3rd Street Flats replaces derelict Kings Inn in downtown Reno

The metamorphosis of a downtown Reno eyesore into classy urban apartments is nearly complete.

Bentar Development and Basin Street Properties have been working feverishly to convert the long boarded up Kings Inn into the 3rd Street Flats. The façade of the 94-unit apartment building is complete and workers are finishing up floors, cabinets, and other interior features as well as outdoor common areas.

Preleasing began last week.

“We’re excited to finally be able to do preleasing,” Mike Williams, Basin Street’s vice president of marketing, told the NNBW. “We’ve had over 600 signups on the website. There’s a lot of momentum.”

The apartments are expected to be move-in ready by Dec. 15 if not a little before, according to Eugene Lee, property manager for Basin Street Properties.

Like much of downtown Reno itself, the 3rd Street Flats started with the good bones from an older structure and recreates it for a new Reno.

“Everybody involved in this project has such a passion for our town and wants to improve on downtown,” Lee said.

During a tour of the property on Oct. 25, Lee pointed out the open, welcoming main entrance, as yet unfinished, and the various communal spaces for its future tenants.

The ground floor features a social lounge, fireside lounge, library, and a pub-style game room, which will have a pool table, shuffle board and 70-inch TV.

On the back wall of the game room, pegs currently mark where the original Kings Inn crown will be mounted in recognition of the history of the property.

There will also be a boardroom and gourmet kitchen that residents can rent for special occasions.

Lee said custom-made equipment for the wellness center was expected to arrive soon.

The property will also feature The Rack, a bike storage area with a repair shop, plus storage rooms to give residents extra space to stash things away.

The apartments have two floors of secure underground parking with proximity controls for residents. Even the elevators are secure with fob-activated doors.

The second floor features the Sky Room, with an outdoor swimming pool, fireside lounge, and two barbecue areas.

Outside at ground level is a fenced-in courtyard to include a bocce ball pit, dog park and sports court.

“It’s a great spot,” Lee said. “There’s no other downtown property that has a pet park.”

The 3rd Street Flats takes the pet-friendly accommodations beyond the pet park. The second floor of the building will feature a Paw Spa, with professional-grade stainless steel washbasins, built-in hair dryers, plus professional grooming tables and equipment.

The apartments themselves have a number of different floor plans rather than being “cookie-cutter” layouts, Lee said.

The seven-floor building has junior one-bedroom, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments that run from $975 to $2,000 a month.

“There’s a variety of different options for people to choose from,” Lee said.

“We anticipate a pretty quick lease up. A few apartments are off the board already.”

Plans on floors one through three are all a little different, Lee said, and apartments on the second floor have tall loft-type ceilings.

The tower part of the structure runs from the fourth floor up to the seventh.

“Even the second floor has great views,” he said. “Of course the views on the seventh floor are spectacular.”

All apartments have ample closet, kitchen cabinet and counter spaces. Kitchens incorporate European-style cabinetry designs.

The property is designed with Energy Star rated appliances and triple-pane windows.

“We want our energy footprint to be as small as possible,” Lee said.

The 3rd Street Flats includes 9,000 square feet of retail on the bottom floor.

Lee said they are in discussion with interested businesses, including a restaurant.

“I imagine once we’re open, people will see what’s going on here and want to jump on it.”

The 3rd Street Flats apartments are a major transformation from what the property looked like several years ago with.

Las Vegas developer Amador “Chi Chi” Bengochea, principal of Bentar, noticed the property during a visit to Reno.

He was attracted to its solid structure, even though the hotel had been boarded up for 30 years after an operational life of only 12 years. City and business officials considered it one of the worst eyesores in downtown.

Bentar Development purchased the Kings Inn in 2014 and partnered with Basin Street Properties to give the building new life, tapping into the Reno-based firm’s familiarity with multifamily developments and its Reno contacts.

Workers spent most of 2015 dismantling the structure nearly to its skeleton.

“This building is solid,” Lee said. “They don’t make them like this anymore.”

With the solid structure from an earlier age combined with a modern, urban décor, 3rd Street Flats is ready for Reno’s new age.