdoor “Adventure Deck” offering BMX and skate parks, an outdoor bouldering facility, seasonal restaurant and other attractions are scheduled for 2012.

First, ring in the new year with a little food perhaps?

Midtown Eats

Limited availability for their New Year's Eve feast. Call them at 324-3287 and make your reservations today! Food includes cinnamon poached oysters, seared scallops and fuyu persimmon duck confit.

Hill Street Grill Masquerade Dinner

Old Granite Street Eatery

$60.00 per person, call (775) 622-3222 to make reservations for this special NYE Pre-fixe menu includes lamb meatballs, miniature crab cakes, pumpkin soup, persimmon salad, wood fired flat iron steak, poached Fulton Valley chicken, seared scallops and more.

Downtown Chocolate Bar

Offering 4-course meal with wine, champagne and tax included for $75. Call 337-1122 for reservations.

Wild River Grille

Ring In the New Year, with their "Exceptionally Prepared 4-Course Gourmet Dinner" December 31, 2011 4-11pm. $55 per person. Seatings available from 4 pm to 11 pm. Dinner Includes a complimentary glass of champagne. Reservations recommended – space will be limited
http:// www.wildrivergrille.com/ menus.html

Parties

St. James Infirmary Fireworks Watching Party

Few bars have the advantage of a rooftop deck, but St. James does! Avoid the crowds downtown and ring in the new year at St. James atop their deck and watch the fireworks. Cocktail attire, free champagne toast, and late night dancing afterward.

Reno Public House Lock-In Party

Reno Public House at 22 St. Lawrence in Midtown will have a good ole' fashion Lock In party. From ten till midnight the doors are locked as they ring in the new year with bottomless proseco. Dress code: Fancy pants. $10 advance, $15 at door gets you appetizers, bubbles and dancing.

Downtown Chocolate Bar

Dj DTR will be spinning at the downtown Chocolate Bar on Sierra Street, free Champagne toast for everyone at midnight.

Knitting Factory VIP New Years 2012

They've got world class DJs direct from ULTRA playing, Chelsea Chen and her wonderful group of dancers and theatrical performers rehearsing right now to entertain, delight and inspire you, including Dragonfly Aerials which will also be performing their amazing strength and acrobatic skills AND hopefully their latest star performer who is now on loan to the Eldorado and performing in Peter Pan! After Hours Party For only $10 (Pre-sale) HYPNOSOUL is doing a RECORD LABEL LAUNCH with DJ SULLI, DJ 5657 and DJ ERIK LOBE performing at the new After Hours UPSTAIRS at the Knitting Factory and will be giving away albums for everyone through the door.
Event Details

New Year's Eve at the Eldorado

BuBinga Lounge: New Years Eve Black and White Bash featuring (((xm fredie))), Roni Romance and Jessica the Ripper spinning. General admission is $45 in advance or guests can upgrade to a $65 advance admission that includes a hosted premium bar from 8-10:30pm including brands like Black Dot Vodka, Grey Goose, Ketel One, Three Olives, Patron, Jagermeister and Crown Royal. For table reservations call Denielle at 775-378-4569. Fashionable attire required.
The Brew Brothers New Years Eve: Crashers and DJ D.Rek. $15 cover includes entry to The Brew Brothers and Roxys. Roxys Bar and Lounge: Gil and Darcy at the piano bar from 4:30 to 10pm with DJ JT.

New Year's Eve at Silver Legacy

Rockin the Dome Dance Party featuring DJ Kentot. $30 Cover includes one drink.

Metal New Year's Eve at Underground

55 East 4th Street
Nine Reno Metal bands come together to help those in need, Evelyn Mount. Two stages, drink specials all night, food, prizes, raffles and more. All proceeds and can donations will benefit the "Evelyn Mount Foundation"
BANDS: Ethereal Reaping, Envirusment, Soul Lobotomy, Secerned, Soultorn, Determined, Walk Away Alpha, Demension 13, Knightfall
Visit their web site for more details.

New Year's at CommRow

DJ Max will be spinning top 40 to keep you dancing until the ball drops - and then they'll have a complementary champagne toast to go with the fireworks downtown. Free!

Downtown Fireworks at Midnight

Join the big crowd downtown at midnight on Virginia Street and watch fireworks launch off various downtown casinos including Silver Legacy.

The weather was better, and there was a jovial mood on the streets. I didn't see any fights, everybody had a great attitude and acted like adults for the most part, and I saw some amazing costumes.

One of the highlights this year for me was CommRow. Much like last year, the lines for the bars downtown in particular swelled to two blocks long by 9 pm. The 5-Star's line to get in started at the corner of 2nd and West Street. CommRow was one of the few places we were able to walk right into. With five bars, the lines for drinks thinned out a bit. Centric was playing thumpin' dance music. But the real treat was outside.

Commrow had set up a dj booth and some sick speakers on the 2nd level climbing deck overlooking Virginia Street, and blasted house music down to the crowd on the street below, most of whom were dancing directly in front of CommRow. People on the deck interacted with the people on the street in a very Mardi-Gras style way, and it was a moment of 'big-city'-ness that had me questioning if I was still in Reno. I hope CommRow extends this model to other big venues downtown, including Art Town, Italian Festival and of course, New Years Eve.

At midnight, what-could-be-called the largest marshmallow fight in America began, with some flour tortillas added as a new projectile weapon for the big showdown under the arch.

All in all it was a fantastic night, and I'm pretty sure visitors last night not only had fun, but were impressed with how smoothly everything went down.

Click the link for pics and video!

In the next City Council Meeting on Wednesday the 9th, the council will discuss and give direction to staff regarding the Old Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Citicenter Site and potential uses, including the School of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno. It would be pretty cool if UNR utilized this space, bringing more students to the interior portions of downtown.

Bowling Stadium Ideas

The State Legislature approved Assembly Bill 376 in the 2011 Session imposing a surcharge of $2 per night for the rental of hotel rooms in the Reno downtown district. The surcharge began on passage of the bill and has collected approximately $333,000 through August 31, 2011. This funding must be used solely to pay the cost of improving and maintaining publicly owned facilities for tourism and entertainment in the district and cannot be transferred to any other fund or account or used for any other purpose.

On September 9, 2011 the Reno City Council established a subcommittee to discuss the best way to implement these funds. They decided to hire Worth Group to perform design and construction administration for a Women's Hall of Fame Museum and to conduct master planning, concept design and a feasibility study to remodel the existing National Bowling Stadium. The feasibility study and design improvements are to be conducted in coordination with the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority and the United States Bowling Congress.
1. The design and construction administration of the Women's Hall of Fame Museum is time sensitive with a desired completion date of the project by mid-April 2012 to coincide with the beginning of the Women's Bowling Tournament.
2. The feasibility project includes the master planning and concept design of the National Bowling Stadium and the creation of the overall concept design, floor plan options and potential costs.
This includes architectural renderings and animation to communicate the exterior design/brand, the general massing of the building components and the site circulation of the Project.
Financial Implications: For fiscal year 2011 the impact will be a total of $110,900 of room tax surcharge for the two agreements, and related expenses. You can read the full details in this staff report starting at page 242.

Virginia Street Bridge (Nov 16 City Council Meeting)

It seems like we have been talking about replacing this dang bridge for five years now. On November 16 the city council will review the final design options based on public input and Jacobs Engineering. Some of the options will be movable (i.e. draw bridge or rising bridge) and fixed options. You can open this PDF Document which will explain the different options and bridge types. You can also visit the VSBR web site to learn about the various options.

Z-Pies - Opening this December in West Street Market in Downtown Marketplaces' former location. Z-Pies is an amazing pot pie concept born after travels to Australia and New Zealand, where it's hard to walk a city block without passing several pie eating opportunities. In 1998 upon return from Austrailia, a family and a few close friends decided to open a gourmet pot pie restaurant in the small gold rush town of Placerville, California and offer their own version of the “down under” pies. They started out perfecting just three flavors, Steak and Cabernet, Chicken and Mushroom and Very Vegetable. Over the years they have grown to offer 20 delectable gourmet z pie flavors along with soups, organic salads, desserts and locally-brewed beer and wine. The local Z-Pies' profits from the restaurant will fund a local group home for young men who are leaving the foster care system because they have reached the age of 18. They will also be working at Z-Pies. Unfortunately 70% of this population either goes homeless or becomes incarcerated. So not only is it a great food concept coming to downtown, it also helps our community out. Construction should begin in a couple weeks.
Click HERE to download their menu in pdf format.

Bowl - Already open in West Street Market is Larry Dunning's latest culinary masterpiece, Bowl. If it's 4.5 Star Rating on Yelp isn't enough to entice you to check it out, then maybe their menu will. Grilled chicken salad, romaine, honey crisp apples, cashews, citrus walnut vinegar served in a bowl, can you say yum? Remember, this is from the gentleman who brought us Sezmu.

New Italian Restaurant - The for-lease sign at Amendment 21's former location in the BofA building at 425 South Virginia on the corner of Liberty and Virginia is now gone, and there's lots of interior construction work happening. A little birdie told me this is going to be an Italian restaurant.

New Restaurant Going In Choc Bar's Former Location - I heard from another little birdie that the owner of Legends Grill out by Whole Foods is building out some kind of restaurant in the Chocolate Bar's former location at 475 South Arlington Avenue.

