Nevada Briefs - December 2004

Nevada Briefs

NAI Horizon Inks Deal for China Mart

The NAI Corporate Services team of James G. Caldwell and Curtis Sanders recently announced an initial agreement with Vindex International (VDX) of Beverly Hills, Calif. to exclusively represent VDX in its planned development of a 1 million-square-foot product display and distribution facility in Las Vegas, to be called China Mart. VDX is the primary facilitator for a China-sponsored trade finance program recently introduced in the United States. The China Mart project is projected to be a turnkey program that will include display showrooms, duty-free warehouses and satellite business offices for over 600 established China-based manufacturing firms. The program also includes the relocation of up to 1,200 Chinese families into the Las Vegas community.

Washoe Receives $7 Million Grant for Transit System

The Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) recently awarded a grant of just over $7 million to the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) for the design and construction of transit centers in Reno and Sparks. The new facilities are funded 80 percent through FTA funds, with sales tax revenues and proceeds from the sale of the existing CitiCenter site providing the remaining 20 percent. The total project cost is estimated at $34 million for both transit centers ($22 million for the Reno facility and $12 million for the Sparks facility). The project is scheduled for completion in December 2007. The transportation hubs are designed to be intermodal, incorporating both facilities for transportation (buses, bicycles and taxis) and also private-sector services. The Reno transit center will be located at Fourth Street and Lake Street on the east side of the National Bowling Stadium. The Sparks transit center will be located at Victorian Avenue and 14th Street on the west side of downtown Sparks. The grant also provides funds to complete planning for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on South Virginia Street, which will link the University of Nevada, Reno with downtown Reno, major hotel casinos, the Reno Sparks Convention Center and Meadowood Mall.

UNLV Dedicates First Regional Campus

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas recently dedicated its first regional campus, which is focused on health-science and biotechnology. The 18-acre Shadow Lane Campus, located on Shadow Lane near Charleston Boulevard, is home to UNLV’s Biotechnology Research Center and its School of Dental Medicine. The campus includes infrastructure to support various forms of biomedical and biotechnological research and education through partnerships with the Nevada Cancer Institute, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and others. Post-graduate education programs in such areas as forensics and microbiology will be offered. "The Biotechnology Research Center will tremendously expand research opportunities for students and faculty," said Penny Amy, associate provost for campus development, "while at the same time providing a state-of-the-art facility for business incubation and public/private partnerships in health science." In addition to training dentists, the School of Dental Medicine maintains full-service dental clinics for residents who have limited access to dental care, and also provides oral health education and outreach to communities throughout Nevada.

Forum Shops Opens Addition

Simon Property Group, Inc. has officially opened the expansion of The Forum Shops at Caesars. The 175,000-square-foot, three-level rotunda, which extends from the existing mall area and opens onto the Las Vegas Strip, contains more than 50 additional upscale specialty retail shops and gourmet restaurants. The original Forum Shops at Caesars opened in 1992 with 283,000 square feet of leasable space, and in 1997 a second phase increased its size to 500,000 square feet. On an average day, 50,000 people tour the shops. The general contractor on the expansion project was Perini Building Company, the executive architect was KGA Architecture and the interior designer was Dougall Design Associates Incorporated of Pasadena, Calif.