Ballpark developer seeks to add entertainment

Stuart Katzoff's vision for downtown

Reno is hardly limited to Aces Ballpark.

Now that the stadium is built and the

Aces have a their long-awaited home,

Katzoff, president of SK Baseball, is moving

forward with the second phase of the

project: adding 40,000 square feet for

several restaurants and bars to diversify

ballpark entertainment options.

When they were building the ballpark,

subcontractors put in place the mechanical

and electrical infrastructure for the second

phase. Katzoff plans on adding four

bars on the ballpark's upper concourse,

several themed restaurants to the downstairs

level, a concert venue and an

expansive plaza in front of the stadium.

Although funding has yet to be secured,

construction is planned after the Reno

Aces complete their inaugural season and

should be ready for the team's 2010 season.

Katzoff says that while credit markets

are still extremely tight, he's got a full season

of baseball to work through the challenges.

"All that should get done in time," he

says. "We are in negotiations and expect

to get financed soon."

Although no restaurant concepts have

been locked in, Stuart Katzoff and his

father, Jerry, operate the upscale restaurant

brand Il Mulino, which has locations

in New York City, Las Vegas, Tokyo,

Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. He

says he also has strong ties with the PJ

Clarke's, a saloon-style eatery in New

York City.

The goal, Katzoff says, is to add flavor

to the stadium so that baseball isn't

the only item on the menu.

"We could have 9,000 people coming

to every game, and making them

come early and keep them staying later is

some of the goal," he says. "We want to

make it a real 365-day venue in the

dead of winter it won't be as appealing

as fall, summer and spring, but it will be

a real entertainment district."

Additionally, Katzoff envisions up to

three more phases of Freight House

District renovations. SK Baseball owns

land adjacent to Aces Ballpark, and plans

on adding retail and office space as well

as a hotel-casino venture.

Of course, future work depends on the

success of the ballpark, as well as on the

success of the planned restaurants and

watering holes.

"They all feed off each other," Katzoff

says. "If the ballpark attracts 9,000 on a

consistent basis, it helps Phase II thrive. It

depends on baseball, and a lot of it

depends on the people here it is a true

partnership going forward."

Katzoff knows that much of the success

of the ballpark, restaurants and bars

depends on the success of the Reno Aces

on the field: winning will drive people to

the park in greater numbers. But he says

the festive atmosphere of the shiny new

park, coupled with the additional entertainment,

still should drive business to the

Freight House District.

"It is a town that loves its sports," he

says. "I have heard that you have to be

winning to get support here, but people

will realize there is more here than just

baseball it is a true entertainment district.

"We will have great things here that I

don't think people have seen before, and

it should help whether the team is winning

or not. People will want to be in such a

great park and be around the entertainment.

That is our goal."

Katzoff says when the idea stuck to

own a baseball team, he began conducting

due diligence on the Tucson

Sidewinders. Though he wasn't very familiar

with Reno, he also began researching

how city leaders and others here had

been pursuing professional baseball in

the Truckee Meadows for years.

Despite Reno's frigid early spring temperatures,

the region enjoys plenty of sunshine,

and relocating the Sidewinders

from Arizona seemed like a viable option.

And redeveloping the Freight House

District also provided some excellent real

estate opportunities.

"For me this is a first step and hopefully

the opportunity to redevelop a great

downtown," he says. "There are some

great assets in this city. If you look at

other cities with AAA baseball, it is the

anchor and a great tool to help redevelopment.

"Of course we have some challenges

especially with the economy we are in

but I really believe it is a catalyst to

drive redevelopment. I hope to give people

a reason to come down here, and if

people here support us, it is a real great

opportunity for downtown."