Reno City Council rejects bid for new Wal-Mart superstore

RENO - The City Council has rejected Wal-Mart's bid to build a new superstore in northwest Reno, citing concerns about increased traffic congestion.

The council voted 5-2 early Wednesday morning against a special use permit Wal-Mart needs to build the 207,000-square foot store.

''I don't think they have shown us that their plan would mitigate the traffic impacts this project would create,'' Councilman Dave Aiazzi said.

Councilwoman Sherrie Doyle said the concerns included pedestrian traffic as well as automobiles.

Wal-Mart had hoped to open the new store - its third in Reno - on 22 acres at North McCarran and Mae Anne in time for next Christmas.

Councilmen Pierre Hascheff and Dave Rigdon voted in favor of granting the permit to Wal-Mart.

Company officials had no immediate comment but have said before they would consider challenging denial of a permit in state district court.

The vote came about 12:30 a.m. after five hours of testimony from public citizens as well as experts. It appeared to be based in part on the input from a traffic consultant hired by local residents opposed to the project.

Aiazzi asked city traffic engineer Keith Lockard where he stood in analyzing the results of the new traffic study versus the estimates offered by traffic engineer David Peters for Wal-Mart.

Lockhard said he would be inclined to believe the Wal-Mart would generate more traffic on McCarran, between Interstate 80 and Mae Anne, than Peters estimated. Of all the traffic headed to Wal-Mart, Peters estimated 25 percent would come from the south on McCarran.

LSC Transportation Consultants of Tahoe City, a company hired by resident Victoria Ford and her neighbors, estimated 60 percent would come from the south.

Resident Louis DiDonato warned Reno would be ''institutionalizing road rage'' if the project were built.

''Reality is you're going to make a life-or-death decision in the traffic situation,'' he said.