Kohl's on tap for Riverwood

Both Kohl's and Sportsman's Warehouse could join Jethro Bodine's Beverly Hillbillies Casino & Mansion at Riverwood. All three have applied to build in a proposed commercial development on about 95 acres in north Douglas County.

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's operates 834 department stores in 46 states. The company entered the S&P 500 list in 1998 and is listed in Fortune 500, according to information from Wikipedia.

One of four proposed commercial anchors, the store will be just under 90,000 square feet, slightly bigger than their Reno store, according to developer Jay Timon.

Sportsman's Warehouse, which specializes in hunting, fishing and camping equipment, will occupy about 49,000 square feet of the development.

The applications were deemed complete by county officials Friday and administrative review to formulate conditions of approval must be completed by June 18, according to Mimi Moss, Douglas County's assistant community development director and planning manager.

"The proposals don't need to go to the planning commission or board of commissioners for these uses. They just require a staff-level review," she said. "Retail uses are allowed according to the current zoning."

If the stores opt to move forward with their applications, Timon said he could break ground this fall.

"We could be opening the shopping center in October of 2008," Timon said. "But there's still a lot of dirt to move around."

He was referring to the topography of the land which slopes to the east.

Timon is partnering with Carson City businessmen Michael Hohl and Dink Cryer for phase one of the project, which includes 240,000 square feet of commercial space on 36 acres. Included in this phase will be property owned by Timon alone, which includes 30,000 square feet of development on about 4.8 acres.

Phase two has room for more mid-sized box stores on 18 acres. Located on 10 acres on the southern end of the project, phase 3 has room for another 80,000 square feet of retail space.

Phase four is the proposed Beverly Hillbillies Casino & Mansion, situated on 23 acres on the eastern-most boundary of the project.

The topography on the property is a challenge and the deal with Hohl and Cryer would probably never have been consummated without the $24.7 million in tax rebates, redevelopment monies granted by Douglas County, Timon said.

A decision by Douglas County commissioners to approve a land "write down" for the project, the money paid over 16 years through the increase in property taxes as the property is improved, was criticized by some residents.

With the drop in room tax revenues, a cap on property taxes and numerous unfunded mandates from state and federal officials, Douglas County's revenue base is flagging. Revenues from sales and property taxes could offset that loss, commissioners said.

"All the heat (County Manager Dan) Holler and the county have taken is just not fair," Timon said.

"This is the way to get a project done, a public-private partnership."

Phase one Jethro Bodine's Beverly Hillbillies Casino & Mansion includes a 40,000-square-foot gaming area with 800 slots and 16 tables, a showroom, cinema complex and five-story, 240-room hotel. An arcade and "Granny's White Lightning Bar" are just a few of the attractions in almost 300,000 square feet.

That project is still be considered by county staff, according to Moss.

-- Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.