The Reno Rodeo could move to a new home in the future but it will not be any time soon. For years, planning has happened to build a 15,000-seat, outdoor rodeo arena with indoor restrooms, offices and a museum. It is part of an overhaul of 39 acres at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center. The arena would be able to hold nearly 6,000 more fans than the current one.

"What we have is a magnificent, one of a kind facility for northern Nevada," Perry Di Loreto, President of the Nevada Western Heritage Center Alliance said. "It has so many other features and aspects to it, for the opportunity for our community to be involved in all kinds of special events and activities."

The original plan was approximately $130 million. Officials hoped to break ground in 2021 but that got delayed. The price is higher now but the new plan is to start the project in phases. That might not be until 2026. The outdoor arena is not part of the first phase. Instead, the focus will be on building a 72,000 square foot indoor arena and upgrading the current one.

"Bringing the indoor arena up to date," Di Loreto said. "There's some mechanical issues there, systems and a second indoor facility, improve the parking considerably."

The price of the first phase is climbing as inflation continues. Estimates are $90 million.

"Costs are going up almost faster than we can right them down," Di Loreto said. "16 months ago, our number was something in the low $80 million range for the first phase. We've been advised to adjust that upwards as much as 15%."

Private money is being raised and Di Loreto says the planning is about 30% complete. Construction would likely come from private donations and public funding.

"There will be a lot of refinements that come along, the further you get into it and then it all depends on what the money flow is as to how ambitious we can be and how fast we can move it along," Di Loreto said. "We're already talking to different foundations and interested organizations but the lion's share of that's going to have to come from public funding because the numbers, they're substantial."

Some of that funding could come from federal COVID recovery funding for infrastructure projects. That has to be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2026. Di Loreto is confident that construction will begin by then. Once Phase One is finished, it is possible that work will begin on other parts of the project. Along with the outdoor arena, there is a four-story parking structure with 2,400 spaces. The bottom level would include up to 1,600 animal stalls. There are also plans for a new vendor plaza near the old Harrah's sign, south of the Livestock Events Center. The parking structure would be on the southwest side of the property, with an elevated walkway connecting it to the arena on the northeast side of the property. A 52,800 square foot exhibit hall is planned on the northwest side of the project, replacing the 20,000 exhibit area.

"This is not just about rodeo," Di Loreto said. "This is about the fair and this is about different shows. You know, they had monster trucks and they have motocross in here and they have volleyball tournaments and all those different kinds of things that can go on."

Di Loreto says other events that Reno used to have would return because of better facilities. The organization put together a comprehensive presentation to show what it thinks should happen and what the economic benefits would be in return. 

"I mean, this facility is 60 years old now," Di Loreto said. "They last a long time if you do it right, so it's a marathon."

Di Loreto says Reno, Sparks and Washoe County support the plan. He hopes the state legislature will also approve capital projects funding in the upcoming sessions.