The Stardust Lodge motel was demolished Thursday by Jacobs Entertainment as part of the company’s vision to turn West 4th Street into an arts and entertainment district. The project was started in September with the demolition of two other motels on 4th Street, Carriage Inn and Donner Inn, and they say this most-recent demolition is one more step in the direction of downtown Reno’s revitalization.
The project, dubbed the “Fountain District,” is a more than $500 million mixed-use, redevelopment project that includes properties spanning along West 4th St from the Sands Regency to the Gold Dust West. The project also includes other city blocks along West 4th St. between West St. and Keystone Ave. The company says the project serves two purposes, to transform this space into a new arts and entertainment district and to minimize downtown Reno’s poor housing conditions in the process.
“Many of the units we are demolishing were truly not habitable and this demolition is another step in our journey to redevelop West 4th Street into an urban district enjoyed by all,” Jonathan Boulware, regional vice president of Jacobs Entertainment, said.
Jacobs Entertainment is partnering with Econo Lodge, located at 1885 S. Virginia St, to provide any previous senior residents who may have been displaced with housing solutions. The five-year arrangement includes renting out 50 units to help the displaced seniors. They say the seniors staying at the Econo Lodge will receive amenities consisting of weekly maid service, laundry services and a pool.
“It was important to us for these residents to be taken care of and have access to high-quality and cost-effective housing as we continue to refresh West 4th Street,” Boulware said. “After the completion of this project, we will be able to provide higher quality living conditions and safer conditions than what was there before. In the meantime, our CEO Jeff Jacobs has committed to providing rent assistance for each resident for five years.”
The partnership with Econo Lodge was made possible in part by contributions of Mr. Daljit and Baljit Singh. The former is a previous owner of the Donner Inn, which was sold to Jacobs Entertainment earlier this year.
“We want to publicly thank these gentlemen for being so eager to help these seniors living in substandard conditions at these old, run-down downtown motels,” Boulware said. “This is a long-term commitment that we are happy to have arranged with them. It means a great deal to us to get involved with community members to make this redevelopment project a win-win for the Reno community.”
Jacobs Entertainment has also donated $1.5 million in affordable housing inventory and cash to the Reno Housing Authority, and the Jacobs Family Foundation for Children pledged $500,000 to the Nevada Youth Empowerment Project.
“Reno is experiencing a lot of new and important developments,” Jeff Jacobs, the chief executive officer of Jacobs Entertainment, said. “We are happy and eager to contribute in any way that we can to create better living conditions in the region.”
For more information about Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. and its recent work visit http://jacobsentertainmentinc.com/.