Two New Restaurants Going In CocoBoom's Former Location - Two new restaurant spaces are being built out at 701 South Virginia, between Midtown Eats and Sup's new location.

Reno Public House - Ok not a restaurant, but a cool pub to hang out, and just opened up behind Creme at 33 St. Lawrence. Check them out here.

Campo - New Mark Estee restaurant going in the Palladio at 50 North Sierra Street right on the river, across from Riverside 12 movie theater. Click here to get the full details on this restaurant, including an interview with chef Mark Estee and fact sheet.

CommRow - Already open, this entertainment complex offers a wide range of eateries not found elsewhere downtown, and priced budget-friendly about $8 and under. Options include Meditarranean food, Italian beef sandwiches, gorditas and tacos, raw foods at TarTar Bar, frozen treats at Twisted, and energy smoothies at Up! The food is great, especially for the price, and the staff is super friendly. Most of the eateries open at 4 pm daily. Located at 255 North Virginia Street right next to the Reno Arch.

MidTown Wine Bar - A new wine bar has opened in the heart of Midtown at 1527 South Virginia Street, just south of LouLou's and Chapel Tavern. Follow them on Facebook to learn about the latest flights offered.

Togo's - Coming soon in the Sierra Vista building just south of the courthouse on Sierra Street and Court Street, it might not be as glamourous as Campo or Bowl, but it does add to a collection of affordable eating establishments downtown including Subway.

CANFEST, the world's first international canned beer festival, is bringing the can back in style, proving to consumers that some of the world's most unique combinations of hops and malts are now available in a new generation of canned beer.

CANFEST will showcase an alluring variety of canned beers in the Reno Ballroom for the third consecutive year on November 12. Tickets are on sale for the event now.

With each $25 ticket, attendees will receive unlimited tastings from a diverse collection of brewers including Big Sky Brewing Co., Oskar Blues Brewery, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Tallgrass Brewing Co., Santa Fe Brewing Co., and many more. Many brews sampled at the event are unavailable in the immediate Western region of the U.S.

“CANFEST provides beer enthusiasts opportunities to taste anything from a Montana pale ale, Colorado traditional pilsner, and West Coast unfiltered Porters, all in one place,” said Doug Booth, co-founder of Buckbean Brewing, organizer of the event. “Once people see the variety available in cans, their perception of canned beer will never be the same.”

CANFEST is made possible by event sponsors The Aluminum Association, Mutineer Magazine, Buckbean Brewing Co., Abbi Public Relations, The Silver Legacy Resort & Casino, Wound-Up Studio, and Bourns Productions.

Buckbean Brewing, the largest production microbrewery in Western Nevada, founded CANFEST in 2008 to celebrate the benefits of canning beer. Long regarded as a symbol of inferior beer, the can has come into its own in recent years as beer drinkers realize that cans offer superior protection from sunlight and oxygen infiltration, and the containers are much more portable and environmentally friendly than their glass counterpart. In 2002, the first microbrewery began canning craft beer; today over 130 breweries can at least one of their beers, according to the CraftCans.com database.

Tickets purchased online prior to the event are $25. As an incentive to buy early, if you purchase before October 13 it's automatically a VIP ticket, no price difference.  A VIP ticket to the only international canned beer festival in the world allows guests to enter the festival one hour early, where you can participate in Mutineer magazine's VIP hour, and sample the wide collection of brews before general ticket holders.  To purchase tickets online visit Ticketmaster.com or the Silver Legacy's onsite box office.

For more information on CANFEST contact Constance Aguilar from Abbi Public Relations at constance@abbipr.com or by calling 775.323.2977. For more information on CANFEST, please visit canfestreno.com.

The 14th Annual Halloween Freaker's Ball is scheduled for October 29 at Bruka Theater. With the theme of "Mystery and Intrigue" Brüka will continue the tradition of incredible costumes, theatrical antics, dancing, costume contests and the raffle. Doors will open at 8 PM. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. 21 and over.
(775) 323-3221
Box-office hours are 1 to 5 Wednesday through Friday and 12 - 4 Saturday or online at www.bruka.org.

On Wednesday, the city council will discuss purchasing the Cal Neva Parking Garage for a reported $10,000. However before they spend even $10,000 on it, I'd like to know projected maintenance costs over time, their plans for usage etc. Will it remain a free garage? Or will it be converted to paid parking like their other garage? Would a private company run it like their other downtown garage? How do they intend to fix what is quite possibly the ugliest facade and color scheme downtown? It looks like the 1980's vomited on it.
It's not really a secret that the garage is located adjacent to city hall...and I would be pretty pissed if the city removed this free parking downtown excluding people who work at City Hall. The garage is seriously run down, though probably structurally sound.

$10,000 is a good deal but not if it costs $100,000+ to bring the garage up to a decent state, and especially if it only serves the interests of those working at City Hall. I would rather put flower baskets downtown that actually serve everybody's interests.
What are your thoughts? Should the council buy this garage and if so, what purpose should it serve?

What drove you to select downtown Reno as the location of Campo, as opposed to outlying areas like the Northwest or in south Reno?

Estee: When I decided a few years ago that I wanted to try and do a restaurant in Reno, I started asking around and looking around for the best spot.  I looked high and low.  My wife and I decided we wanted to raise our family here and bought a house in Somerset.  I really love the downtown setting and urban feel to the area.  The space that is now Campo was the only spot in all of Reno that met my ideal criteria…..central location, access to parking, new space that we could build what we wanted and of course an amazing patio space.  I think all areas of Reno have something to offer and downtown is perfect for the campo concept.

The buzz is that you are certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, an entity able to give special designation to pizzerias who meet strict requirements that respect the tradition of the art of Neapolitan pizza making. To non-foodies who just love a good pizza, what does this mean?

Estee: It is complicated and simple at the same time.  the VPN means that we will make our pizza in the traditional Naples style.  the oven, the making of the dough, the preparation of the pizza and the cooking of the pizza are the main parts that we are trained in.  there are many, many nuances and protocol to follow inside of the areas that we must follow to produce a VPN pizza.  we are committed to doing our pizza this way.  the VPN certification guratentees that if you like VPN pizza, we are serving the method of the product as they have been doing since 1660.

I'm hearing you will be utilizing the whole hog philosophy as opposed to just ordering cuts of meat from a distributor. Is it Berkshire swine, is the source local? What benefits does this philosophy provide to Campo patrons? Can you explain this philosophy and what it means to you personally?

I hear you'll be joining the ranks of Old Granite Street Eatery and 4th Street Bistro in procuring your raw ingredients locally. Has this been a challenge to set up and what's your opinion on why more local restaurants don't seize this opportunity, particularly with some of the health scares happening with mass-distributed food? 

Estee: I have been doing this for the last 11 years.  I staged at Chez Panise and Alice Waters asked me about where I got my food up here in Tahoe/Reno.  I told her about all these excuses and she said "Why Not?"  from that moment I have always sourced and gone after as much local produce/product as possible.  challenges, schmallanges….if you want it, you got to take the time to find it and use it properly.  we change our menu daily, so that puts us in control of using what the farmer have.  there are other restaurants that procure locally and that is awesome, the more the better, it is a ton more work to cook like this but the rewards are endless both as operator and consumer.  People in Reno care and I know that and I see that, so that was a huge reason of us opening up campo here.

What are some of the highlights to the Neapolitan pizza making process? Does the certification only cover pizzas or does it extend to everything you serve in the restaurant? 

Estee: VPN is pizza specific, but it is a natural match for the rustic cuisine we will be serving here.  the biggest highlight I see it that to follow the protocol and produce a consistent product that is so artisanal, each one has its own story to tell.  when I ate my first VPN is was a religious moment.  My wife too, we both looked at each and said, "yes", we must do this in Reno.

What types of food in addition to the pizzas will you be serving? 

Estee: Whatever is fresh and available……homemade pasta, organic vegetables, salumi, fish, steaks, poultry, but done in a way that we cook with love and passion.  using this rustic cuisine and Italian sensibility we will be able express the quality of products and the care we take with them.

What are some of the highlights of the restaurant itself? Any particular decor or theme you are following? 

Estee: Neighborhood feel, a place you can visit at 8am for an espresso or a place to come to after work, or on a date…..a few times a week is what we are hoping.  there are some really neat beams and little nooks if you will at campo.  we have seating options and areas that should add to the feel and decor.

A while back a new grant was introduced to help owners of historic homes to restore them by offering matching grants of up to $2,500. The major requirement was that it was an exterior project so the neighborhood would benefit from it, and be historic in nature. It was a 50% matching grant. Click here for the full RGJ article. I think it's a great program for small projects that really beautify these older neighborhoods.

Tour Reno's Little Theater

Reno Little Theater is offering the public free tours of its new facility and 99-seat theater Sundays on Oct. 23 and Nov. 13 and 27. The theater is located at 147 E. Pueblo St. in Reno, between Wells Avenue and South Virginia Street No reservations are required. The tours will begin every 20 minutes starting at 2 and ending at 5 p.m.

Roof on the Bus Stop

The roof is taking shape at some of the bus stops. The bus stop under construction closest to me has kind of a curvy roof to it. They seem kind fo shallow, not a lot of depth to them, it will be interesting to see what the finished product looks like. These are intended for the new articulated RAPID buses.

