Residents oppose theater development by Sumita Louis, Outpost Staff In this package   Going downtown Divided over redevelopment   Until now, Wingfield Park and the Truckee River have been the major attractions that draw residents to the area. But for some time now even these places have been taken over by the homeless and the transients. And while locals agree something should be done to preserve the downtown heritage, opinion on the proposed theater complex project remains divided. Some residents argue the theater complex is not the ideal solution to the problems of downtown Reno. Shelly Warne, who owns the Java Jungle coffee shop next to the proposed site for the theater complex, says the movie theater complex is a bad idea. " I'm all for redevelopment," Warne says. "But not for this theater complex. Nobody will go to the theater. Why should they when there are 36 more screens coming up around Reno? The whole idea of a movie theater complex is ridiculous." Dazey also finds the idea unpalatable. "While I am for redevelopment, it shouldn't be like this commercial enterprise. I'm totally against the movie theater complex. I'm really hoping the City Council doesn't push it (redevelopment).They need time to evaluate it. They've already screwed up and if they were smart they would put off a decision, at least so they can save face." Sarali Diaz, administrative computing project leader in the controller's office at the University of Nevada, Reno, wants to see more innovative plans for redevelopment. "I'm all for a move to clean up downtown and redevelop it, but there must be a more creative way to redevelop that block than put up a windowless building which will take up all that space and block the whole view we see today," Diaz says The redevelopment plan passed Sept. 8 also included the demolishing of the Mapes and Riverside hotels to make way for the complex. The two decaying hotels have been part of Reno's downtown since 1945. Residents says these buildings are the last vestiges of Reno's "heritage." In the face of such mounting opposition, the developers are currently in the process of working out a compromise whereby both structures can be preserved and the theater complex built. Concerned citizens have also pointed out that any construction near the Truckee would be dangerous, as last year's flood damage shows. "After the floods in 1996, the Army Corps of Engineers recommended that no structures be built along the Truckee River," Dazey said. "That was just last year. How quickly we forget. Do we want a repeat of that?" Dazey and Citizen Alert are in the forefront of the drive against the project. Along with small business owners and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Save the Mapes coalition, the wave of protest against the project has gained momentum. "I think that democracy on that issue has failed. The city reduced the number of people that came out against this project . They made us look like malcontents. We are an environmental group." Other concerned citizens and small-business entrepreneurs led by Warne, the Java Jungle owner, started an informal research survey. The survey found that more than 90 percent of residents did not want a movie theater complex near the river. Today these citizens are busy trying to get the city council to look at their proposal, which is to build a patio-boardwalk over the river for people to promenade on, have refreshments and relax.  copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost   Related sites: Truckee River Advisory Board Wingfield Park