Yes, the old Kmart building is still empty. It’s been four years now. And it sounds like it’s not going to be filled any time soon. The city has already given all its redevelopment money to get new businesses to move into the old Wal*Mart building.
Maybe the Kmart parking lot could be turned into a drive-in movie theater during the summer. At least then we’d be getting some kind of use out of that wasted acreage.
As they say, “price cures everything.” Aging big boxes all over Reno have been broken up and converted to other uses. Three that immediately come to mind are:
1) Corner of Moana and 395 which was split into an Ashley Furniture and a sporting goods store.
2) Corner of Peckham and Kietzke which was broken into several businesses – most notably a Grocery Outlet.
3) Ongoing rehab at corner of Neil and S. Virginia which will be anchored by a new Whole Foods.
If the old KMart is not being redeveloped, then the owners should consider a price reduction rather than waiting for some potential city-sponsored bailout.
Maybe the K-Mart portion could be torn down and leave the rest of the semi-active businesses
that are already there to thrive. I recall from one newpaper article or another regarding the Carrington property,
Gottschalks mall as it is known, that it be too torn down and replaced with a western village themed mixed use development. Instead over 12 million in tax forgiveness for the tired old mall, let put that kind of support to work on the North end of town.
The space created by zapping the K-Mart could then be rebuilt as a convention center that could encourage some
activity business driven activity in the North end of town. I think that the largest meeting facility we have in our fair hamlet can accommodate maybe 200 souls.
Sufferin succotash, Elko can do better than that, they have a convention facility that can accommodate over 700 people. Wake up Cartoon City the world is passing us by.
Don’t we have a Convention and Visitors gang here ? What are they doing with the million plus they drag in each year? Probably got it in cd somewhere, drawin interest !
remember the old saw …. if you build it, they will come.
City Hall cannot tell the owners of the old K-Mart building what to do, how to sell the property or for how much. Private property is private property. The owners have no plans to turn it into anything other than a profit. So drop the convention center stuff and get real.
The city is out of redevelopment money (cash up front). If the owners of the property can get a big fish on the line like a Macys, Nordstroms, Ashley Furniture, etc, then the city could be in a position to help “somewhat.” But that help would NOT be in the form of cash. It would be with sales tax “sharing” as was offered for the second half of the old Walmart building. That’s it.
As for Mr. Carrington’s Carson Mall, the city is not going to share sales tax with low tax revenue producing stores. It doesn’t make sense. Not even Gottschalks. The productivity just isn’t there. You’ll notice that Carrington is already building onto his mall without the city’s help. There’s nothing like the need to survive to make what was once an “easy money” operation sit up and start changing. You don’t need redevelopment incentives for that.
As for the CC Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, they’ve already shot their wad on the V&T reconstruction project. They’ve got millions in it, and even they aren’t sure when they’ll hear a whistle blow atop the hill at Mound House.
And we wait for the freeway to hit Fairview…
So…
What ever happened to this? I work at a Kmart in Chicago and the place is a dump to shop in and to remain employed at.