For more details on the Riverwalk District's Tricks, Treats & Treasures or to download the "Treasure Map" to merchant candy stations visit www.renoriver.org/halloween.

Event Schedule

4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Live Music on the Showmobile

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Trick-or-Treating for humans and pets along the Riverwalk

6:30 to 7 p.m. Doggie Costume Contest

7 p.m. Pup-Crawl Through the Park to support SPCA

Howl-o-ween Doggie Costume Contest

Enjoy tail wagging fun when you enter your dog in the Doggie Costume Contest for a chance to win the funniest, scariest or most original costume. Every penny of the $10 entry fee goes to benefit the SPCA.

Registration is available at the SPCA booth in the West Street Place on Oct. 29th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Register throughout the month of October at the Reno eNVy store in Downtown Reno, at the Summit in South Reno or at the SPCA offices at 4950 Spectrum Blvd. in Reno (off the U.S. 395 Dandini exit).

Immediately following Doggie Costume Contest judging, join in the fun with a FREE Pup-Crawl through the Riverwalk in downtown Reno led by the SPCA.

Trick-or-Treat for your Dog

Take your dog trick-or-treating from 4 to 7 p.m. at the following Pup treat stops along the Riverwalk in downtown Reno.

* Reno eNVy
* Ole Bridge Pub
* Eye-Candy Salon
* Pie Face Pizza Company
* Truckee River Eats & Sweets
* Se7en teahouse
* Men Wielding Fire

Contact Information

Call 775-825-WALK (775-825-9255) or visit www.renoriver.org/halloween for
more information.

More information is coming to light about the new restaurant going in West Street Market. Spearheaded by Larry Dunning, formerly of Sezmu (now closed), the restaurant will be very different from Sezmu, yet carry the same high quality that made Sezmu famous with the inside-MacCarran crowd. According to their Facebook page, it's described as "simple, non-region specific, market driven, consumer conscious, quick and tasty food in a bowl."

Sup

Sup has moved into their new larger and lovelier space just a block north from their old location. Check out a photo or two below. They have a new 1,000 sf outdoor dining deck, and plenty of interior space too. Though it was a fun concept to share my table with strangers at the old locale', I am stoked about the larger digs. I'm also a big fan of adaptive re-use projects, particularly ones that reuse the historic bungalow homes in this area. Their new address is 669 S. Virginia St. Web Site. If you are visiting us from another city, I strongly recommend walking the 6 blocks or so from downtown Reno to check out Sup and their amazing collection of soups and salads. My favorite? The chicken caesar salad. It has the perfect combination of chicken, lemon, homemade caesar dressing and other salad goodies to keep me coming back at least once a week for this delicious masterpiece.

Campo

Elsewhere downtown, Campo construction is well under way inside the Palladio condo tower on Sierra Street. Their pizza oven was shipped from Naples, Italy a week or so ago. The more details that leak out, the more excited I am about this restaurant, from the windowed prep area overlooking North Sierra Street to the pizza ingredients and equipment certified by Neapolitan pizza authorities. Check out this photo from their Facebook page of the HVAC being installed.

Montage

The Montage is leading the way in condominium sales in Reno with 25 closed deals in the last quarter and 44 thus far in 2011, more than any other project in Reno. They have 126 condos sold thus far, roughly 1/3rd of the building, including a Rowhouse that recently sold for over $200,000. Given that all the units have been cash-only sales, no financing available (as of yet), this could be Reno's only foreclosure-less building! Ha. While the absorption rate has been painfully slow, the building is gradually filling up, and the resident pool parties are to die for.

Chocolate Bar

If you haven't heard or aren't aware, the Chocolate Bar is moving to Divine Ultra Lounge's old location just north of the movie theater, at 95 North Sierra Street. The have an official 'Coming Soon' soon now in the window of Divine. It's too bad Divine couldn't make it. It was one of the first 'Ultra Lounges' downtown, with plush decor and a swank two-level layout. I predict this new location will be schweet for Chocolate Bar. I wonder how much of the decor will change?

Something New in Former Port of Subs Location?

If all of this wasn't enough downtown activity for you, I noticed some renovation going on in the former Port of Subs location, across from Java Jungle on First Street. The windows are heavily tinted but upon peeking in I saw lots of woodwork going on. There's also a notice on the door (that has been there forever, since before Port of Subs closed) mentioning an alcohol permit. Perhaps a new bar? I haven't seen any permits come through the woodwork yet, so we'll see. It could also be that the building owners are removing the last of the Port of Subs infrastructure in preparation to try to lease the space.

Reno Aces

The Reno Aces are still going strong, and 9,018 showed up to Saturday's game.

Neverender/Reno

Burn Cards, one of my favorite local blogs, produced a nice write up on the Never Ender in MidTown.

Bumble Blooms

The BumbleBlooms I reported on previously is now open! Nothing complements a downtown like a locally owned florist. They provide custom floral, wedding, prom, and sympathy arrangements as well as unique plants, dish-gardens, gourmet chocolates, food and gift baskets, plant containers, balloons, novelty gifts, and party favors. Web Site.

From the information gathered, the mystery MidTown project is most likely going to be a series of small retail spaces interconnected by a narrow meandering street between Center, Virginia, and Thoma, and will cross the alleyway that splits the property in the middle, though the alley will still exist and be incorporated. Each retail structure should be small, around 900 square feet or less, with some of them connecting to one another and some of them free-standing..an open air market of sorts. The architecture will pay homage to the old neighborhood that surrounds the project, with each structure being architecturally different than the other, thus breaking up any monotony or resemblance to a strip mall.

According to my source, and a few commenters back this up, the retail space lease asking rates will be priced to appeal to local small business owners.

The project will feature an unknown number of buildings on the lot, and from I am told, will be built in phases.

Of course, these are all rumors, but I tend to have a pretty good track record on this site so we'll see!

Good news for MidTown, which continues to be the epicenter of small independent businesses in Reno.

Here's what I know so far:
1. The land was rezoned form residential/mixed use (previously set up for Thoma Lofts) to commercial.
2. The land changed hands from Siena Communities, who was previously going to build Thoma Lofts, to an entity who also owns the CocoBoom building across the street.
3. Major improvements have been made to the CocoBoom building.

Mulling around in my mind what it could be, at first I thought it might be a parking lot for one of the rapid sus stations, or because Virginia Street would lose street parking when the bus-only lanes and eventual light rail lanes are implemented, but that's an awful lot of equipment to build a parking lot. But given the commercial rezoning, I am guessing it's some kind of commercial project. My favorite two reader-email guesses thus far:
"They are relocating the Kings Inn here to turn it into an eclectic brothel museum"
"They are building a 40-story high-rise offering luxurious special condos starting at just $350,000 for a 1 bedroom."

I'm thinking we need more receptacles like this downtown or perhaps this. They don't cost a lot. These even go with our downtown motif. According to Keep America Beautiful, installation of numerous cigarette receptacles reduces the amount of litter on the ground. I'm not sure who the cigarette butt litter fairy is in downtown Nashville, but I noticed the Nashville Rotarians received a grant from Keep America Beautiful to purchase cigarette butt receptacles for high transition areas. Maybe we can do the same thing! Hmm city council? Or Reno Rotarians? Smokers, would you use these downtown?

It was a rewarding experience, enough so that I plan to head back down next Saturday morning to spend another hour cleaning up our beautiful park.

Click the link for some pics!

On Friday, take your pick early morning with Oil Painting on the River or Cowboy Poetry. Noon presents some difficult choices, as Will Durham gives a presentation on the Mapes Cowboys neon lights, the Reno Municipal Band gives a free concert at Wingfield, and the Pipes on the River will all be happening at once. Heart Alive (a Heart tribute) is at 5:30 as the kickoff to the Rollin on the River concert series. Steel Breeze will be at the Sands Pool Party. Prefer something more low key? Twelfth Night debuts at Goodluck Macbeth, there's comedy at Pioneer Underground and Catch a Rising Star. At 9 pm watching the Wizard of Oz outdoors at Wingfield is a must. If piano is your thing, check out a dueling piano outdoor concert.

On Saturday, start things off with a Newlands Neighborhood Walk and learn about one of Reno's oldest and pristine neighborhoods. The Great International Chicken Wing Festival starts Friday and runs through Monday. I plan on hitting it up Saturday before it gets too warm. There's a Thrift and Art Walk on east 4th Street. Speaking of 4th Street, for a cult-classic triple-header, hang out at Studio on 4th starting at 4 and watch Eraserhead, Evil Dead 2, and then dance the night away at Interzone. Kind of a goth/gore trio going on there. Not your thing? no prob, how about a Superhero Cape giveaway at the Reno Aces game, or a Celtic Summer's Eve?

On Sunday, check out the Rockin Out art exhibit at the Reno Artists Coop at 11 am, over 100 artists contributed to it. For something really unique, check out Movable Type, a Letterpess Presentation in midtown and stop by The Hub for coffee. Celebrate Independence Day a bit early with The MasterWorks Chorale in Wingfield Park. Sharon Cuneta performs at Legacy. Kali is Burning will perform at Wingfield Park.

For a full list of events downtown check out my calendar. You can add the events to your own personal calendar app like Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar etc. Click on any event to see a map, details and other info.

