The corner of Kietzke Lane and Plumb Lane has a new look. Lithia Chrysler Jeep of Reno moved into its new location at that intersection last week and it is open for business. The company has been looking for a new location for the last seven years.
"It's such a nice change," Scott Williford, General Manager of Lithia Chrysler Jeep of Reno said. "The showroom's very nice, the lot's nice, the service department's immaculate. It's very exciting times for us."
The building used to be occupied by Sak 'N Save and some other stores. The grocery store closed in 2014 and has been vacant ever since.
"Once this is all completed and we see all the new trees and obviously the new building, etc., it's taken away that eye sore from the corner for sure," Williford said.
The project also included demolishing the A&W restaurant. The renovations are also making space for Lithia's body shop and Volkswagen dealership.
"With them being so close together, it's definitely convenience for both us and our customers and we have a lot of vehicles to choose from," Williford said.
Williford says the move was necessary because the Chrysler Jeep dealership was outgrowing its previous space on Mill Street as the customer base expands.
"We got to the point where we were just landlocked and we needed to expand both our service department and room for our customer's vehicles," Williford said.
The new Jeep showroom is more than twice the size of its previous one and the service department is almost double the size. There is also more space in the lot. Williford says the location is better because it is on a busy intersection near other dealerships, possibly allowing more foot traffic.
"You're within a couple hundred yards of three very large dealerships, the two highest-volume dealerships being Toyota and Subaru right next to each other and now you've got three of them all together," Williford said.
Chain link fencing is still standing around the perimeter of the dealership because of the construction behind and on the east end of the building.
"We have some paving and some more curb work to do and all that but it's coming together quick," Williford said.
He expects the project to be completed within a couple of months.
