A railroad. A river. A watering hole in the desert. The one place for commerce in a nascent city. The origin of Nevada downtowns is as varied as its cities that sprang up because of mining, or a railroad, or a river.
Industries in downtowns build out from the core, expanding into new areas of city. Similar businesses follow, suppliers locate nearby, residents find downtown too expensive and run for the suburbs (or create them). Downtowns darken, businesses leave, buildings stand vacant and eventually blighted.
Until the next cycle. Downtowns are cyclical and nationwide they’re experiencing a renaissance. Younger generations and empty nesters want to live in walkable downtowns with local shops, eateries, experiences and ambience.
Nevada downtowns want to supply just that for residents, businesses, and visitors.
Building From
Carson City’s core began developing in the 1800s. Carson is one of the few Nevada cities to have a locally designated historic district adjacent to downtown. “It dates back to when the downtown was the only commercial area,” said Hope Sullivan, community development director, Carson City. Today, when residents’ needs can be met elsewhere in the city, downtown has become a place residents find community.
Elko’s core formed around railroads. When the city grew large enough that having trains go through downtown was inconvenient and dangerous, the tracks were moved south of the city and a bridge raised over those that remained. “Where the rail beds had been previously was built into parking lots downtown,” said Mayor Reece Kenner. “Our downtown is kind of funky in that respect. We’re one of only a couple towns in the United States that undertook extreme measures like this.”
“Redevelopment efforts started in our downtown in 1995 in response to our mayor and city council observing there was decline taking place in some of our mature neighborhoods, and that included downtown,” said Anthony Molloy, redevelopment manager, Henderson. Since then the City has invested considerable funds in making significant improvements to infrastructure, and purchased a number of deteriorated properties to focus redevelopment efforts on.
When Oscar Goodman became Las Vegas mayor in 1999, the city was deteriorating into empty buildings and crime. Taking advice from other big cities, Vegas began developing a downtown arts and culture district. A land swap between the City and Union Pacific Railroad netted downtown 61 acres that became Symphony Park, a neighborhood surrounding Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and World Market Center. “We have residences going to Symphony Park and museums and convention space. The core of the city is the core of government. Downtown has the federal buildings, the state building, the county building, city government building, the courthouses and the magnificently expanding arts district,” said Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Las Vegas. With those changes in place, Vegas began attracting international attention from developers.
The City of North Las Vegas incorporated in 1946. “We were just a little modest community with a small commercial area and a very, very tiny, pretty much nonexistent downtown,” said Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown. “We’ve transformed our downtown into an urban core.” The revitalization process included major investments in infrastructure and new commercial development. North Las Vegas is the largest minority majority city with a rich cultural tapestry and commitment to addressing diversity of its residents. “Our efforts are basically focused on amenities that meet the needs of residents—grocery stores, shopping centers, entertainment venues. From my window I can see our 55,000-square-foot movie theater that sits on approximately 21 acres in downtown. That underscores our commitment to creating vibrant and engaged spaces for our community,” said Goynes-Brown.
Downtown Reno is transitioning from primarily gaming to bringing residents into a vibrant arts district with new housing units. A study found the downtown consists of three areas: the University at the north end, the middle ground, historically the gaming/entertainment core, and to the south, a small civic area including City Hall, the county courthouse, and Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. Reno’s Redevelopment Agency is reforming; it’s expected there will be $200 million invested in downtown over the next 20 years.
Building To
Successful cities outgrow their beginnings. The core downtown needs to be reimagined to meet the needs of residents, visitors, and businesses once industry spreads elsewhere.
Some challenges to keeping downtowns alive can be identified in advance. Carson City always knew a freeway interchange would one day connect 395 and 50, routing through traffic away from downtown.
“We were going to lose all that traffic and all those eyes on our businesses,” said Sullivan. So Carson made downtown a destination, a place of community events. Rotary Club’s Brewfest is downtown. Advocates to End Domestic Violence holds Taste of Downtown in downtown. The City made improvements, widening sidewalks, putting in decorative lighting and benches, and because it didn’t have a town square, creating McFadden Plaza. Downtown has bars, restaurants, office space, but those things are also elsewhere. “What you don’t have elsewhere is the place the community comes together,” said Sullivan.