WHAT: Our Real Reno photo contest

WHEN: Beginning Wednesday, June 15, 20

WHY: CommRow is passionate about our community, so we're asking for locals help to showcase the beauty, vibrance and diversity of Our Real Reno, to be displayed within CommRow and in the marketing. Twenty-five randomly selected people will win an annual CommRow membership consisting of access to the climbing facility, additional fitness programming and more*. Another 25 will receive gift certificates and a VIP invitation to our Grand Opening celebration.

*Rules and restrictions may apply, visit site for full details

HOW: Please submit photos of the people, places, activities, amazing outdoors within and surrounding our city, four-legged friends frolicking -- anything that illustrates Our Real Reno to www.OurRealReno.com through July 15, 2011.

Qualifications:

High resolution images are strongly encouraged (1 mb+ in jpeg, tiff, gif, bmp or pdf formats).

Submitter must have legal rights to images and agree to relinquish reproduction rights to CommRow, LLC upon submission

Click here to visit the site and submit your photos! Judging from the constantly rotating slide show banner on the home page I would say they are getting some pretty amazing submissions!

West Street Market. Muckel Anderson CPAs: The firm leased 6,700 square feet at The Jones Vargas Center, 300 E. Second St. Scott Shanks and Dominic Brunetti of NAI Alliance represented the landlord, Basin Street Properties.

Mark Estee (Campo) will be getting an alcohol permit for his new Palladio restaurant space currently being built out in the corner unit facing the river next to Sierra Street.

A new high end lounge looks to be going in where Cyber Infusion used to be on St. Lawrence, behind Creme and Aces Tagttoo in the heart of Mid Town. It's called 'Reno Public House' according to their alcohol license application.

In this Wednesday's City Council Meeting, the Council will discuss an ordinance amending Title 2, Chapter 2.10, by adding a new Article IV entitled "Capital Projects Surcharge" to impose a $2 surcharge on the rental of certain hotel rooms in downtown Reno to pay for the cost of improving and maintaining certain publicly owned facilities for tourism and entertainment, and other matters properly relating thereto.

It's another weekend packed with competitions, activities, music, entertainment and more all in celebration of the beautiful Truckee River Whitewater Park. Join us as we enjoy the wonderful Sierra Nevada weather and welcome the summer special events season.

It's going to be beautiful weather and thousands of people are expected downtown for this event.

FRIDAY, MAY 6
9 a.m. - 9 p.m. - On-site athlete registration:   Open Freestyle (Closes at 11 a.m.), Slalom, Boatercross, SUP, Run Amuck

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. - Outdoor Expo

12 -1:30 p.m.  - Music in the Park - Scarlet Presence

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Open Freestyle Competition

2 - 3:30 p.m. - Music in the Park - Scarlet Presence

4 -5:30 p.m. - Music in the Park - Big Remote

6 - 7:30 p.m. - Music in the Park - Ditch the Pilot

8 - 9:30 p.m. - Official Reno River Festival Kick-Off Party and Concert at Wingfield Park featuring The English Beat

10:30 p.m.  - After-Party at Eldorado's Brew Brothers and HiM Video Showing

SATURDAY, MAY 7
9 - 10 a.m.  - Yoga in the Park with Yogic Lounge

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - On-site athlete registration: Slalom (Closes at 10 a.m.) , Run Amuck (Closes at Noon), Boatercross , SUP

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. - Expo

10 a.m.  - Paddler Meeting

10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Music in the Park - Reno's Alias Smith

11 - 3:00 p.m.  - Slalom Races

12- 12:30 p.m.  - River Safety Seminar presented by River and Rock Adventures and Reno Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue Team

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.  - Costume Contest

2  - 4:15 p.m. - Music in the Park - Lavish Green

2  - 4 p.m.  - Run Amuck Race!

4:30  - 5:00 p.m. -  Awards Ceremony: Run Amuck

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Music in the Park - Hellbound Glory

5 - 7 p.m. - Holland Project's Double Dutch Competition

5 - 7 p.m. - Freestyle Finals

8 - 9:30 p.m.   - Truth & Salvage Co.      

SUNDAY, MAY 8
8:30 a.m.  -    Boater Meetings

9 - 10 a.m.  - Yoga in the Park

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Expo

10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - SUP Downriver Sprint

11 a.m. - Adaptive Whitewater Clinic

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.  - Music in the Park – Ditch the Pilot

12 - 1:30 p.m.  - Boatercross Qualifier

2 - 3:30 p.m. - Music in the Park - The Attack

 2 - 3 p.m.  - Boatercross Finals

2 - 4 p.m. - Biggest Little Homebrew Challenge

3:30  p.m.                                
Awards Ceremonies:
Boatercross
Slalom
SUP
Freestyle

4 - 5 p.m. - Music in the Park -  Drinking with Clowns

RGJ - Jones Vargis Gets New Digs - Story about Jones Vargis moving into the formerly-named Park Center Tower across from Reno Aces Ballpark on 2nd Street.
RGJ - River Room Hitting Its Stride - Article about River Room located next to Wild River Grille on the Truckee River in downtown Reno.
RGJ - Krumblz - They like it! not exactly downtown but certainly in Reno's core.
KTVN - Places to Check Out - Creme! - A February review of Creme that I didn't catch when it first came out.
Metromix Reno - Urban Beets - A first look at Urban Beets located on the Truckee River.

Although there appears to be some kind of delay as no exterior construction has begun, it still seems like the project is moving forward and keeping its traction. If I had to guess and speculate, I would guess that the project can't happen without the parking garage (how many hotels do you know of with zero parking?) and there could be some delays with that process. It looks like the garage issue/sale will be on the April 27 city council agenda.

The Reno Barons, Reno's new arena football league, played their debut game in downtown Reno Sunday.

The Reno Barons' lead-up to their debut Sunday was anything but stable.

The indoor football team fired its first head coach, Major Harris; promoted Anthony Bartley to the top job; and adjusted the roster plenty in the past month.

What else could possibly happen?

The Barons' first scheduled opponent, the Duo Sports Thundercats of San Diego, didn't arrange their bus to Reno in time. Luckily, the Tucson Trojans, a team in its first year, made it to Reno early Sunday for the 7 p.m. kickoff at the Reno Events Center.  They might have felt that was a bad decision because the Barons dominated the game and started off their inaugural season with a 67-8 victory in front of 2,315. 

"This means a lot to me," Hug High grad Issac Porter said. "I have a lot of family and a lot of fans here, so it's really nice."  The field, made of AstroTurf, was laid in strips across the cement with a few visible bumps.  Indoor football is an extremely fast-paced game, with players scrambling around the short field and getting knocked into the yellow walls surrounding the field.  Defense is tough with a shorter field (50 yards), but it is perhaps the key to the game, as the Barons proved. Reno finished with six interceptions and three fumble recoveries, including one in the end zone.  "This game is designed for defenses to struggle," Bartley said. "To me, it's a moral victory to give up just one score."  That lone touchdown was a 30-yard heave in the second quarter and the only moment all game that silenced the spectators in the Reno Events Center.  Fans on the east side can sit right up against the yellow wall, but those on the south and west sides sit at least 10 to 15 feet back.  But there is no lack of action for anyone, as balls bounce off walls and beams across the ceiling and end up flying into the stands.  "This game is a lot faster," Porter said.  The kicking game is a bit different than that of the NFL or college football.  The posts are much closer together, making it more difficult to sink a field goal or an extra point.  Also, there is an opportunity to score offensively on every kickoff, as Reno kicker Merf Trout showed early in the first quarter.  If the kick sails through the uprights on the other side of the field, the kicking team scores one point, or an "uno."  But if the ball flies over the barrier without landing inside the posts, the receiving team starts on its own 20-yard line, just 30 yards from the end zone.  An uno also can be scored if the receiving team gets tackled before it runs out of its own end zone. The Trojans fell victim to this late in the first half.  The Barons have been practicing for about a month, but their chemistry already is starting to develop.  "I've never gotten this close with a team this fast," Porter said.  But just like any coach, Bartley feels there's more work to be done.  "I think it's going to take two or three games for us to get our timing down and build our confidence," he said.

Did you know the Reno Bighorns have made it to the NBA D-League playoffs? Well, they have! Game One of the playoffs was last night in Texas.  Game Two is set for Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the Reno Events Center. Game Three will be Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the same arena, if necessary. Bighorns playoff ticket packages are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling (775) 284-2622 or visiting RenoBighorns.com. Fans can purchase tickets to individual games or buy a six-game package, with any extra game tickets being refunded or credited to a 2011-12 ticket plan.

Reno trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half, came back to tie the game, but eventually fell to Rio Grande Valley in overtime on Sunday evening in State Farm Arena, 98-96.

After RGV went on a 14-0 third-quarter run that stretched its lead to 16, Reno clawed its way back to force overtime in the second round series opener. In the extra frame, the Bighorns jumped ahead by two points on an Anthony Richardson layup with just over a minute remaining. After Mouhammad Faye made one of two free throws to cut Reno's lead to one, Terrel Harris hit the eventual game-winning three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining.

Marcus Landry went to the line for a pair of free throws to tie the game with three seconds remaining, but missed the first. Mo Charlo rebounded the second Landry miss and got a shot off, but his potential game-tying jumper was off the mark.

