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Village on Sage Street Update May 2019

Chris Askin, CSPG, CFRE
President and CEO[/caption] The team working on the Village on Sage Street is now in the final stages and I want to update you on the progress toward opening. In summary, the Village is a collaborative community project that will offer 220 single occupancy units, with shared restrooms, recreation, laundry, and dining facilities. The project will be open to residents making 30-60% of the area median income ($1,333 - $2,650 per month). Rent will at most, be one-third of their income, at $400 per month, which includes utilities.

Who will manage the Village? Who will live there?

Volunteers of America (VOA), an organization with extensive experience operating low-income housing, will run the Village. VOA will be occupying the office in the next couple of weeks and will begin contacting potential residents for interviews and tours as soon as some of the current finish work on utilities and walkways is complete.  The waiting list is now up to about 300, with 70% of those qualified based on their reported income. The wait list has shown some more information that is very interesting.  70% of those applying for housing derive their income from employment.  41% are female and 59% are male. Ages are almost exactly evenly spread from 18 to 74.

Construction Timeline

In the attached photos you can see some of the surface work being done.  What you don’t see is the extensive sewer, water, fire systems, electrical, and natural gas work done underground.  That work is being finished up now and by the end of May, the heaters and air conditioners will be turned on and tested.  If you visited the dorm buildings right now you could turn on the lights and use the restrooms.  We have come a long way. Inside the buildings, much has been accomplished in the past couple of months. Ceiling grid work and lighting is complete, fire sprinkler systems are installed, the ADA restroom installations (6 restrooms with showers) are nearly done, and 14 ADA bedroom conversions are also happening.  Interior and exterior painting are underway using a color palette that ties to door awnings and that fits with the extensive landscaping plans. When painting finishes up, carpets will be reinstalled, and then it will be down to the detail work of room numbers, bathroom signs (all signage is in braille), and installing locally made artwork.  Outside, the concrete work has started, and finish grading begins this week. Fencing will start later this week. After that, Q & D will do curb, gutter, and paving, and lastly, Reno Green will come in to do landscaping.

Community Amenities

  • The lodging agreements for the Village will be month to month.
  • Service animals are going to be allowed, subject to approval.
  • Smoking is not allowed in any of the buildings, but there will be designated smoking areas on site.
  • The recreation building, which will be accessible 24 hours a day, will have a gym, a lounge area with TVs, Wi-fi and the mailroom.
  • The dining building will have a spacious seating area, a TV, an ATM, and the store. Each resident will have a key fob that provides access to the recreation building, dining building, and their dorm building. Since the property will be fenced and gated, the fob will also access the front gate.
  • Rounds Bakery will be running a mini-mart store inside the dining building. The store will offer fresh, frozen, and dry food options, as well as basic items such as laundry soap, toothpaste, etc.
  • The site will have 61 security cameras located inside the buildings and around the property. Additionally, VOA plans to have at least one staff member on site at all times, and more during the day.

Philanthropy is Bringing the Village to Life

The companies, contractors, and individuals that have been involved with the Village on Sage Street project have been incredibly generous with time and donations. A huge thank you to the City of Reno and the companies that have donated so far: Q & D Construction, Summit Engineering, Helix Electric, Gorelick Real Estate Advisors, Western Nevada Supply, Charles Schwab Bank, Pezonella Associates, Behr Paint, Heritage Bank of Northern Nevada, The Abbi Agency, Solaegui Engineers, A. Carlisle, and Dickson Realty. More than three dozen individuals have made gifts totaling close to $2 million, but more funding is needed.  The State of Nevada has provided a credit line so we can finish the project. We would love to provide you with a tour while we are finishing the project up.  Please call Michelle at 775-333-5499 if you would like to see the project up close.