Currently Carson’s biggest project isn’t construction but policy. Under discussion is a move to make an area adjacent to downtown, east of Carson Street, into its own district with its own identity. There’s also discussion on the update of Carson’s master plan. “Carson City quite deliberately in 2006 adopted a plan that said we were going to be a compact, diverse core surrounded by greenbelt.” That means Carson itself feels more urban, but it’s not sprawling. “That’s because the city’s acquired a bunch of open space,” said Sullivan. “You have BLM land and Forest Service land and that’s all accessible open space, accessible through trail systems.”
The Great Recession had a huge impact on property values. In Henderson, redevelopment district neighborhoods suffered more than other districts, and they had limited access to funds which are based on property taxes.
“We saw values decline so drastically we just didn’t have the resources we previously had experienced. We had to look at making strategic efforts that were going to cost a lot of money to position our downtown redevelopment area for success after the recession,” said Molloy.
So Henderson created a downtown investment strategy through neighborhood collaboration with businesses and residents to identify the most important projects. That resulted in adoption of the downtown investment strategy followed by the downtown master plan with flexible zoning standards, adopted in 2014. Projects that followed included architect Windom Kimsey building his office and residence and tenant space on Water Street, a brewing company and several restaurants locating there. The first hotel on Water Street is nearing completion and will hopefully draw tournament play to the ice rink across the street. Twenty-five townhomes are coming to Water Street.
Las Vegas has spread to 155-square-miles with an expanding arts district and cultural events. The Life is Beautiful gathering transforms downtown into a block party once a year. The Mob Museum Oscar Goodman talked the City into is flourishing. And downtown has become an international innovation information technology center.
Downtown North Las Vegas has expanded to include walkable amenities. “We spent a lot of time going back and forth on what we wanted our downtown corridor to look like,” said Goynes-Brown. City leaders asked businesses and residents what they wanted. Because not everyone has transportation, there was a need for services downtown. “The City brought grocery stores and movie theaters to downtown, along with Ross, a furniture store, Ace Hardware, and restaurants, all in the hub, all walkable. Meanwhile Amazon established a hub in the City, creating 200 jobs, and the City acquired Fiesta Plaza in 2015 and transformed it into a retail center.
“Downtown Reno had a ton of momentum with projects and investments coming in right before COVID,” said Mayor Hillary Schieve. “We were seeing a huge uptick, particularly on Virginia Street with the purchase of Harrah’s and revitalization projects like new student housing and Jeff Jacobs (Jacobs Entertainment) purchased something like 70 parcels.” Along with that Caesars Entertainment now owns Silver Legacy, Eldorado, and Circus Circus in Reno’s Strip, and Harrah’s is slated for mixed use with residential units and a ground floor dedicated to eateries, bars, and entertainment.
Projects are now moving forward, new businesses opening, special events activating. A Frederick D’Longchamps building on Sierra Street is transforming into a miniature golf-slash-pub venue with a dart room. A new restaurant is opening on Virginia Street. Jeff Jacobs transformed part of 4th Street by creating Glow Plaza. “It’s the old nostalgia of hotel signs, replicated along 4th Street. Glow Plaza is super busy, activated, with a night market,” said Schieve. The night market, billed as “a cultural kaleidoscope where art, music & community collide,” runs the last Friday in the summer months.
“We now have our economic development partners in the downtown core. EDAWN (Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada) moved there. That’s particularly helpful when recruiting companies—it highlights the dynamic energy happening downtown.”
Historically downtown Reno hasn’t had a large resident population because the core focused on gaming. As that changes, the City is bringing 1000 residential units online with another 2500 in proposal or permitting phase. Adding 2000 people to downtown would create 50 percent growth in an area that grew only from 3700 residents in the 1980 census to 4600 40 years later. Retail follows rooftops, so adding residents to the city core adds grocery stores and other amenities.
