Meeting facility targets larger events

When McKenzie Properties purchased eight acres at Foothill Road and South Virginia Street to build an upscale meeting facility and 64,000 square feet of retail space, the company picked up the parcel at a surprisingly good price.

The reason: The property in South Meadows was subject to a thicket of regulations dating from 1947, says McKenzie Properties principal Todd McKenzie.

Before the company, which holds 1.5 million square feet of commercial, industrial, office and retail space in the Truckee Meadows, could build on the property, it had to get written approval from the 82 residents of the nearby Sierra Manor subdivision to exempt the parcel from those ancient CC&Rs.

McKenzie collected 60 signatures allowing him to develop the parcel, which is highlighted by The Grove, an 8,000-square-foot facility for meetings, banquets and weddings that opened in mid April.

"The neighbors were really receptive to the project," he says. "We just had to show what wanted to do and then deliver. They had to trust us to do what we said we would do."

Bookings at The Grove have steadily increased as word of the facility spreads, McKenzie says. So far, the site has hosted about 30 weddings. McKenzie Properties built The Grove for event planners seeking an alternative to space at a casino, golf course or restaurant.

"There is not anything wrong with golf courses or casinos, but this offers a different type of venue. This is completely dedicated just to events," McKenzie says.

The Grove's target market is events with 50 to 250 people, with an emphasis on larger events.

"The only folks who really can handle above 150 people are casinos," McKenzie says. "There is a true void in terms of meeting or wedding facilities that can handle 150 to 250 people."

The non-smoking facility is applying for Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. McKenzie Properties used recycled materials in the building's construction. Energy-efficient fixtures, meanwhile, allow for 30 percent energy savings and 50 percent water reduction over standard building construction, McKenzie says.

McKenzie Properties plans to add additional retail and office space on the remaining 5.8 acres at the site. Pads have been readied for the project, called Southcreek, and construction of the first of eight 8,000-square-foot-buildings should begin in the next three months.