After 'problematic' process and developer bid, Reno to take offers on old homeless shelter

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — After a process deemed 'problematic' and 'backwards' and an hours-long, contentious city council debate, Reno will soon accept offers to purchase the old homeless shelter on Record St.

Late Wednesday, council members voted unanimously to move forward with a public request for proposals for the 2-acre property instead of accepting an unsolicited offer from developer Bash Capital LLC.

Bash representatives proposed purchasing the two buildings for $1.5 million or for $1 with an agreement to restrict at least 50% of the units to people earning less than 80% of the area median income.

In a presentation, they outlined a plan to overcome the various obstacles of the property and build approximately 100 units of housing, including studios, one-bedroom units and two-bedroom units.

But the pitch came after outcry from many homeless advocates in public comment, who have pushed for the facility to be reopened as transitional housing amid limited shelter space.

Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus in September 2023 requested a general public discussion about the future of the Community Assistance Center — in fact, there was consensus that such a general meeting was needed.

That meeting never happened and developer Bash Capital in January 2024 submitted a letter of interest to the city.

Mayor Hillary Schieve called out the process as 'flawed,' 'backwards,' and 'problematic,' but ultimately supported a motion to hear the item in order to have the discussion.

City staff have said that mold and water damage prevented officials from reopening the facility, which officially shuttered in November 2022. Both buildings have been red-tagged and the estimated cost to fix them would be $2.75 million.

The site presents various challenges, such as a large transmission pole that limits the buildable space, no street frontage and the location next to the train tracks.

But developer Brianna Bullentini said fixing up and reopening property as 'attainable' housing is feasible.

"I've seen it turn into what it's turned into and I've seen it turn into blight. And that's where this started. I decided to move back here because I wanted to help solve housing for downtown. My own family employs hundreds of employees on 4th St. and there's nowhere for them to live," Bullentini said.

Following a lengthy and contentious debate, the council ultimately voted that instead of starting negotiations with Bash, the city would open it up to everyone through a 'request for proposals' process and get an appraisal done.

The request for proposals process does not preclude social service providers such as Washoe County, RISE, Catholic Charities and others from submitting offers.

A previous effort to discuss selling the Community Assistance Center in late 2021 was scuttled because of concerns about the availability of existing shelter space.

WATCH the meeting here:

Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.