Regional planners consider Boomtown expansion plans

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 10:21 a.m.

The Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider Boomtown's proposal to transform the 120-room hotel and truck stop into a mega attraction and casino resort.

Plans include a 2,100-room hotel tower, 100,000 square-feet of casino space, an outdoor amusement complex and an 18-hole golf course.

Washoe County Commissioners in November overturned the county planning commission's earlier denial of the project.

That approval came over the objections of Verdi residents, who argue the project along Interstate 80 will ruin their scenic, rural community that is tucked in the Sierra foothills.

"I don't believe it fits into this rural community in any way, shape or fashion," said Verdi resident Jackie Gross. "I think it would be very damaging to downtown Reno and trying to rebuild that area."

Richard Bulis, another opponent, said large gaming establishments should be kept in downtown Reno.

"How do you put the largest hotel-casino complex of northern Nevada 10 miles west of downtown in a suburban area?" he asked. "The regional plan says the downtowns are where the concentrated gaming goes."

But Dean Diederich, county planning manager, said it's not the county's job to protect downtown casinos from competition by stopping development in outlying areas.

"I don't see anything in the regional plan that says you have to protect the economic viability of downtown casino interests," he said.

Boomtown executives say the expansion will be a shot in the arm to the region's tourist economy. They hope to start construction in 2000.

"There is no place else in the county where you can create this resort with these amenities," said Timothy Parrott, Boomtown chairman.

Boomtown officials said they plan to market the resort nationally by focusing on package tour operators. They anticipate up to 80 percent of their customers will be new to the area.

"Reno has had a difficult problem in putting together packages for big tour operators," said Phil Bryan, Boomtown's chief operating officers. "What we are willing to do is cut the deals ... We'll package Lake Tahoe and downtown Reno."