Neon Line Community Meeting
The City of Reno is hosting a community meeting regarding the Neon Line proposals by Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. on Monday, January 10th at 5:30 p.m.. Due to the current Omicron variant of COVID-19, the City is hosting the meeting virtually. Click here to register to participate. Alternatively you can also submit your questions prior to the meeting by clicking here.
In the fall of 2021, the City of Reno entered into a 20-year development agreement with Jacobs Entertainment as a framework for the Neon Line District, a downtown redevelopment of approximately twenty city blocks envisioned by the owner of the Sands Regency Casino-Hotel. In short, this redevelopment could shift the epicenter of downtown to the west. Moreover, unlike other urban areas in Reno like the Midtown and River Walk Districts, where residents and small businesses collaborate on local boards, the Neon Line District was exclusively named and driven by one large developer.
This agreement was dropped on the City’s web site with scant time to review it before the City Council meeting where it would be voted on. Downtown and other interested residents and organizations (like Scenic Nevada) had to rush to try to first understand the details of the development agreement and then submit public comment on a legally binding document that could affect the quality of life for residents for 20-years!
Read the 6610 Staff Report on the 20-year development agreement by clicking here.
Downtown residents responded with 300 pages of cogently-argued comments demanding more time to be educated about the agreement, and for the vote to be delayed until an already publicly promised community meeting was held and the public was allowed to ask questions and give comments.
The good news – the Council eventually agreed to the community meeting. The bad news – the meeting would be held after the development agreement had already been approved. However, despite the development agreement being signed, Jacobs Entertainment continues to ask for concessions that could cost all Reno tax payers.
Whether you live in downtown Reno or not, you should be concerned by a process ending in the approval of a consequential, 20-year agreement with, in essence, no public input. There was no public review before a Neighborhood Advisory Board, nor the Planning Commission, nor a public workshop.
The Community Meeting on January 10th. will feature senior representatives of the City of Reno and Jacobs Entertainment to answer your questions and address your concerns about the Neon Line development agreement and the details of the proposed district.
This was written by Gary Cecil, and Art Rangel, three Reno residents who live in the downtown area, with edits by Hunter Rand.
Satellite imagery of Jacobs Entertainment, Inc.’s holdings.