Reno Canopy Poll
Its been a rough night so all I feel like doing is finding out where Reno blog readers of America come down on the whole canopy or no canopy issue at 10 North Virginia Plaza. The city council has been debating that issue for close to a year now. Mayor Cashell has expressed his desire to build the original canopy. What do you think? See the new poll in the red bar of content directly to left.
Update: Poll is now closed.
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It seems like the past has had some projects that sit around on the table while the cost of doing the project goes up. Usually ending up out of the budget, let’s wait for another bid or developer and the idea eventually dissapearing. Mayor Cashell has done a great job…as the saying goes from a local favorite, Mills Lane, “Let’s get it on”
Right, a canopy. For the 12 days we get that necessitate shelter. The sun is good, wear a hat.
-M
The canopy was hardly designed to be purely functional–it was meant to be an architectural statement–a structure demonstrating the new dynamic nature of the city.
At the time, the city picked the prettiest looking, most progressive design, even when it meant choosing an out-of-town developer over two local developers, but then suddenly the cost starting going up, and up, and up, and the designed changed again and again, and options and within options etc.
At least the Council isn’t giving up. REA either needs to build that NOW, or toss them aside and let others come forward with better proposals.
“At the time, the city picked the prettiest looking, most progressive design, even when it meant choosing an out-of-town developer over two local developers, but then suddenly the cost starting going up, and up, and up, and the designed changed again and again, and options and within options etc.”
Mike, I think you got that backward. The city chose the worst design by the local developer over two out-of-town developers, one which then went on to be selected to work on the WTC site.
Mike- sorry, it’s late here and I completely misunderstood what was being said. You are correct, an out-of-town developer was chosen to work on the retail aspect of 10 North Virginia. I thought we were still talking about the canopy, which as you well know is the local firm… time for bed.
A non-functional really-expensive archetectural statement is hard to swallow when my street (Saint Lawrence) is full of potholes and I have to pay (A LOT) to trim my own easment trees. Things the city has the mandate to do, but not the funding. If we want statements why not couch them in something useful?
-M
Hi Sara Lee!
Yes I was referring to the retail aspect, which to me is almost as important as the canopy, if not more. If they can’t figure out the canopy, at least build the retail bulding and posibly earn some money back on that property and add some height to the lot….
Wolfy, if by ‘easement’ you mean the area between your street and your sidewalk, that’s officially called a Parkway. The City has some really lame laws on that. For instance did you know that you can’t landscape that section without Urban Forestry approval, even though you own it? And yes you are fully responsible for what is there when you buy the house. It’s also illegal to run any kind of sprinkler system across or under the sidewalk (which you are also responsible for maintaining). Crazy!
I hear what you are saying about the streets…I think I heard this summer the City has a massive interior (meaning inside McCarren Loop) street rehabilitation program that will start.
I guess what frustrates me is that more people don’t see how improving downtown improves the entire city…not only by improving its reputation and drawing tourism here for reasons other than gaming, drawing more retail and thus more city revenue.
I see building innovative structures as a way to improve the city as a whole in numerous ways.
And to say that the canopy wouldn’t be useful is shortsighted I think…its useful in the ways I state above, but its also useful in that its creating a usable space in downtown for the community to use….that’s very useful when you are trying to build a livable city. Right now, its usable in the winter for ice skating, but its being wasted the rest of the year–and remember that we are talking about a prime piece of real estate, not just some junky lot. Its downtown, riverfront property next to city hall for god’s sake.
I think the plaza looks ok without the canopy, I’m actually more interested in the utility of the canopy. Isn’t it supposed to keep the ice from melting in the winter? My last word on the canopy is don’t let the lack of it prevent you from enjoying that plaza. That plaza would be just as boring with the canopy as without, if there’s nowhere to eat, drink, or sit and people watch from a vantage point on at least 2 of its edges. Right now, there are exactly 0 places to do that.
Also I echo the comments others have made about streets sidewalks and the devil’s strips (parkways) A friend of mine had to sell when his neighborhood was having its sidewalks, underground utilities, and parkways redone by the city. The mandate was imposed externally, and a special assesment district of tens of thousands of dollars was created which would come due this spring.
Questions: Doesn’t the city like to crow about “services” and how it can provide them more efficiently and for less cost? Why are they not dribbling money for street and sidewalk improvement into a fund which they then spend every 10 years or so?
I believe the canopy was also going to provide a gridwork for rig lighting and sound for performances in the summer, or at least that was one of the options presented. Kind of like Wingfield Amphitheater’s little setup but bigger. The retail building was actually supposed to provide the outdoor seating both on the plaza level (but not IN the plaza) and a deck overlooking the plaza. That’s why getting some kind of building there is so important.
A second outdoor concert space that could be used in place of shutting down some streets (such as when the Reno Phil takes over Virginia street in the summer) would be great. If the canopy will have that feature, then I would wholehartily support it or a version of it.
Otherwise, I would say that several other downtown projects could use the money first…. like the plaza covering the train trench instead. We can’t build everything we want, but even in the short time I’ve lived here I’ve seen a lot of improvement over the downtown area and I think its a trend worth continuing.
Oh, and sorry about your rough night, Myrna.