Donald Sloan and Richardson led Reno with 21 points apiece, while Andre Emmett chipped in with 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Mo Charlo added 13 points and nine boards for the Bighorns, who were outrebounded 58-41 in the game.

Rio Grande Valley's Jerel McNeal led all scorers with 31 points, while Patrick Sullivan scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Jon Scheyer poured in 20 points for the Vipers, including four first-half three pointers.

Windows cut in on the 1st Street side of the 100 North Sierra Building for the YMCA Wellness Center opening this month.

Siena construction.

New Palladio tenant? Maybe I am just late to the game but I didn't notice this storefront here before. This is on the 1st Street side of the Palladio.

Reno Envy looking much more noticeable than when they were hidden inside West Street Market.

In previous City Council meetings a significant number of residents and persons have spoken during public comment in objection to several packaged liquor license applications. Several complaints emphasized an influx in Convenience/Liquor Stores, Drug Paraphernalia, Tattoo Parlors, and Restricted Gaming establishments. The City Council in the past has approved moratoria or limitations in specifically zoned neighborhood areas only to have the problem relocate to adjacent neighborhoods. It started with a moratorium downtown, which led to a proliferation of liquor stores on Well avenue, which led to a moratorium for liquor stores on Wells Avenue, which ultimately led to a proliferation of liquor stores on South Virginia Street.

My thoughts on this moratorium can be found here. I'm not sure why tattoo shops are being lumped into a category with liquors and bars, other than the fact we have an out-of-touch mayor. I think the mayor should look up some current statistics on the number of Americans who have tattoos. In June 2006 the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published the results of a telephone survey which took place in 2004. It found that 36% of Americans ages 18-29, 24% of those 30-40 and 15% of those 41-51 had a tattoo. In September 2006, the Pew Research Center conducted a telephone survey which found that 36% of Americans ages 18-25, 40% of those 26-40 and 10% of those 41-64 had a tattoo. So if anyone is wondering how 31 tattoo shops can survive in a metro valley of over 400,000, well there's your answer.

Anyone who feels their business would be impacted by this discussion and any subsequent decisions DEFINITELY should show up to this meeting and listen/watch the presentation by city staff. It will provide clues into what the council might decide to do in the future. This includes city-wide tattoo shop owners, bar owners and liquor store owners, or fans of any of the above.

Additional Info

Agenda

Staff Report

Reno Collective, a business incubator and co-op office, has moved to 522 Lander Street.

In a tense discussion with the city council, Leal laid out a project in possible jeopardy because of delays associated with a special use permit Leal learned he would need late in the game. Leal was not happy about the 10-year limit on the lease for airspace, citing it's "not logical to invest millions into a project that could be torn out from under me in ten years". He also wasn't happy about a provision that the permit/license could be yanked by the City with '"good cause" even though city attorney Marilyn Craig could not define what good cause meant because they "can't predict what would happen in the future in that area. "

Leal then explained that Entre Enterprises is entering their prime rock-climbing-construction season, mostly college and university projects, and that any more delays would cause him to miss his time window of construction. He mentioned his partner in Chicago was 'bent out of shape' because of the delays, and could potentially lose up to $500,000 if they missed the summer season.

The council understood his position, and after some internal discussion, extended the air space license to 50 years, which Leal agreed to, and also eliminated the 'Revocable with Good Cause' section of the permit entirely.
So I think that was the last permit-associated hurdle for this project to cross. Now construction can begin on the world's largest climbing wall, the indoor boulder park, hotel and first floor food amenities!

http://www.sienareno.com/dining/ - The dining page mentions Da Vinci Steakhouse (probably replacing Lexie's), described as "serving the highest quality steaks, seafood and pasta dishes accompanied by a robust selection of fine wines." Sushi Saga will be joining Da Vinci Steakhouse and rounding out the dining area will be River View Cafe, which I am assuming is the old Contrada space. Joining those food venues, Down Under will offer appetizers and Siena Sports will offer juicy burgers, pizza and wings.

http://www.sienareno.com/casino/ - Sounds like the casino is being revamped as well. "Tiered lacquer mirror panels and North America's first installation of Tensoflex Brazil's animated panels and LED lighting throughout the casino area."

Judging from the overall wording on the site, Siena is definitely going for luxury higher end.

http://www.sienareno.com/aboutus/ - Talks about bringing in 'one thousand new pieces of artwork and inspired visual detail, some of which is the first of its kind in all of North America." and also "new Italian marble floors and sculpted panels in our lobby , luxury linens in our well appointed rooms and suites, and more intimate, world class dining in our four restaurants. "

For people seeking employment there is a link on the home page http://www.sienareno.com/

This morning the footings for Truckee Connects were poured. A working representation of the Truckee River, from the depths of Lake Tahoe to the shores of Pyramid Lake, Truckee Connects will provide opportunities to experiment with water and explore many of its properties. The floor of the museum's atrium will be poured next week.

Fabrication of the bristlecone pine tree that will stand at the entrance to the discovery museum's Nevada Stories gallery is underway. One of Nevada's two state trees, some bristlecone pines in our region are as old as 4,500 years. The Nevada Stories gallery will put our state's history, from the fascinating lifestyles of early Washoe/Shoshone/Paiute Indians to the transcontinental railroad, in the hands of children.

Welding of the steel framework for what will become the cave in the Discovery Museum's Under the Stars gallery. Under the Stars will set the stage for exploration of Nevada's natural history and how to enjoy it.

My Friends' New Year's Eve with Pinback Knitting Factory Concert House - 211 N. Virginia St. - Reno December 31 : 9 p.m. (doors at 8 p.m.)
Knitting Factory puts on their own New Years concert with Pinback and special guests. Open bar, VIP seating and more. Pricing starts at $47. Click here for info.

New Year's Eve Sing-A-Long Club Cal Neva Hotel Casino - 1 E. First St. - Reno December 31 : 10 p.m.
The downtown Cal Neva puts on its second annual singalong, centered around a giant screen and thousands of wanna-be singers that pack the intersection of Virginia and Second streets. Free event!

New Year's Eve 'Office' party and concert Wurk - 214 West Commercial Row - Reno December 31 : 9 p.m. (doors at 8 p.m.)
It's "The Office" themed party with dance tunes by Bounce Brigade and more, live painting by Bazar1 and fun all night. Cost: $10

New Year's Eve with Drinking With Clowns West Street Market - 148 West St. - Reno December 31 : 10 p.m.
The official Riverwalk Merchants Association New Years Party features local band Drinking With Clowns and drink specials all night. Cost: $7

Rockin' the Dome Dance Party Silver Legacy Resort Casino - 407 N. Virginia St. - Reno December 31 : 8 p.m.
The party starts at 8 p.m. in the Silver Legacy's ballroom with DJ Koz and dancing and a free champagne toast and party favors at midnight. Cost: $30 which includes one drink. Located in the Silver Baron Ballroom.

White Party official afterparty Divine Ultra Lounge - 95 N. Sierra St., Suite 101 - Reno December 31 : 11:59 p.m. (starts at 2 a.m. Jan. 1)
Planning an allnighter? The official afterparty for the White Party at the Great Escape starts at 2 a.m. and features DJs EJ Luera and Erik Lobe. Cost: Unknown. Click here for more info.

And just down Virginia Street on St Martin, look out for Craft, opening on Monday. It's a highly specialized wine and beer retail shop as well as a tasting bar in a cool space.

J.12 Update, discussion and potential direction to staff regarding activities and businesses on West Commercial Row in downtown Reno.

L.5 Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding costs associated with lights for the Reno Arch.

L.6 Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding the use of Council donation funds to make up the shortfall in the Hanging Flower Basket program.

E.1 Presentation by Mr. John Oceguera, Speaker of the Nevada Assembly, regarding the 2011 Session of the Nevada Legislature.

B.1 Presentation by staff and EDAWN on the Geothermal Resources Council Conference and Exposition Activities.

C1 Through C5 - It looks like the city is going to sell several ReTRAC properties to IMG Energy, Waste Management and Reno Parking Garage LLC. Looks like this is one step closer to our gasification plant!

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Incorporated, a full-service brokerage and investment banking firm, has opened its first-ever Reno office and has signed a 10-year lease with Basin Street Properties to move into the ground floor of the 50 W. Liberty St. building (Bank of America Building). Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Inc., will occupy 5,200 square feet of office space.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to serve the needs of Reno's investors through such a highly respected team of investment professionals, said John Lee, western region director for Stifel.  The opening of the Reno office is a continuation of our ongoing expansion efforts in the Western U.S., which began in 2007.  We expect to quickly become the firm of choice for investors in the Reno area, and we are hopeful that other quality financial advisors will see the value of Stifel as a great home."

Opening an office in Reno gives us a presence in a region where we were missing opportunities," said Andy Quinn, branch manager and financial advisor for the Stifel Nicolaus Reno office. Reno is a community that continues to grow and we wanted and needed to be a part of the growth and resurgence. Downtown Reno was an ideal location for us to open our office because of its many advantages including easy access for our clients, nearby amenities, prominent identity on the ground level of the building and the fact that the area is the true financial district of the community."

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Inc. is a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp., that was established in 1890 and based in St. Louis, Mo. The Company provides securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses and municipalities.

