A proposed industrial and mini-storage development at Mogul has returned to the drawing boards, and it’s uncertain when the proposal will be reviewed again by the Reno Planning Commission.
The project known as Reno Gateway Business Park would be built on about 28 acres on the south side of Interstate 80 near the Mogul exit.
Along with about 105,000 square feet of mini-storage units, the development initially was proposed to include two industrial buildings — one about 260,000 square feet and the other about 84,000 square feet.
The project is spearheaded by Riverview Estate Properties LLC, headed by longtime Las Vegas developer Amador “Chi Chi” Bengochea.
Although the area has been zoned for industrial uses for several years, and although a mini-storage business already is located southeast of the proposed new business park, the project has drawn opposition from Mogul-area residents.
During a meeting of the Reno Planning Commission in late March, residents said the big industrial buildings are inappropriate in the Mogul area, especially because several homes are nearby.
Residents also contend that the Mogul interchange from I-80 doesn’t meet the needs of truck traffic that would increase if the industrial buildings were constructed.
The Nevada Department of Transportation has said the interchange is functionally obsolete, and the city will require the developer to improve roads between the interchange and the business park.
The development company has told city staff members that it’s willing to look at building several smaller industrial buildings rather than the large 260,000-square-foot structure in the original plans.
Planning staff members now say they don’t expect to see the new plans for a few months.
