Baer says he’ll go elsewhere if Reno rejects casino at mall

Wednesday, July 1, 1998 | 9:17 a.m.

Baer, 60, played Jethro Bodine in the hit show that aired from 1962-1971.

He wants to build a $130 million, 408-room hotel-casino on the south end of the mall. And he told the Reno Gazette-Journal that if city officials deny a zoning change, he'll take his project to another city.

"It's either here or, adios," he said.

Baer said he project would be an attraction that would draw tourists and help revitalize Reno. "if they don't rezone it, you can stick a fork in the heart of Reno," he said.

"Reno needs another plain casino like you need cancer, but if you get an attraction, that's another story," he added.

Baer also denounced critics who wonder if the Hillbillies-themed casino would portray Reno has tacky.

"What do you think is the right image for Reno?" he asked. "Other people have called Reno a one-horse town for a long time."

Jeff Codega, project engineer, said he plans to file a request with the city for a master plan amendment to allow tourist-commercial use at the mall.

By mid July, he hopes to file for a custom-zoning district that would specify how the project would be developed. That filing is expected to include financing and operating details so "it's viewed as a real project, not something that's speculative in nature," Codega said.

So far, Baer has not discussed how the project would be financed.

"Lenders will lend when they understand the synergy" created by combining the hotel-casino with the mall and the adjoining 16-screen Century Theater complex under construction.

Baer has said he wants to build in Reno because he has a home at Lake Tahoe and wants to settle in northern Nevada.