Thu, Nov 19, 1998 (9:21 a.m.)

Commissioners on Wednesday approved master plan and zoning changes and a special use permit for the $130 million project proposed by Max Baer Jr., who played the dimwitted Jethro Bodine on the hit TV show that aired from 1962-1971.

"I'm pleasantly surprised and I'm happy about it," Baer said following a public hearing on the project proposed for Park Lane Mall, south of downtown Reno.

Commissioners also endorsed the project's 240-foot marquee oil derrick topped by a 70-foot flame. City staff had recommended the entire structure be limited to 80 feet, flame included.

Baer has said Jethro's Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino will rejuvenate Reno's sluggish gambling and tourism industry and pump new life into the struggling Park Lane Mall.

As proposed, the hotel-casino would connect to the mall and the nearby Century Theatres.

Baer has also recommended the mall's interior be remodeled to give a feel of the famed Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

The project must still be approved by the Reno City Council and Regional Planning Commission.

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