Kimpton hotel project in Reno gets groundbreaking date after delays
A high-profile boutique hotel project in downtown Reno is back on track later this spring, as the…
A high-profile boutique hotel project in downtown Reno is back on track later this spring, as the Kimpton project gets an official groundbreaking date after multiple delays.
Chris Beavor, CEO of Las Vegas-based developer CAI Investments, first mentioned a planned groundbreaking for the boutique hotel in May when reached by the Reno Gazette Journal last month. Beavor confirmed the groundbreaking date once again last Friday while visiting another CAI project in downtown Reno — the former Harrah’s hotel-casino — which is in the midst of a major remodel as the Reno City Center project.
More:Here’s a look at the new Starbucks inside the former Harrah’s Reno
“We’re going to do an official groundbreaking on May 13,” Beavor said.
Beavor also provided the latest renderings for the project, which show a blue, white and gray color scheme for the hotel. In addition to the new colors, the top of the building was redesigned to feature a straight needle instead of the triangular “gothic needle” from a previous render, Beavor said.
Beavor hopes the new May date will be lucky No. 13 for the project, which has been delayed multiple times since news first came out about a mystery hotel project in 2019. The project would ultimately be revealed as a Kimpton hotel based on records obtained by the Reno Gazette Journal showing a $100 million loan agreement between CAI and loan company Pinnacle Lending Group.
The project faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as some legal wrangling. A groundbreaking last year was pushed back after a lawsuit was filed in October by contractor Cumming Management Group over a payment dispute.
The case between CAI and the contractor was voluntarily dismissed in December and the developer set a new target date of January for breaking ground.
A surge in COVID-19 cases in Washoe County due to the omicron variant earlier this year would cause yet another delay not just to the Kimpton, but the Reno City Center project as well. Omicron would affect a large number of CAI staff and workers, causing the project to lose about a month and a half of progress.
“I have half of my accounting staff with COVID, and a third of my construction people are out,” Beavor said at the time. “How do you lose 100 people in a week?”
The impact of COVID-19 would push the groundbreaking to sometime in April, Beavor added.
While checking out the new Starbucks at the Reno City Center project last week, however, Beavor confirmed the groundbreaking is now officially set for May. This is the first time that CAI set a specific day and date.
The May 13 event will be open to the media and is scheduled to have several attendees taking part.
“The Kimpton folks are going to be there,” Beavor said. “We’re very excited.”
Jason Hidalgo covers business and technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews the latest video games. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content? Support local journalism with an RGJ digital subscription.
