FORMER SAGE MOTEL PARCEL
Reno Redevelopment Agency, NV
Cleanup Grant
Built on a Former Brownfield, Reno's New Events Center
is a Major Venue for Downtown Entertainment
ADDRESS: A 0.16-acre parcel on the Southeastern corner of a
city block between East 4th-5th Streets & Center and
North Lake Streets, Reno, Nevada
PROPERTY SIZE: 0.16 acres
FORMER USES: Gas stations, motel storage, motorcycle and
auto maintenance facilities
CURRENT USE: Multipurpose Events Center (the entire city block)
EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
The Reno Redevelopment Agency received a
$200,000 Brownfields Hazardous Substances
Cleanup Grant.
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection (NV DEP), Nevada
Brownfields Program
For additional data and geographic
information for this and other
Brownfields Grants, please visit EPAs:
Envirofacts -
www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bmsquery.html
Enviromapper - vyww.epa.gov/enviro/bf
PROJECT BACKGROUND:
The Reno Redevelopment Agency had designated an entire city block, in the heart of downtown and within walking distance to the city's
biggest casinos, as the most desirable location for construction of a large, new Events Center—a project deemed critical to the ongoing
revitalization of Reno. Neighborhoods surrounding this underused city block had poverty rates of 20 percent, with income levels nearly
40 percent lower than the citywide average. Standing in the way of redevelopment, however, were certain parcels of this city block that
were known to have been host to gas stations and auto repair facilities; one gas station on the property had operated for more than 70
years. The Reno Redevelopment Agency applied for and received approximately $ 150,000 in assessment funding from the Nevada
Brownfields Program, to determine where the most severe areas of contamination were located. Following assessments, a $200,000
Hazardous Substances Cleanup Grant from EPA—used to remediate a 0.16-acre, contaminated parcel on the property's Southeast
corner (most recently used for motel storage)—was instrumental in allowing the overall project to proceed.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• Performed soil sampling that revealed scattered areas of Petroleum Hydrocarbon
contamination on suspected parcels.
• Installed ground water monitoring wells.
• Cleanup and redevelopment activities leveraged 25 temporary jobs.
• Grand opening for the new Events Centertook place onjanuary 1, 2005.
The completed Reno Events Center.
OUTCOME:
Following cleanup, this underused city block, with its long-contaminated parcels, has become one of Reno's premiere entertainment
venues, and the economic status of the surrounding area has improved. The new Events Center has been home to concerts, sporting
events, comedy shows, conferences, conventions, and trade shows. With its prime, downtown location, this I 18,000 square-foot,
$28.5 million facility features a40'x 60' stage and 56,000 square feet of floor space, making it one of Reno's most sought after locations
for major events.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 9 at (415) 972-3092
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