"It is wonderful to see another company, and in this case a new company to Nevada, open its doors in downtown Reno," said Scott Stranzl, Basin Street Properties' vice president of leasing. "The addition of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company to downtown Reno is a confidence booster for the northern Nevada market."

Tonight is the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, complete with a choir. The snow is supposed to die down after 4 pm which is perfect timing to come on down and watch the lighting ceremony. The ice rink however will not be open until Thanksgiving. It was originaly scheduled to be part of the ceremony as tradition dictates, but it will not be ready in time.

Go Wolfpack! Show Boise who's boss!

- Holcomb Avenue is now two lanes extending from Virginia Street to Burns. It looks fanastic! Perhaps now people won't fly down my street at 50 mph. An interesting note, the sheet of paper I got detailing the project mentioned that Holcomb would only be two lanes from Burns to Liberty, but it looks like the entire street will be two lanes, connecting with Mill Street. Bike lanes signs have been installed on Holcomb Avenue as well, extending to Mill Street. I heard through the grapevine that Mayberry experienced some safety issues with slurry-sealing then restriping because the old stripes are beginning to show through. One of my neighbors noted the Holcomb project was at risk from being delayed until next year, but after complaints from neighbors who found out about the delay, they figured out a way to use a chemical to remove the old striping first before re-slurrying Holcomb Avenue and putting the nw stripes down.

Virginia Street Bridge Replacement Design
Staff Report: Approval of an Interlocal Agreement with Washoe County for Financing of Design and Environmental Permitting for Replacement of the Virginia Street Bridge over the Truckee River in the amount of $1,800,000. (Washoe County 1/8 cent sales tax dedicated to Truckee River Flood Project)
D.8 Staff Report: Approval of a Consultant Agreement with Jacobs Engineering for Design Services for the Virginia Street Bridge Replacement Project in an amount not to exceed $1,791,000 (Flood Project - Washoe County 1/8 cent sales tax dedicated for Truckee River Flood Project).

What to do With the Old Citicenter?
L.4 Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding Citi Center. D. Aiazzi

Mill Street
L.5 Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding the Mill Street Alignment between Center and Lake Streets.

The new store, located between the Skechers and Tilly's locations at Summit Reno, will feature Aces apparel, new and classic Reno eNVy gear and a variety of co-branded merchandise.

A grand opening event will be held this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The first 50 customers to spend $50 or more will receive a limited-edition Reno Aces/Reno eNVy co-branded t-shirt. Additionally, Archie, the Aces' beloved mascot, will be on-hand from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The store will be open daily, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, please contact the Ace team store at (775) 334-7035.

Aces full and partial season tickets are on-sale now. Call (775) 334-4700 or visit www.RenoAces.com to reserve your seats today.

The brand-new Freight House District, located just outside Aces Ballpark, is open throughout the offseason with special events, concerts and daily specials. For more information on the Freight House District, please visit www.freighthouse.com.

When: 10/28/2010 - 10/30/2010 - 7:30 PM - Friday & Saturday
Where: Redfield Performing Arts Theater - 505 Keystone Avenue, Reno TMCC presents Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS. The famous stories of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel are flawlessly tied together by the new story of the Baker and his Wife. This amazing show takes the audience through many twists and turns as the fates of all the characters unfold and they are forced to deal with the consequences of their "happily ever afters."

| http://www.showtix4u.com | 775-789-5671 |

When: 10/29/2010 - 10/31/2010 - 7:30 PM - Sunday, Friday, Saturday Arts and Culture
Where: A mysterious downtown building - 119 North Virginia Street, Reno The Woman in Black. A Ghost Story directed by Jim Martin, and adapted by Stephen Mallatratt. This is at Goodluck MacBeth's NEW Performance space at 119 North Virginia.

| http://www.goodluckmacbeth.org/show.html | 775-322-3716 |

When: 10/29/2010 - 8:00 PM - Friday Nightclubs and Casinos
Where: Cal Neva - 38 East Second Street, Reno Roaming around downtown for Halloween? Stop by Cal Neva, particularly if you are looking for that essential True Reno experience. Where else would you mix cowgirls and burlesque. Hellbound Glory will be playing.

| http://www.clubcalneva.com | 775-785-3293 | $13 |

When: 10/28/2010 - 10/29/2010 - 8:00 PM - Thursday, Friday Arts and Culture
Where: Bruka Theater - 99 North Virginia Street, Reno A two act play. You do not want to miss this show! Check out a portion of the review of the New York production:
"Busch's "Psycho Beach Party" is a comic trash compactor of a play that takes an already silly genre - early 1980's surf and beach blanket movies - and sends it to camp heaven.
Created by the writer-performer and his Theater-in-Limbo company who brought us "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," Mr. Busch's new play fits squarely in the same mold of hectic drag comedy. "Psycho Beach Party" carries its amusing plot premise of a Gidget-like protagonist with a Jekyll-Hyde split personality through a dozen swift hairpin turns without losing its basic thread.
Mr. Busch brings an aura of cheerful, poker-faced clownishness to the role of Chicklet Forrest, a demure teen-age girl with a flat chest and a maniacal alter ego. When Chicklet's submerged psyche, Ann, announces herself, the stage lights flicker, Mr. Busch dazedly bats his eyes, and the simpering Chicklet metamorphoses into a voracious camp dragon dispensing commands in a Tallulah Bankhead basso profundo. Chicklet's dream is simply to have her own surfboard. The monstrous Ann wants nothing less than to be come "dominatrix empress of the planet Earth."
The play gleefully defies logic as it subverts clean-cut Hollywood stereotypes"

| http://www.bruka.org/ | 775-323-3221 | $20 at door |

When: 10/29/2010 - 9:00 PM - Friday Special Events
Where: Eldorado - 345 North Virginia Street, Reno Ghosts, Golbins and sexy nurses will be roaming throughout the Eldorado with their Halloween Bash, partnering with Dibbs. Music, contests and more at Cin Cin, Roxy's and Brew Brothers. Costume contests, live band, hot djs, and more.

| http://www.eldoradoreno.com/ | 1-800-879-8879 |
| Free, or $10 if aren't in costume |

When: 10/29/2010 - 9:00 PM - Friday Special Events
Where: West Street Market - 148 West Street, Reno Live dj, hosted by Strand House Entertainment. Costume Contest, drink specials.

| http://www.renoweststreetmarket.com/ | 775-786-4848 | $3 |

When: 10/29/2010 - 9:00 PM - Friday Special Events
Where: The Underground - 555 East Fourth Street, Reno Genre: Punk!
Live bands, costume contest and more. Love Equals Death from Bay Area plus local bands perform.

| http://www.clubunderground-reno.com/ | 775-786-2582 | $8 |

When: 10/29/2010 - 9:00 PM - Friday Special Events
Where: Silver Legacy Grande Exposition Hall - 407 North Virginia Street, Reno New Erotic Extras… A Naughty Lounge…A Naughty Photo Booth and Erotic Caban's.
$5000 in cash & prizes
MOST EROTIC FEMALE
MOST UNIQUE
MOST EROTIC TANDEM
TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WILD1029.COM OR AT THE SILVER LEGACY BOX OFFICE.

| More Information | 775-329-4777 |
| $20 advance, $30 at door |

Saturday

When: 10/30/2010 - 3:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: SPCA Thrift Store - 400 Vine Street, Reno Kid-Friendly Halloween event where you can bring your dogs/cats as well! Live music, kids games, food, drinks, prizes, and what would a pet-friendly Halloween event be without a costume contest for pets!

| http://www.spcanevada.org | 775-324-7776 | Free! |

When: 10/30/2010 - 4:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: West Street Market - 148 West Street, Reno Kid-friendly Halloween event that involves most of West Street and the West Street Plaza. For those of your near downtown this is THE event to take your kids to.
4 - 4:15 pm - Good Luck Macbeth proclamation and opening dance
4:15 - 9:00 pm - Trick or Treating in Merchant Shops. Yummy treats for the kids!
4:30 - 5:00 pm - Kidscape Productions Improv Games
5:30 - 6:30 pm - The Ghost of Mark Twain
7:00 - 7:15 pm - Controlled Burn Fire Performance
Free candy, games, entertainment. This is THE place to be to celebrate your urban Reno Halloween.

| 775-786-4848 | Free! |

When: 10/30/2010 - 7:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: Java Jungle and Jungle Vino - 246 West 1st Street, Reno The Jungle picks up where West Street leaves off with Jungle Massacre! Dress as a jungle vixon, Tarzan, reptile, DinoGod, or your favorite jungle beast in this animal/jungle themed Halloween party. Live music, drink specials, costume contest.

| http://www.javajunglevino.com | 775-329-4484 | Free! |

When: 10/30/2010 - 7:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: West Street Market - 148 West Street, Reno Before you crawl through Reno for your Halloween festivities, join RTT mixology columnist Desiree Sarchet, music columnist Jenny PezDeSpencer, and Reno's Best Bartender 2007 Phillip Brown, to support your favorite bar by tasting and voting on the Best Bloody Mary.
In honor of this classic American concoction, Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine launches its first in a series of mixology competitions showcasing bars featured in its monthly mixology column: Mixed Drinks. Mixed Bars. The winner will receive a free ad and article in the December issue of Reno Tahoe Tonight.

