The Eddy is located on the south side of the river near the Wild River Grille and will be a community gathering spot that will include bocce ball courts, three bar areas, and a variety of special activities such as farmers markets, food trucks and yoga classes.
Construction started earlier this month to transform a long-vacant lot in downtown Reno into a community gathering spot.
The development is called The Eddy and will be Reno’s first container park and outdoor beer garden. The nearly half-acre lot is located on the south side of the Truckee River at 16 South Sierra St., next to the Wild River Grille and the Riverside Artist Lofts.
“It is already a pretty popular spot in the summertime to walk the river, so having this empty lot being changed for patrons I think will benefit the entire Riverwalk,” Phil Buckheart, co-owner of The Eddy, said in a phone interview.
The Eddy will be constructed out of shipping containers to create a family-friendly venue that will feature two bocce ball courts, three bar areas, artwork by local artists and more. The community space will also host special events such as farmers markets, food trucks and yoga classes during the day and transition to a drinking spot for people 21 and over in the evenings.
“We were idle since last summer so to finally see something be produced down there has been exciting,” Buckheart said.
The project was delayed after receiving opposition from neighboring businesses and residents of the Riverside Artist Lofts due to concerns about noise and the bar aspect of the development. The Reno City Council approved the project last June after adding several conditions to the special use permit including revising the hours of operation between 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Buckheart and Kurt Stitser, the other owner of The Eddy, plan to finish the construction over the course of the next few months and are hoping to open in mid- to late April. Buckheart said that they haven’t picked an exact date yet due to the wet weather.
“As it gets closer, we should be able to narrow it down to a specific date,” Buckheart said.
The Eddy will operate seasonally during the warmer months due to the outdoor nature of the venue.
“It is definitely a weather dependent location and atmosphere,” Buckheart said.
The developers signed a five-year lease for the property back in March 2016. According to Buckheart, they will reevaluate when their lease is up in 2021 and either look to continue to lease the property or move to another spot in downtown Reno.
However, right now their main focus is to get The Eddy operational.
“We just want to get this open and get it going,” he said.
The public can stay up-to-date on the project at The Eddy’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheEddyReno/.
