Downtown Redevelopment

Carson City Mayor, attorney and Vietnam veteran Robert L. "Bob" Crowell died overnight. He was 74.

Robert L. "Bob" Crowell was a native Nevadan, born in the mining town of Tonopah and raised in Carson City. An attorney by profession, Bob was a Vietnam Veteran and retired Navy Captain. He was elected Mayor of Carson City in 2008 and assumed his duties as Mayor on January 5, 2009. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. Prior to being elected Mayor, Bob served 11 years on the Carson City School Board of Trustees.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will meet with the Redevelopment Authority on Thursday to discuss topics from downtown redevelopment to senior citizen utility costs.

This Monday marks the two-year anniversary of Bob McFadden Plaza, a walking venue designed as a draw for families and foot traffic in the downtown Carson City area. The plaza, part of a long-term downtown redevelopment plan, replaced Third Street between North Carson and Curry streets.

Officials dedicated 25 Schenley benches in downtown Carson City Wednesday afternoon, an effort started at the first of year to support downtown redevelopment efforts.

Candidates for Carson City Mayor and State Assembly District 40 addressed a nearly full house of voters at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall Wednesday night during a candidate forum sponsored by the Carson City Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates participated in a structured debate moderated by Nevada Appeal Editor Adam Trumble.

As a group, they were asked questions on specific topics and each given two minutes to provide a response.

Here's the speech made Wednesday by Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell at the 2016 Chamber of Commerce State of the City address held at Gold Dust West:

Carson City residents will be able to buy a piece of history while supporting the downtown redevelopment to begin this March.

Metal benches and bicycle racks to be placed strategically along Carson and Curry Streets are available for purchase by businesses, those who wish to remember or honor a loved one or family, or simply to put a family name on the bench.

My wife and I were on the fence about whether or not to purchase the downtown building at 716 North Carson, previously known as Washington Street Station. After all, the building was more than half empty and had not attracted a new tenant in five years.

A bank had repossessed the building two years previously and had been unable to sell it even as it gradually cut the initial listing price almost in half. And to top things off, the building had extensive water damage throughout caused by a leaky roof, and the few tenants it did have were unhappy with conditions.

Carson City Ward 4 Supervisor Jim Shirk gives an update on the latest city government news, provides an update on board action from its June 5, 2014 meeting and looks ahead when supervisors meet again.

I asked several downtown people what they think or feel about the passing of the 1/8th cent sales tax and what they see for Carson City’s future. The feelings are mixed, but the hope for an improved Carson City are united, the methods on how to do it have been up for discussion for many years and will be for many years to come.

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.

Today's Nevada Appeal has a story about how a developer has been selected for the Carson Nugget downtown redevelopment project.

The story mentioned that the developer, P3 Development, built the $64 million Stockton Events Center while Mark Lewis was that city's manager.

But that understates the ties between Lewis and the developer. Looking at the projects listed on P3's website, a large part of their work seems to stem from the City of Stockton, and happened during Lewis' tenure.

Carson City Supervisor Robin Williamson reportedly told a group on Monday that there has been some serious discussions with a specific developer about the Carson Nugget downtown redevelopment project, and an announcement should be coming soon.

According to those at the men's club meeting at Grandma Hatties, Williamson didn't name the developer.

When asked about the issue, Williamson responded, "As I understand the current status, negotiations are continuing so there is nothing to be announced at this time."

The selection of a developer is a major milestone, and has been cited by Nugget President Steve Neighbors and city officials as a necessary step to resolve the many unanswered questions about the project.

We are working to find out more details about this development. Stay tuned.

D'Vine Wine on Stewart Street is for sale, according to this Craigslist ad. The wine bar announced late last year they were closing, but the owners of the Carson Nugget bought the building they were in and offered them a lower-priced lease to stay in business.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that we would be taking an in-depth look at the Carson Nugget downtown redevelopment project.

Editorial by Dave Morgan

An article in the Nevada Appeal this morning attempts to get new information from the Nugget Project’s “go to guy,” Steve Neighbors. Neighbors, who is now the owner of the Nugget, is quoted as saying that the project still lacks a developer to shoulder the “private industry” half of the project. That’s about all that’s new from Neighbors, that they STILL don’t have a private partner.

For several weeks, I've been working to put together a complete examination of the Carson Nugget downtown redevelopment project.

The citizens committee’s “reason for being” as outlined in a recent Board of Supervisors agenda packet indicates that the committee is to assist the forward momentum of the project.

Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell will be our guest for a 90 minute discussion next Saturday evening, February 6th, on the proposed downtown redevelopment project sponsored by the Carson Nugget and Carson

If anyone is wondering what our much-maligned governor is up to these days, we have a reported Jim Gibbons sighting. A good friend and very reliable source told me he saw our newly single governor last week at the Century Summit Sierra theater in south Reno, standing by himself in line to see the movie "It's Complicated."

I encourage everybody to download the supporting material for the special meeting of the Carson City board of supervisors on December 10, 2009 (http://www.carson-city.nv.us/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?d

When I heard about the Nugget development project, my first thought was, here we go again.