| More Information | 775-786-4848 |

When: 10/30/2010 - 8:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: Amendment 21 - 425 South VIrginia Street, Reno Tap deep into your zombie roots. Whether it's Resident Evil or the classic Night of the Living Dead or more modern Dawn of the Dead, well, just anything dead. It's the Zombie Crawl! This event is in its third year and is now famous.
Each bar will have a $2 or $3 special for zombies. To get the deals, purchase a map and bracelet for $5 at the beginning of the crawl at Amendment 21.
Don't fret if you can't make yourself up into a glamorous zombie, make-up artists will be on-hand to help.

| http://renozombiecrawl.com/ | 775-786-0808 | $5 |

When: 10/30/2010 - 8:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: St James Infirmary - 445 California Avenue, Reno Costume contest, horror films playing in the background, live dj and more.

| 775-657-8484 | Free! |

When: 10/30/2010 - 9:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: Bruka Theater - 99 North Virginia Street, Reno The Freakers Ball at Bruka is now in its 13th Year. Talk about downtown traditions! A little different than the normal Bruka event, this one will have a live dj, raffle prizes, costume contest and more.

| http://www.bruka.org | 775-323-3221 | $25 at door |

When: 10/30/2010 - 9:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: Zephyr Lounge - 1074 South Virginia Street, Reno It's the Prom of the Dead with a little bit of edge. See who is knighted Dead Prom King and Queen, listen to metal, rock and more.

| 775-324-9853 | $4 with a costume, $5 without |

When: 10/30/2010 - 9:30 PM - Saturday Arts and Culture
Where: West Street Market - 148 West Street, Reno Five fashion houses and designers show off their unique Halloween themed creations with contributors Ethan Douglas, Paul Mitchell School, and more.
Center stage will be a 44-foot runway with fog machine and special effects.

| 775-771-5500 | Free! |

When: 10/30/2010 - 10:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: Knitting Factory - 211 North Virginia Street, Reno 3rd Annual Fright Fest Halloween Party by Amplified & Intense Entertainment

| More Information | 775-826-4119 | $10 to $15 |

When: 10/30/2010 - 10:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: Freight House - 250 Evans Avenue, Reno Things are just geeting started at 10 pm at the Freight House's Halloween bash with Love Fool playing live.

| http://www.freighthouse.com | 775-334-7041 |

When: 10/30/2010 - 10:00 PM - Saturday Special Events
Where: The Underground - 555 East Fourth Street, Reno Halloween Party

| http://www.clubunderground-reno.com/ | 775-786-2582 | TBA |

Sunday

When: 10/31/2010 - 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Sunday Arts and Culture
Where: Nevada Museum of Art - 160 West Liberty Street, Reno Celebrate Day of the Dead while taking part in festive activities. Decorate a sugar skull and participate in other fun activities in commemoration of this Mexican cultural tradition. Admission to hands/ON! is free and is sponsored by the City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission, the Mathewson CLAT 5, the Terry Lee Wells Foundation, the Reno Gazette Journal, and the Sato Foundation. One-hour sessions beginning at noon, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm. Bring the entire family for this free, fun program featuring hands-on art projects and gallery activities for all ages. Space is limited to the first 60 participants for each hour of the program.

| More Information | 775-329-3333 | Free! |

When: 10/31/2010 - 4:00 PM - Sunday Special Events
Where: National Automobile Museum - 10 South Lake Street, Reno Kid-friendly Halloween event at the National Automobile Museum. The forecast seems a bit iffy for outdoor trick-or-treating this year, so why not take them downtown to the Automobile museum where they can trick-or-treat in a safe indoor environment? That's right, there is no reason why, especially when admission is $2, so bring your kids down!

| http://www.automuseum.org | 775-333-9300 | $2 |

Speaking of buses, here are some pictures of the 4th Street Transit Station, opening in 7 days or so. Check out the LCD monitors presumably for bus schedules and arrival/departure times! Nice touch. Click each pic for full size image.

Fellow blogger Mike MacGonagle went down to the Siena a few minutes ago and made the following observations:

The first thing you notice is the crowds standing around the exits having a smoke or just chatting.  No real anger, just a sense of resignation and a reluctance to actually leave this one last time.  I talked to woman who had opened the Siena 9 years ago – she had just enough time to pack a couple boxes of things from her office (mugs, service certificates, a couple stuffed animals, an autographed picture) and get them out the door. All the employees leaving seemed to be taking a few small objects with them to remember their time at the Siena – a cook with a salad bowl holding the contents of his locker and a cherished fry pan, a woman with a vase of flowers.

The casino doors were chained shut from the inside with  yellow chain link and locks.  Casinos never expect to have to shut the doors, and don't
have the right hardware to do so elegantly.  Signs were up telling the sports book customers that their tickets would be honored at any Cal Neva
book location.  The linen services was stripping the table cloths from the restaurants and hauling them away before they got locked in.

At 11:50, the closure notices started getting pasted up at the hotel entrance, then around the entire facility.  Siena wasn't allowing press on the property, though all the TV stations had reporters on the street.  Security politely asked me to join them, and I melted into the stream of employees leaving their jobs for the final time.

Rumors started circulating this morning and last night on Facebook but now it's confirmed. Siena is indeed closing its doors today at noon with little to no notice to employees. There's no word yet on if the closure is permanent or not.

This puts a couple hundred more people out of work. I hope the closure is temporary, but as the property is headed into bankruptcy, it could end up being another Kings Inn, held up in court for years with no one being able to do anything with the property. It's a great property in an awesome location, with some decent venues.

Thanks to Oliver X booking venues there, some great music talent was routinely found at the Loft and Enoteca. The Siena had some of the best looking rooms downtown, decked out in Italian motif.

I hope the property owners don't let the Siena be tied up in bankruptcy court for years like the Kings Inn was.

It's been a long, controversial history for the Siena, you can click here for a full timeline.

The immediate ramifications of this closure are of course the couple hundred folks left without a job. The long term ramifications if the Siena remained closed would be a deterioration of the entire neighborhood. Let's hope someone buys the building, or it reopens, or some additional information is released regarding the closure.

Hopefully once the entire structure and land is in private hands, it can be re-opened again and utilized, addressing some of the points I brought up in this post. Since having more parking downtown is a priority of the City, and here's a garage not being used, I would say this is a positive step.

Their first performance in the space is tonight, the Woman in Black, click here for event details.

I am a little late reporting on this one because I was out of town a couple days, but a while back I reported on a pilot program being conducted in downtown Reno that involved three different parking meter vendors and three different types of parking meter systems. If you need a recap, click here.

Secure Storage Technologies is now the 'chosen one' as decided by city council on their meeting this last Wednesday.

Yeah yeah, we can all complain and moan and grumble about not being able to cheat the meters anymore, but ultimately this will raise revenue for the City of Reno and that's a good thing in the middle of a recession. What the city is doing is nothing new in other cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, which already utilize cutting edge meters that accept credit cards and detect when a driver pulls away so the meter will reset.

The new parking system utilizes the CURB system, which has a few basic components:

1. Paypoint Kiosk
The CURB Kiosk is the point of interface for motorists/cyclists/pedestrians that are the system's customers. It is an easy-to-use digital, color touch screen where patrons can pay to park a car or motorcycle, securely lock a bicycle, rent a public bike and access city information and events. The CURB Kiosk accepts coin, credit or subscription cards for its pay services. The Kiosk also provides ready access to emergency 911 services. The Kiosk is a pole-mounted enclosure containing, in addition to the touch screen, a credit card reader, RFID reader, coin acceptor, and various communication transceivers to communicate to the central system, bike vaults, parking sensors, etc. The CURB Kiosk is powered by 120VAC.

2. Vehicle Sensors
Sensors embedded in road surface are quick and easy to install and instantly notify CURB when a car arrives or departs. These sensors provide real time management of parking assets including push notification to enforcement personnel. No excavation is required to install the sensors, and simple tools and inexpensive materials are used to accomplish the transition in as little as 5 minutes or less per parking space. This sensor communicates to the Kiosk the arrival and departure of vehicles for billing and feeds data to the enforcement module.

3. Bike Vault
The patent-pending Bike Vault securely stores both private bicycles and CURB's public share bikes and their major components. The Bike Vault is both extremely easy to use and provides exceptionally high-density storage, minimizing the real estate required. The Bike Vault, in conjunction with an optional rental bike system on the Kiosk, which I hope the City of Reno chooses to utilize in the future, provides the entire necessary infrastructure to provide a citywide bike rental program. An electronically alarmed system and optional video surveillance enhance security.

4. Public Share Bikes
CURB has an integrated public bike share option, but I don't know if Reno will be utilizing the option. THEY SHOULD!! Users can subscribe monthly or pay per use to access CURB's traditional pedal or pedal/electric hybrid bikes. Bikes can be taken from any secure CURB Bike Vault and returned to any Bike Vault. Low per use fees encourage use and urban exploring while reducing congestion.

5. Back Office
The Back Office provides a transaction management engine, a Parking Patron management module, reporting engine, and other management functions, and also facilitates the Patron service communication capabilities located at a SST facility, operating 24/7.

