A request is being made for a conditional use permit to turn the often changing 265 Keystone building and former city property into a data center, with discussions for this scheduled at Wednesday night’s Planning Commission meeting.
The current building which was previously used as a warehouse and then a gym would be demolished with existing overhead power lines rerouted underground.
Three years ago, after the City of Reno sold the 3.26 acre site to a private group including members of the Dolan family, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit at that location for amusement, recreation outside, live entertainment and a bar, tavern or lounge to be operated with an “indoor/outdoor flex-space including general retail, art exhibits and outdoor event space.”
It sounded promising.
There was lots of hype about the project called the Grand Artique Reno, to be run by the existing San Diego-based event company called Grand Artique. Inside, cleaning up was done and a Burning Man themed party was held in October 2022. Owners were offering shares of the business at $50,000.
A glossy investment summary was handed out, promising revenue in the millions of dollars, with two thirds of the needed $8.8 million reported to be already raised. The brochure indicated their multi-talented team was headed by Shane and Breck Dolan, and included over 100 artists, builders, producers and curators with experience in creating immersive events.
Eventually, vehicles were stored on the property and the plan for the Grand Artique Reno was scrapped.
A new applicant, Josh Hindo, with Kiley-Horn and Associates, is now asking for the data center conditional use permit.
In such cases, a sale is often contingent on the permit being granted.
Controversial data centers have been in the local news cycle of late, with ongoing Council discussions on how to regulate these differently than warehouses due to their high power usage.
Opponents who especially don’t want to see these in busy urban areas say these cause significant noise pollution, strain power grids, degrade air quality and lower residential property values.