Reno: Baseball Groundbreaking

The Urban Blog had the chance to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new ballpark downtown today.  In the middle of a muddy field described by those who had seen it as "a swamp yesterday", a baseball diamond was striped in pretty much exactly where the baseball diamond will be when the stadium portion of the project is completed next year.  At second base was a lectern and seats for the guests of honor, all of whom spoke.

Stadium District Conceptual Rendering

The speakers were Stuart Katzoff of SK Baseball, Rick Parr, general manager Tucson Sidewinders, State Senators Bill Raggio and Randolph Townsend, Washoe County Commission Chair Bob Larkin, Mayor Bob Cashell, Pacific Coast League President Branch Rickey, and the CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jeff Moorad.

All these speakers had a lot to say including some off-putting things such as choice barbs for the naysayers and cheesy jokes about mafia-style executions, but the message that came through overwhelmingly through the comments was one of a vision for downtown Reno's future centered around a triumph of idealism over skepticism, about a future where people who mean what they say and put their money where their mouths are, come in with the right intentions and create an environment where families will want to live and play.

Baseball District Conceptual Ground Plan

All in all, a day Reno has been waiting for for a long time.  This project looks to repair a long-neglected section of the city, and taken alongside other positive developments like Montage, the Urban Market, Powning District and 4th Street TOD Corridor, much work is underway to build a new future for Reno that reflects the best of its past - that bustling town on the river where something was always happening - the undeniable, irresistible feeling that led to the coining of the slogan "The Biggest Little City In The World".  I for one can't wait.

Comments

[Mike Van h]

Hey Ken so great you could attend! I was stuck in Hawaii.
Great post....glad to see their vision has been upgraded from a pencil drawing. That rendering was really starting to annoy everyone.
The moratorium for building on the Mizpah lot expires October of 2008, so it will be really interesting to see how aggressive the developers are to pick up that land across the street. Did you see the RGJ article/my post about the Hyatt Summerfield going in across from the baseball stadium? I will SO miss the Nevada Inn and other assortment of weekly motels that once lined that block. NOT. A sleek business-oriented all-suites hotel (with free wifi, large rooms and full kitchens) with a brand name people actually recognize and respect could add a boost to that area as well. Now if we can just get that Waterfront project started.

[Ken]

Hadn't seen the news about the Hyatt, but that's a very positive development. A business brand hotel is an essential asset in a legitimate downtown and quite a vote of confidence in Reno. I had no idea there was a moratorium on building on the Mizpah lot, but one thing SK said during one of his speeches is that the retail portion would be getting built after the stadium itself. This project is going to take a little while to get completed. Also I took note that there's nothing in the conceptuals at this point for the south side of the bowling stadium. As for the waterfront... well. Great looking project. Fingers crossed as always.

[Brian]

Great post, and very accurate portrayal of the speakers, the vibe and the overall feelings of those of us who know that great things are around the corner for Reno.