• 24/7 call center
• 24/7 asset monitoring
• 24/7 video surveillance
• Manages dynamic local information and advertising on a Kiosk-by-Kiosk basis
• Software upgrades & maintenance
• Supports local merchants with validation programs & dynamic pricing options that can drive customer traffic
• Full audit control of charged/collected monies
• Coin collection
• CURB Kiosk & Bike Vault maintenance

I seem to remember SST saying if they were awarded the contract, they would locate their call center and offices downtown. I hope they still stay true to that.

You can learn more about the new parking system by visiting the CURB web site and Secure Storage Technologies.

What a pleasant surprise! It truly means a lot. To be recognized by my readers and downtown fans as a true asset to the community is the highest compliment. There's no denying my web site is about a niche topic, and so it's not unreasonable to assume winning these categories is a huge nod to downtown itself.

One cool thing about this site is it's a living history of the transformation downtown has undertaken.

When I first started this site, I was a bit naive ...a cheerleader for massive projects downtown, a loudspeaker for every developer that had a project and could afford to produce some renderings to wow people. Gradually from that point to present day, this site has gone from serving developers' pr needs to being a hub and cohesive presence for downtown businesses and residents.

Now it's more important than ever to enjoy what we have downtown, and to continue the transformation. The best independent stores are downtown, some of the best eats and drinks are downtown, we have the best movie theater in Reno, the best performing arts theaters in the valley, and downtown serves as the playground for 17,000 University of Nevada Reno students.

Now that real estate has fallen to realistic pricing, people are moving downtown too. Into the Palladio, into the Montage, a few into the Riverwalk and Arlington.

So, I'll be here to keep up the momentum, keep reporting on downtown development/redevelopment, and help downtown businesses as much as I can. Why? Because it's my neighborhood! Not to sound cliche like a politician, I care about the health of the neighborhood I walk through every day. And I've learned that a single person can make a HUGE, lasting impact.

I receive the occasional email that asks, "Why do you do this? Are you crazy? Nuts? What's your ulterior motive? Are you running for office? Who do you work for? Is this an RSCVA site?" The answer is no, I am not crazy or nuts, I don't work for the City of Reno or RSCVA, I'm not running for office, I work for my own company, JM Studio, and there is no ulterior motive. I just happen to be very good at web design and search engine optimization, and saw an opportunity where I can use what I am good at, and give back to the community, and help make sure it doesn't turn into a wasteland. That's my ulterior motive...

There have been times throughout American history where urban neighborhoods within cities have undergone complete transformations, and the most successful transformations were spurred by the citizens taking back their neighborhoods and working with local government.

So what's next? My next step is to continue branding downtown Reno as one solitary unit, and not fragmented neighborhoods like Cal Ave, the Riverwalk, the Casino District, etc, because it's all within a half mile of one another, and all easily accessible to residents and tourists. Stay tuned for a totally wicked mobile version of my site with special features for iPhone and Android users!

Congrats to:

Pie Face Pizza for getting best new business, best pizza, best late-night dining
Peg's for best breakfast
Old Granite Street Eatery for best new restaurant
The Nugget for best greasy spoon
Se7en for best teahouse
Sup for best soups! best salads
Niko's Greek Kitchen in West Street Market for best Greek restaurant
Daughters Cafe and Dish Cafe for best hidden treasures
Beto's Mexican Food for best cheap eats and best mexican food
West Street Wine Bar for best wine bar
The Chocolate Bar for best dessert
Roxy's for best martini
Freeman's Hot Dogs for best hot dog
Ichiban for best Japanese
Beaujolais Bistro for best French
Pneumatic Diner for best Vegetarian
House of Bread for best fresh bread
Bibo for best coffee
Awful Awful for best burger
Pho 777 for best Pho
Back of the House Cooking School for best Cooking School
Downtown Reno for best public break up spot!
Wingfield/Barbara Bennett Park for best basketball courts
Lincoln Lounge for Best outdoor beer garden
Knitting Factory for Best All Ages Spot, Best Concert Venue, Best Place to See Concert, Hear Loud Music, Live Music
Lincoln Lounge for best beer selection
St. James Infirmary for best bar
El Cortez Lounge for best karaoke
Java Jungle for best open mic night
Harrahs Casino - best place to Play Beer Pong
Century Riverside for best place to watch movies
Brew Brothers for best Casino Bar

Many many more downtown businesses made the list. Make sure you pick up a copy of Reno News and Review or follow this link to see the list online.

My first question would be why did the Fitz stop making lease payments to the city in 2009? I realize that the Fitz closed, but just because it closed doesn't mean it suddenly is free from its obligation of paying lease payments does it? I know if West Street Market suddenly closed, the City would be on the hook for lease payments to the owners of the building for the remainder of the contract (10 years) whether the market is open or closed...so why is this any different? The City owns the land and the garage.

My second question would be, why can't the City of Reno lease the garage to a different tenant? Or sell the land and garage? Or perhaps open the garage as a second city garage? One of the Redevelopment Agency's priorities was to have a second public parking garage downtown, well here's one, and they already own it how is that for convenience?

In the interim while this mess is sorted out, we have a parking garage downtown completely unused, and frankly, starting to look worse than the Kings Inn.

Graffiti embarrassingly lines the top of the structure like some sort of ghetto crown molding, and it's quickly becoming the ugliest building downtown. The building could use a good hose-down too.

I hope the City either cleans this building up, or forces the lease-holder to clean the building up. This isn't good for downtown. If I left my own property in this condition, I would be turned into code enforcement by my neighbors, violating Reno's public nuisance law. This structure DEFINITELY violates City of Reno's public nuisance law.

Men wielding Fire's new location is lookin' good! A quick peek in the windows revelas most of the interior is done and the light fixtures are up!

Some of you may have noticed that the Golden Phoenix's plywood has been taken down and a few slots set up and lit up facing the street. I received a flurry of emails about it, and the rumors are it's everything from the Golden Phoenix meeting part of their obligation of holding a gaming license, to that the Nugget is taking over Golden Phoenix, to that it was set up simply to make the street look better.

I should be meeting with one of the owners this week to get some answers. In the mean time, wow it makes a big difference walking down Virginia Street and not having a bunch of plywood stare you back in the face. Whatever their reason for doing this, I hope they leave it this way, a nod to the time period when Virginia Street was thriving with casinos from the Riverwalk to 4th Street.

]]>http://www.downtownmakeover.com/10-5-10-4th-Street-Transit-Station.aspTue, 05 Oct 2010 08:29:28 -0700 AI Alliance has announced it will move its offices to downtown Reno and has signed a five-year lease with Basin Street Properties (www.basin-street.com) to move into the four story tower of the 50 W. Liberty St. building (Bank of America Building). NAI Alliance will occupy 7,000 square feet of office space in the 249,349 square foot facility owned by Basin Street Properties. NAI Alliance will move into the facility in January 2011. 

"NAI Alliance is excited to have recently signed a lease to relocate to downtown Reno," said Scott Beggs, partner and head of the investment properties team. "Our move to Downtown will put NAI Alliance in a great position to be a part of the re-emergence of our community's economic core. Downtown Reno continues to grow and reinvent itself.  It is fast becoming a productive and fun place to work and do business. Being a home grown northern Nevada company, it is very gratifying knowing we will be in a building that is locally-owned and professionally managed by Basin Street Properties which has been a major contributor to the renaissance of Downtown.  Our move to Downtown is an exciting opportunity for NAI Alliance and we are very happy to play a part in the rejuvenation of our City."

NAI Alliance specializes in the sales, leasing and management of office complexes, retail shopping centers and industrial warehouse buildings in conjunction with land, multi-family and investment properties. As a member of NAI Global, they are part of 325 offices, with 5,000 professionals in 55 countries with $45 billion in transaction volume and more than 200 million square feet managed worldwide. NAI Alliance's experts have long-standing experience in the northern Nevada community and provide the combination of local insight and global resources to deliver the real estate opportunities and solutions to best serve its clients.

1. Added RSS Feed for Calendar! This allows you to subscribe to the calendar in your favorite RSS reader apps such as Google Reader or My.Yahoo.com, or any other RSS type of portal Page. Here is a link to the feed

2. New Calendar Download Tools! Now it's easier than ever to bring my calendar into yours, with the ability to add any event in my calendar to your Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, or download as an iCal file which can be saved into all modern desktop calendar applications such as iCal on Mac, Outlook 2007 on pc, and others. Simply click on any event in my calendar to access its details page, where you will find the buttons.

3. Easier to sort! The calendar is now easier to sort by Arts and Culture, Nightclubs and Casinos, Concerts, Special Events etc with large buttons at the top of the calendar.

4. Events Spidered Throughout Web Site! I've developed a unique system which allows each of my 'Discover Downtown" pages to feature that location's events, pulled right from the calendar. For example, when web site visitors land on the Knitting Factory page located in my theaters and concert venues guide, they will see only the events for Knitting Factory, pulled right from my main calendar. So now, whether someone visits my calendar page, or browses through my Discover Downtown pages, they will always have downtown Reno events right at their fingertips, and know downtown Reno is full of life, and has events every week.

These new features are about creating a unified presence for downtown, and making my calendar not just readable but usable as well.

For such a small downtown, there's an unbelievable amount of stuff to do on a weekly basis.

Don't forget, you can suggest your own events by clicking the 'Suggest an Event' link on my calendar, and you'll get a nice form to enter your event.