From educational facilities for the University of Nevada, Reno, and artist lofts in Reno’s downtown to casino remodels and corporate headquarters, the first half of this year seems to have been a good one for many of the state’s commercial development companies.
With a national list of upcoming projects that totals more than $400 billion, Perini Building Company has come back with a bang following a brief hiatus after the completion of the Paris Hotel/Casino. Dermody Properties is looking forward to developments in both the Las Vegas and Reno areas and reporting they are 100% leased on most of their properties either at completion or shortly thereafter.
Following are highlights of some large commercial projects currently underway or slated to begin construction by the end of the year in Nevada.
Clark & Sullivan Contractors
From medical facilities to schools, Clark & Sullivan Contractors has been taking on a variety of challenges. The company expects to complete a new 90-bed psychiatric hospital on the grounds of The Nevada Mental Health Institute in Sparks, Nevada, by the end of August. The 60,000 square foot structure was started in November of last year and includes an emergency services unit, two 40-bed intake units, main lobby, workshop, clinical offices and pharmacy.
Also in the medical field, Clark & Sullivan is building a 100,000 square foot, four story physician’s office building on the Wahoe Medical Center campus. “It has always been in the master plan to have two professional buildings on our health campus. With The Plaza at Washoe, we are fulfilling that plan as well as improving convenience for doctors and Washoe Health System customers,” says Bob Burn, Wahoe Health System president and CEO. With a completion date set for August of this year, the building is approximately 50% leased and expected to be at full occupancy within a year.
Clark & Sullivan also broke ground for the 28,000 square foot City Centre Chiller Plant in Las Vegas at the end of March 2000. This innovative project is designed to meet the increased cooling needs of several downtown businesses by piping chilled water through underground pipes. “The City Centre Chiller Plant supplies chilled water via pipe connections and eliminates the need for businesses to invest in, operate, and maintain expensive physical plant equipment,” says Steven Boss, president of Nevada Power Services, one of the project’s designers. The plant will initially serve three main customers in the downtown corridor with the capacity to support several more and is expected to be competed before the end of the year.
In May of last year, the company completed work on the University of Nevada, Reno’s Fire Science Academy and Emergency and Crisis Management Institute in Elko County. Despite a number of challenges, the company brought the project in on-time and on-budget in only thirteen months. The facility provides state-of-the-art training for more than 7,200 students in emergency and crisis management operations. Students train for rescue missions using such “props” as a petro-chemical refinery, a downed 95-seat airplane, ruptured fuel tanks, a crashed school bus, and burning buildings. The campus includes classrooms, dorms, a multi-media center and an emergency operations center, as well as a 250,000 gallon water storage tank and 2.2 million gallon reclamation pond.
Dermody Properties
Dermody Properties CEO Aaron Paris says he is very enthusiastic about developments in the areas around Reno. At the moment, Dermody is working on a 370,000 square foot distribution and warehouse facility at the Sage Point Business Park in Stead, and Paris says that area is ripe for expansion with a good location along highway 395 and a good labor force readily available. Paris also says he sees a good future for the Stead Airport and the land around it. “Overhead Door just opened there in one of our buildings, and they are very pleased with both their property and the labor force,” he said.
The company is also developing another 200 acres in Patric, located roughly nine miles east of Sparks. A 400,000 square foot facility has already been leased by SanMar Corporation and the company is currently constructing a 300,000 square foot facility that will take advantage of the rail service the property has to offer. Paris says the companies Dermody is contacting see the value of the property for distribution with access to both railroad and I-80.
In the southern part of the state, the Dermody Business Center in Las Vegas has just opened up a 270,000 square foot office building. Paris says that 80% of the building was leased by the time it was completed and he expects to have it fully leased within a matter of months. The company has already begun construction on a 303,000 square foot building adjacent to that property that will be occupied by a single entity, although Paris declines to name the lessee.
Perini Building Company
According to Perini Building Company Chairman, Richard J. Rizzo, the company took a brief hiatus following the completion of the 2,916 room Paris-Las Vegas Resort in September of last year. They are now looking at roughly $400 billion in work ready to be started by the end of 2000. He says that he is very excited about the future of commercial development both inside the state and around the country.
The company’s current casino contracts include work on the initial phase of Caesar’s expansion – resurfacing the exterior and redesigning two of the casino’s restaurants – and Bally’s remodel. While Rizzo says that both projects are underway, specific details will not be released until they are further along in the process. Perini is also constructing a new 30,000 square foot 2-level golf clubhouse for MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. The facility will be connected to dining and lounge areas, a snack bar, pro shop and drive-thru cart pick-up by a two story glass atrium. Another golf clubhouse for South Shore Golf Course in Henderson is also nearing completion. This 27,000 square foot facility includes kitchen and dining space, locker room, steam and sauna rooms and a 24 ft. rotunda.
Among their other projects, Perini is also building a new facility for The Shade Tree, an emergency shelter for women and children in Clark County. Slated to open in the fall of 2000, the new building will be a three story, 35,000 square foot facility with 364 beds and room to accommodate an additional 150 beds, if necessary. Amenities include laundry facilities, a kitchen, infirmary, and a fully equipped playground and an indoor recreation area for the children.
Q & D Construction, Inc.
With a number of projects slated for 2000 including the Regional Public Safety Training Center in Washoe County and the Leviton Western Regional Distribution Center in Sparks, Q & D Construction, Inc. is also working on the 125,000 square foot Bishop Manogue High School campus. The facility will include the main building, athletic fields, and a chapel. In addition, a 22-acre business park is slated for construction in that area.
Another Q & D project is central to the redevelopment of the Reno downtown corridor. With an expected completion date in November 2000, the Riverside Hotel Artists’ Lofts has included a seismic retrofit and renovation of the historic Riverside Hotel, turning the abandoned property into residences for local artists. In addition, the Sierra Arts Foundation will relocate their offices and gallery space to the first floor.
Also in the cultural arena, Q & D is working on the restoration and new stage facilities for the Shakespeare at Sand Harbor performances in Lake Tahoe. The project includes construction of dressing rooms beneath the stage and a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system.
Thomas & Mack Development Group
Thomas & Mack Development Group exceeded their year 2000 projections by leasing almost 170,000 rentable square feet (RSF) in the first half of the year. The company is scheduled to finish development of its flagship development, the 103-acre McCarran Center Business Park, within the next twelve months with the completion of its last two buildings. A 43,000 square foot flex building is slated to be completed at the beginning of 2001 with a three story 81,000 square foot office building following shortly after.
“McCarran Center has been our development flagship for the last five years. We’re excited about completing these final two buildings,” says Tim Snow, president of Thomas & Mach Development Company.
At the end of last year, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. agreed to move their corporate headquarters into the McCarran Center Business Park, signing a 15-year lease on a four story 120,000 square foot office building. The move consolidates executive and administrative functions for Harrah’s in Las Vegas and will bring approximately 450 employees from their current headquarters in Memphis, TN, into the Las Vegas area by the time the offices are completed.
“Moving our headquarters to Las Vegas is a strategic decision to locate in the gaming capital of the world. Since the first phase of our move this summer, our executives have already begun to experience enhanced relationships, contacts and knowledge of our customers, suppliers, competitors and industry influences that we envisioned with our move,” says Phil Satre, Chairman and CEO of Harrah’s Entertainment. Construction on both the offices and a three story parking garage will be completed by December 2000.