Redevelopment

Monday night's presentation of the new plan for the Carson City Center development to the Nugget Advisory Committee has put this much-criticized project back on track, even winning over some long-time opponents.

The new plan is different enough it needs a new name: Nugget Project 2.0.

A quick update from today's Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting: The Carson City Ghost Walk, which provides entertaining tours of the city's historical district, failed to get enough votes to approve $12,000 in city redevelopment funds to continue the tours. The funding required four of the five supervisors to vote in favor, but it only received three votes.

Taking a look at the new plans for the Carson City Center/Nugget Project, there are several new things that stick out.

First, the announcement that partnership with P3 Development has been terminated because they could not come to an agreement. It was revealed earlier this summer that the the project partners switched architects because they weren't happy with what they were getting from P3. But now it seems P3 is out of the picture entirely. Not only was P3 slated to build the project, but it was supposed to handle the financing.

The Carson Nugget Development Advisory Committee will meet Aug. 8 for possible action to recommend a "simplified and restructured program plan" to the Carson City Board of Supervisors for the Carson City Center Project, AKA Nugget Project.

The new plan calls for the formation of a not-for-profit entity that would take over ownership of the project.

Following is the agenda item for the meeting:

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will be meeting today beginning at 8:30 a.m. On the agenda for the morning session are sales tax incentives provided through the city's Redevelopment Authority to Carson Quail Park Maintenance Association. In the afternoon session, City Manger Larry Werner will discuss the impacts of the state's budget on the city, and how the city will deal with the extra costs.

You can watch the live video and join in the discussion here, and the full agenda is here.

Carson City leaders addressed a packed banquet room at the Gold Dust West today to discuss the State of the City in a program put together by the Carson City Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Bob Crowell, Supervisor Shelly Aldean, Sheriff Kenny Furlong and School Board Chair Joanna Wilson each spoke to the crowd, and in general agreed that while these are challenging times, each made the case that things are going well and improving.

Carson City Chamber of Commerce presents "State of the City" featuring Mayor Robert Crowell, Supervisor & Redevelopment Chair Shelly Aldean, Sheriff Kenny Furlong and School Board President Joanna Wilson on Wednesday, June 29 at the Gold Dust West.

If you live or work in Carson City, this will be an important luncheon meeting for you to assess how we will fare during this next fiscal year.

You will learn how Carson City has managed to maintain its equilibrium during these economic times. You will learn what challenges the legislature has posed on the taxpayer, if any.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting kicks off at 8:30 a.m. The full agenda is here, and you can watch the live video here.

Among the issues up for discussion is a proposal to change the lease agreement for the Eagle Valley Golf Course to reduce the annual payments due to the city by Carson City Municipal Golf Corporation, the entity that runs the facility. Instead of the current $120,000 annual payment, the reduction would call for CCMGC to pay $30,000 this year and 2012, $60,000 in 2013, and return to paying $120,000 per year through 2029.

In the recent past, operators of two privately owned golf courses have expressed their displeasure with the city for subsidizing the operations at Eagle Valley, creating what they view as unfair competition.

Also on the agenda is approval for distributing $108,623 in Redevelopment funds for a variety community events including Nevada Day and the downtown farmers market.

The Carson City Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee meets Monday to prioritize and make a recommendation to the Redevelopment authority regarding special event funding for the fiscal year 20...

After months of debating the merits of extending the city's tax incentive program in redevelopment areas, Carson City's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved on Thursday a 50 percent sales t...

A special meeting of the Carson City supervisors and the Redevelopment Authority is set for 9 a.m. Monday in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center to adopt a final budget for fiscal y...

KINGS BEACH - After four years of pensive anticipation, what's another 12-hour wait for one of the most momentous decisions in the recent history of the Lake Tahoe Basin?After years of public sc...

KINGS BEACH, Calif - Boulder Bay is moving forward.At the end of a Wednesday meeting that lasted nearly 12 hours, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency governing board, in a 12-2 vote, approved three ...

NEWS RELEASE — In a board room still crowded following a 12-hour hearing, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board voted to approve the Boulder Bay Community Enhancement Project. Four years in the planning, the project will replace the aging Tahoe Biltmore Casino in Crystal Bay, NV with an eco-friendly, mixed-use resort that will significantly reduce stormwater pollution and vehicle emissions associated with the site.

Carson City leaders today will review the 2012 fiscal year budget, with overall spending down about 1 percent from 2011 figures.

Looking ahead to 2012, the Board of Supervisors will see a budget that serves 21 government funds with estimated expenditures of $80.5 million and 10 proprietary funds at $39.2 million, City Manager Larry Werner reports.

