 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Evening View
Rendering courtesy of
Friedmutter Group
Buildout Site Plan
|
|
Mt. Rose Station
The Mt. Rose Station is approved for development on a key intersection in Northern Nevada – the intersection of the Mt. Rose Highway and South Virginia Street. The project will enjoy great visibility due to its prominent regional location and excellent access due to its enviable location on three important roadways – the Mt. Rose Highway, South Virginia, and the future freeway extension.
As proposed by Station Casinos and approved by the City of Reno, the project will be developed in two or more phases. The first phase includes a resort hotel casino with up to 300 rooms, an outdoor retail superstore (likely Bass Pro), several restaurants, and a pool/spa recreation area. Build-out of the project will include up to 600 additional hotel rooms, associated gaming space, and restaurants. Additional retail operations fronting South Virginia Street and Mt. Rose Highway may also be constructed, along with a bowling center and a special event showroom.
CFA worked with several consultants on the project including the project architect (Friedmutter Group), lighting consultants (Kaplan Gehring McCarroll), transportation engineers (Solaegui Engineers) and environmental consultants (JBR Environmental Consultants). CFA’s areas of responsibility were planning and entitlements, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and surveying. Some of the key issues are discussed below.
- The presence of a major drainageway. The site is bisected by a natural ravine with significant upstream runoff that has historically been diverted through this property. CFA developed a master drainage plan to collect and conduct off-site waters safely and effectively through the project site and across U.S. 395 to Steamboat Creek.
- The master drainage plan calls for a sedimentation basin, underground culvert, and energy dissipater which mitigates existing drainage problems in the area, enhances public safety, and improves water quality without increasing downstream peak flows. To partially mitigate the loss of the drainageway, low impact development strategies will be implemented wherever possible and an attractive dry stream bed will be created along the South Virginia frontage.
- The topography of the existing site, with an average slope of four percent and approximately 130 feet of vertical relief from west to east, presented numerous challenges in the design of large building pads with usable parking areas and reasonable access to adjacent existing roads. CFA worked closely with the architect and owner to develop a multi-level finish floor scheme that is compatible with existing conditions, along with a mass grading plan that minimizes cuts and fills to the extent practicable.
- The visual impact of the hotel towers was a concern that was frequently raised. The height of the hotel towers could be as high as 225 feet. These will be the tallest buildings in the immediate vicinity; however, the height is needed in order to comply with the very stringent floor area ratios established in the Redfield Regional Center Plan. Since this was the first project to be processed under the Redfield Plan, it demonstrated what the very ambitious floor area ratios mean when translated into a specific project. Through the use of sophisticated visual graphics, we were able to put to rest many of the concerns about the impact of the hotel tower on views and night skies.
- Lighting was another frequently mentioned issue. The neighbors were concerned about light pollution and loosing their dark, night skies. With the assistance of lighting consultants, the lighting on the towers, the signs, and around the entire project was explained. As is the case at other projects constructed by Station Casinos (e.g., Red Rock in Las Vegas), the latest technology will be utilized and dark sky techniques will be implemented whenever possible.
- The height of the free-standing signs was a challenging issue. Three free-standing signs were proposed with the original submittal. The height of two of the signs was significantly reduced during the approval process to address concerns raised by citizens and elected officials. The third sign, which is oriented towards the I-580 freeway, remained at the originally proposed height and size because of its relationship to the freeway which will be elevated adjacent to the property.
- This was the first project to be processed under the Redfield Regional Center Plan. It was a “test case” and it brought to light the unintended ambiguities contained within the plan. There were many issues to work through such as building orientation, limitations on building height, limitations on sign size and height, the location and size of parking areas, floor area ratios, and incorporating a transit station and route into the site plan for both interim bus service and long-term rapid transit service.
All of these issues were addressed to the satisfaction of the Neighborhood Advisory Board, Reno Planning Commission, and Reno City Council. Given the scope of the project, it was approved with very little controversy. It was approved unanimously at all levels, from citizen groups through City Council. The project was approved by the Reno City Council in November 2006. Construction is currently on hold until the economy improves.
<< Back to top >>
|
East Elevation Rendering Courtesy of Friedmutter Group
|
|
|
Site Plan
East and West Elevations
Renderings Courtesy of Friedmutter Group
|
|
Station Casinos at the Convention Center
The Station Casinos project is approved on a prominent site located at the northwest corner of South Virginia Street and Kietzke Lane. This 8-acre parcel is surrounded by commercial development and is across from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.
The project proposed by Station Casinos will be developed in two phases. The first phase will include 200 hotel rooms; 81,000 square feet of casino gaming space, restaurants, and conference rooms; 134,000 square feet of back-of-house and shell space; and a 1,200 space parking structure, which includes the pool deck recreation area on a portion of the top deck. The second phase will include 300 additional rooms; 95,000 square feet of casino, restaurant, and conference rooms; and 48,000 square feet of back-of-house space. The hotel tower will consist of 17 floors and when the second phase is constructed it will be joined seamlessly to the first phase tower.