Residents seeking downtown living spaces generally want carless lifestyles, walkable communities, eateries and coffee shops, and the Truckee River running through downtown is icing on the cake.
Reno’s core attracts people who want to play outdoors during the day, maybe in the Truckee River’s white water rafting park, and head indoors for walk-to entertainment at night. Federal funds will allow the City to invest $3 million in river improvements throughout the City.
Downtown, Where They Never Close
Downtowns are crucial to a city’s economy. A vibrant downtown means increased tourism and sales tax revenue, increased property values, more restaurant choices.
When the lights go off in downtown and commerce and residents move to urban or suburban regions, downtowns go dark. Vacant buildings, increased crime, urban decay set in. It’s part of downtown lifecycles, but sometimes there are outside forces contributing.
“The Walmart phenomenon is something repeated in virtually every community that has one sited on the edge of town,” said Reece Keener, mayor. “It really wreaks havoc on small businesses. There were developments on the west side of Elko, on Mountain City Highway corridor, we had a Super Walmart open approximately 25 years ago, and it just really sucked the life out of downtown.” At the same time a mining downturn in ’97 that lasted five years downsized the gold mining industry. “There was a lot of blight in downtown and that was one of the catalysts for creating our Redevelopment Agency.”
Elko created matching grants programs that encourage property owners to make improvements to storefronts and bring new businesses to vacant buildings. “When one business improves their storefront it makes the property look so much better, it’s spurred that development throughout the entire block,” said Cathy Laughlin, city planner. “It’s changed the look of our downtown and spurred more private investment.” Another grant program helps bring properties up to code and meet federal ADA requirements.
Phase one of Elko’s Redevelopment Agency’s next project is actually seven projects, including making sidewalks ADA-compliant, landscaping sidewalks and putting in outlets for decorative lighting.
Reno created its own facade and tenant improvement grant program called ReStore to encourage business and property owners to make improvements and beautification to bring economic activity to downtown areas including Riverwalk, Midtown, downtown itself, and 20 other locations.
Reno also instituted a business improvement district. “We just brought in a dedicated code enforcement officer to deal with some of the challenges of blighted buildings and absentee owners,” said Schieve. Meanwhile Reno Police Department is implementing foot patrols downtown.
The Watermark, a $50 million apartment project that’s 85 percent complete is Henderson’s biggest project currently. Financial setbacks have held up the project, now slated to open Q3 2024. The second largest project is Atwell Suites, the first Water Street hotel, positioned across from the ice arena where Henderson hopes to draw out-of-market tournament play.
A standout project for North Las Vegas is a partnership between the City and Agora Realty. Expected to complete in 2026, the project will feature more than 200,000-square-feet of retail space and an additional 250,000-square-feet dedicated to medical facilities. Construction is already underway on a 20,000-square-foot medical office building.
A thriving downtown does more than just create community. “It stimulates economic activity,” said Goynes-Brown. “There’s growth down there, which also enhances the overall economic health of the city, creates jobs, increases tax revenues, raises property values and just improves the qualify of life for residents. That contributes to a more robust and dynamic local economy because those are hubs, community gathering spaces. You have to give people reasons to go to downtown and what you offer downtown is very important to bring people in your community out.”
Elko’s Downtown Business Association (DBA) helps the core thrive. Made up of business and property owners, DBA creates seasonal activities from wine-beer-margarita-cookie walks to a Christmas festival. It’s the reason Elko hasn’t embraced the Main Street America program: it doesn’t need to. “Our DBA is phenomenal,” said Laughlin. “If we didn’t have them, then we would be pursuing the Main Street program.”
Downtown Matters
“A healthy active and vibrant downtown reflects a healthy and vibrant community,” said Molloy. A dark downtown doesn’t have energy. A vibrant downtown is key to success. “Not just for downtown, but for our entire city. That’s why it’s become such a priority for city leadership: those things are reflected in the downtown.”
