Downtown Reno has enjoyed some recent successes with new housing, business investments and redevelopment, but officials say they still have steps to take to make sure that continues.
The City of Reno is currently working on drafting a Downtown Action Plan to outline the top priorities for the next couple of years. A big part of this process is residents giving their feedback on what they want to see improved in downtown.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said, "You already have a community that's ready to go and do all the heavy lifting."
Revitalizing Downtown Reno isn't just a job for the city, the public is getting involved too.
"I think it takes a whole community. The real hope lies in the people," said Pat Lynch, from Reno.
Pat Lynch is just one of many people to join in on design meetings for the Downtown Action Plan. She wants to find ways to help the homeless.
"There are a lot of people downtown who are really living in deplorable conditions and there's really no place for them to go. They're really caught between a rock and a hard place, that's no one providing a solution," said Lynch.
Other issues citizens addressed included upgrading transportation, creating a downtown experience, and safety concerns.
"Until you can fix that issue in Reno, it's going to be very difficult to attract new development, to make nicer amenities, make open space parks," said JJ Folsom with Progress Urban Management Associates.
PUMA was hired as consultants to take the community's ideas and convert them into a real plan.
Folsom adds, "We have a huge laundry list of ideas that we want to do, it's what's most important, what are those ideas we can bite off."
Looking at other downtown models in cities across the country, the council plans to prioritize what changes need to come first in the next five to ten years.
Schieve said, "You've got the university growing, you've got midtown growing, you bring it together and there's your incredible downtown."
If you have ideas you want to share, you have until October 16 to take the Downtown Action Plan Survey online: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RenoDowntownPlan
The city didn't take any action on Wednesday night, but the council plans to revisit the plan in early December.
