Washoe, Storey counties share benefits of Tahoe-Reno facility
The Truckee River divides Washoe and Storey counties east of Sparks, but officials from both sides were united Monday in a tour of Storey's sprawling Tahoe-Reno Industrial Park.
"It has to be looked at as a region," Dean Haymore, Storey building official/planning administrator, told commissioners and others in a pre-tour briefing.
To prove that, Haymore used an aerial photograph of the region to show where plans call for a state highway to Silver Springs in Lyon County 18 miles to the east, a new interchange on Interstate 80 across the river in Washoe, and thousands of new homes region-wide.
Add in the industrial park's link to Reno-Sparks via I-80 as well as a major east-west rail line, and the 104,000-acre complex is a commercial blockbuster in the making, said Lance Gilman, co-owner and developer of the project.
Nearly two dozen manufacturers and distributors such as Kal Kan, Alcoa and Dell Computers already dot the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Park map.
This fall brings a major addition when Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, breaks ground on a 160-acre parcel for a million-square-foot warehouse-distribution center.
That, Gilman and Haymore said, will bring in 600 new employees and hundreds of trucks a day as well as state-of-the-art automation and numerous peripheral businesses feeding off of Wal-Mart's presence.
"The world is changing. Out here, there's more automation," Gilman said.
Washoe officials were impressed.
"It's mind-boggling," said Commissioner David Humke. "With what's here and what's coming, there's great regional strength."
Others, too, said that while the business park is just a river's width from their jurisdiction, Washoe stands to gain.
"We know there are lots of impacts," said County Manager Katy Singlaub. "This goes beyond boundaries. There's housing, roads."
Commissioner Pete Sferrazza said he was encouraged to see development and job opportunities to the east of the Truckee Meadows.
"It's a positive," he said. "For the people who live on the east side of Reno-Sparks, if they work here, that'll take some of the traffic east."
Added Commissioner Jim Galloway, "There really aren't many places left in Washoe County where you can take advantage of the railroad and the interstate."
Haymore said Storey County, Nevada's smallest, is unique in that it relies on neighboring Washoe, Lyon and Carson City for basic business needs.
"We don't have gas stations, we don't have grocery stores," he said. "We can't buy the quality of life in Washoe County.
"But this (Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center) is a great win for all of Northern Nevada. This is the future for Northern Nevada, not just Storey County."