PRESS RELEASE — The League to Save Lake Tahoe is voicing its opposition to the size and scale of a large hotel project on Tahoe's North Shore called Boulder Bay, which is slated for a final vote before the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on March 23.

The project violates the intent of the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Compact, which is a Congressionally-approved agreement between California and Nevada to strongly protect Lake Tahoe from the increasing urbanization that is threatening the region's environmental values.

Gee, and you thought the big issue at Thursday's meeting of the Carson City Board of Supervisors was going to the redevelopment project that has been the object of heated discussions for the past year.

But the revelation that a 14 percent hike in the property tax rate was also on the agenda seems to be causing people to put the Nugget Project on the back burner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOTDn2A7hcY

For more than a year, the lack of firm details about the Nugget Project has been a major source of frustration to those trying to get their heads around this undertaking.

Without real numbers or plans, those arguing for or against struggled with hitting the moving target that is this project.

But that target just got a whole lot more stationary, as Carson City Manager Larry Werner released a 100+ page feasibility report (attached below) for the Board of Supervisors to use this week when a decision is made on whether to move forward with the project.

A monthly and annual update on Carson City's financial scorecard will be presented to the board of supervisors when they meet this week.

The presentation is a monthly business review related to the performance scorecard for the city and includes data relevant to manufacturing and other sectors. Supervisors will meet beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3, in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center.

Check out the live video here. The agenda is here.

Update:

• The board turned down the appeal by residents of the placement of solar panels at Seeliger Elementary School.
• Supervisor Shelly Aldean was appointed to chair the city's Redevelopment Authority, with Supervisor Karen Abowd appointed as vice chair. Aldean will continue to serve as mayor pro tem and on the Tahoe Regional Planing Agency board, where she is vice chair.

Plans to phase out the use of sales tax reimbursement incentive agreements in Carson City will go before the Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee on Monday.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 East William Street.

The Redevelopment Authority is considering phasing out the sales tax incentive program and wants the input of the citizens committee.

By Jim Shirk

Some civic leaders tend to invest our city funds into one business proposal in the community then move to another and then another. This tax will become the next great example of that strategy.

The generous deal that the Carson City Board of Supervisors made with the Southgate Center to bring in Big Lots, Big 5 and Olive Garden caused some waves among other businesses in town, who complained they didn't get the same terms for their redevelopment incentives.

This has led the city to consider increasing the incentives to other businesses to match those given to Southgate.

The Sierra Nevada Balletwill present the popular “Peanutcracker — The Story in Nut Shell” throughout the Carson City and Reno region this December.

Based on the Peter Tchaikovsky’s original ballet “The Nutcracker,” "Peanutcracker" is a shorter, 45-minute narrated version that is “designed for families with younger children to introduce them to the wonderful world of ballet,” noted Rosine Bena, Artistic Director of the Sierra Nevada Ballet. Bena wrote and choreographed this traditional holiday show.
  

Joe McCarthy, director of the Carson City Office of Business Development and a key player in city's redevelopment efforts, will be "transitioning out" of his job by June 30, according to City Manager Larry Werner.

McCarthy has been on leave for the past two weeks, following a disagreement over the presentation of a redevelopment project at Southgate Center to the Board of Supervisors.

Werner said that while they like each other personally, there is a difference in styles between the two that caused problems.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors today approved $106,255 plus a 5 percent contingency to fund the Arlington Square ice rink for the coming season.

Parks and Recreation Director Roger Moellendorf said they are looking at leasing to own the ice rink equipment this year, thus reducing the cost for future years, and the contingency was requested to account for the additional costs.

The item was originally discussed two weeks ago and postponed because the supervisors preferred the ice rink be funded through redevelopment funds rather than the general fund.

The Arlington Square ice rink will be back on the agenda for the Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday starting at 8:30 a.m.

The ice rink issue was postponed two weeks ago so the city staff could present the project to be funded by redevelopment funds instead of though the city's general fund.

We will have the live video of the meeting here. The agenda is here.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors voted to delay a decision on funding the downtown ice rink to give staff the time to work out details for having the funding come from redevelopment funds instead of the general fund.

At today's Board meeting, Supervisor Shelly Aldean made the motion to send the issue back to staff, commenting earlier that, "It gives me heartburn to fund this out of the general fund."

Carson City's primary arts service organization has a new executive director. John M. Shelton was hired this week by the board of directors as the Brewery Art Center's leader and executive director.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal to operate the Arlington Square Ice Rink for another season at the board's Oct. 7 meeting.

According to the staff summary, "This request is to expend $192,730 from the General Fund to support the operations of the Arlington Square Ice Rink for the 2010-2011 season. Staff is estimating that the ice skating rink will bring in $86,475; therefore the net subsidy will be $106,255."