The exterior building materials were selected to accentuate the natural Sierra surroundings and to respect the existing architectural features throughout the Reno area. The design is modern with simple elements, stone accents, and overhangs of various depths utilized as entry elements and for sun shading. The typical room will be larger than the average guest room size in Reno, with approximately 500 square feet in the standard room and each room will include upscale amenities. Larger suites are included on the upper floors to provide a full-service hotel experience.
CFA’s areas of responsibility included planning and entitlements, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and surveying. The project presented several challenges, all of which were addressed to the satisfaction of the City of Reno staff and Planning Commission.
- Traffic and access were major issues because of the site’s location in an already congested area of the city and the relatively short project frontages made it challenging to achieve adequate driveway spacing and deceleration/acceleration lanes. Safe pedestrian access to the Convention Center was a key consideration and will be solved with the installation of a traffic signal at Redfield Parkway and South Virginia.
- The sanitary sewer in South Virginia Street is at or near capacity, which means that substantial off-site improvements will be required with the first phase of this project. It is probable that the existing sewer line in South Virginia will need to be replaced or a parallel line constructed all the way to the Moana Lane interceptor, a distance of approximately one-quarter mile. Estimated sewage generation exceeds the threshold for a project of Regional Significance and thus triggered conformance review by the Regional Planning Commission.
- Storm water management is a challenging issue. Off-site surface flows enter the site from the west and must be routed around the structures to the existing storm drain crossing South Virginia Street. For on-site flows, there is limited area on the site for traditional surface detention pond storage, since most of the site will be occupied by structures. The proposed solution is an underground stormwater detention storage system that will drain by gravity to the public storm drain.
- The project is located in the Meadowood Regional Center and the Virginia Street Transit Corridor. The provisions of these overlay districts needed to be addressed by the site plan and the architecture.
The project was unanimously approved by the Reno Planning Commission in September 2005 and by the Regional Planning Commission in October 2005. Construction is on hold until the economy improves.
<< Back to top >> |
|
|
|
Mammoth Hillside Resort - Phase I
Hillside Resort is a proposed 5-acre, 193-unit condominium resort to be operated by a four-or five-star hotel in the thriving winter recreation community of Mammoth Lakes, California. The building was designed by Palo Alto-based HKS Architects. A Use Permit was approved by the Town of Mammoth Lakes in March 2006. Phase 1 includes an 8-story residential tower, multi-level underground parking garage, outdoor amenities such as an all-weather pool and spa, and associated valet and service driveways. The project required extensive involvement with local and state agencies on tree preservation, stormwater treatment, air quality management, construction staging, utility relocations, traffic capacity improvements, public amenities, and snowmelt systems. CFA is responsible for all civil improvement plans including site, grading, drainage, water, sewer, and roadway widening plans. Construction of the project is currently on hold. |
Rendering courtesy of HKS Architects
|
|
| |
|
East Village - South Hotel
CFA is currently designing the site improvements for a 251-room condominium/hotel in the East Village development area of Mammoth Lakes. The hotel, which is being designed by Callison Architecture is planned to be a LEED certified green building, which will require special stormwater mitigation systems to control the site drainage runoff. Construction on the project is currently on hold. The hotel will be marketed under the Starwood brand. |
|
| |
|
Airport Hyatt Place Hotel
The Airport Hyatt Place Hotel is a six-story, 126-room hotel complex constructed on property adjacent to the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The 2.6-acre site is located in the middle of a 10-acre parcel that is part of the Airport Gateway project that will eventually include two, three-story office buildings, a retail area, and a restaurant. CFA has been involved with these projects since their inception and provided all survey and topographic mapping, planning, and preliminary development plans. CFA was responsible for the final site development package including civil improvement plans, utility design, and landscape design. The hotel was completed in fall 2009.
<< Back to top >> |
|
| |
|
Homewood Suites by Hilton
The Homewood Suites is located in Mountain View Corporate Center. The four-story hotel consists of 96 suites on a 2.5-acre parcel. CFA was a subconsultant to the architect, Browning & Associates, out of Wichita, Kansas. CFA’s responsibilities included final civil engineering, landscape architecture, and surveying. The project started construction in spring 2007 and was completed in October 2008. |
|
 |
|
Jackson Rancheria
Hotel and Casino
CFA was responsible for the civil design and landscape architecture for a multi-phase Indian gaming facility in Jackson, California that was constructed between 2004 and 2005. Some of the main components of the project included a new multi-story administration building with a sky bridge, a major hotel expansion, a three-story and a nine-story parking garage, multiple surface parking lots, a large casino expansion, a new fire loop for the site, various utility relocation and upgrade projects, a sanitary sewer lift station and force main, access road upgrades with associated retaining structures, convention facilities, and various dining facilities. The project involved significant challenges in dealing with unknown underground utility improvements as well as adverse soil and slope conditions. Close coordination was required with the design team, contractor, and owner in order to keep the existing hotel and casino operational during all phases of the project.
<< Back to top >> |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
