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Council affirms approval of Jay Resort festival grounds amid resident objections
Summary
The Reno City Council unanimously affirmed Planning Commission approval for a 4.5‑acre Jay Resort festival grounds in downtown Reno, allowing larger outdoor events and a limited extension of evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Reno City Council on April 9 affirmed a unanimous Planning Commission approval for the Jay Resort Festival Grounds, a 4.5‑acre outdoor venue just south of Third Street east of Ralston. Associate Planner Leah Piccati presented the application — proposed as a mixed festival, retail and event plaza — noting the site is zoned for the downtown entertainment district and that planners and public safety staff had vetted traffic, security and noise plans.
Jacobs Entertainment representative Garrett Gordon told council the venue is intended to activate downtown, support tourism and host multiple event types including family markets, small‑scale events and larger concerts. The application allows up to 15,000 attendees for the largest tiered events; staff and the Planning Commission required a tiered traffic and staging plan in which larger events must provide more intensive traffic and policing mitigation. The applicant requested one additional hour of outdoor live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights (beyond the 10 p.m. baseline for outdoor live entertainment). Planning staff, who reviewed a consultant noise study, said the venue’s temporary nature and program made it appropriate in the downtown entertainment district and recommended conditions tied to a special event permitting process that evaluates each event.
Residents and advocacy groups opposed the project at the hearing, citing noise, the need for monitoring and potential impacts on nearby condominiums. Smart Growth Reno and several nearby condominium owners urged denial; they said the application should not waive sound limits and that the site’s proximity to dense residential towers makes large amplified events problematic. Supporters including event producers and local businesses said the venue will draw tourists, generate room nights and create jobs, and they defended technical mitigation measures for sound control.
After discussion council voted unanimously to uphold the Planning Commission decision; the project will proceed under the conditions attached to staff’s report, including the requirement that each event obtain a special‑event permit and follow the traffic, security and noise mitigation measures described in the application and report.
