MD-ED: Mixed-Use Downtown Entertainment District in Reno
The MD-ED: Mixed-Use Downtown Entertainment District in the City of Reno is a high-intensity, 24-hour hub designed to support major hotel-casinos, regional cultural facilities, and high-density residential housing. Development in the MD-ED district is transit-supportive, requiring a minimum floor area ratio (FAR) of 3.0 and a minimum residential density of 45 units per acre, with no minimum off-street parking requirement.
General Character and Purpose
The MD-ED district serves as the primary entertainment and gaming core for the City of Reno and the surrounding region. It is characterized by the most intensive development pattern within the downtown regional center, focusing activity along major corridors such as Virginia Street, Sierra Street, 2nd Street, Commercial Row, and 4th and 5th Streets [Section 18.02.301].
The district functions as a 24-hour gaming and tourism area, supported by the Gaming Overlay District. Its urban character is defined by high-density mixed-use buildings, high-quality urban open spaces, and a strong pedestrian orientation [Section 18.02.301].
Permitted Land Uses
The City of Reno permits a wide variety of high-intensity uses in the MD-ED district to ensure its role as a regional center [Section 18.03.206].
Residential and Group Living
- Household Living: Duplex, triplex, fourplex, live/work units, multi-family dwellings, attached and detached single-family homes, and manufactured homes are all permitted.
- Group Living: Assisted living facilities, group homes, private dormitories, and single-room-occupancy units are permitted. Boarding or rooming houses are permitted with a minor conditional use permit.
Public, Institutional, and Civic
- Community Facilities: Libraries, art galleries, museums, minor government facilities, public parks, and religious assemblies are permitted.
- Educational and Healthcare: Adult education, childcare centers, colleges/seminaries, vocational schools, blood plasma donor centers, hospitals, and medical facilities are permitted.
Commercial and Industrial
- Food and Beverage: Bakeries, bars, lounges, taverns, commercial kitchens, microbreweries, and restaurants (including those with alcohol service) are permitted.
- Lodging: Bed and breakfast inns, hotel-condominiums, hotels, and motels are permitted.
- Gaming: Hotels with nonrestricted gaming require a conditional use permit and must be located within a gaming overlay [Section 18.03.304(c)(4)].
- Office and Retail: Call centers, financial institutions, general offices, laboratories, recording studios, convenience stores, and general retail (of all sizes) are permitted.
- Industrial: Custom and craft manufacturing, wholesale bakeries, and printing/publishing facilities are permitted.
Development Standards
The MD-ED district utilizes specific lot and building standards to maintain its intensive urban form. Notably, front setbacks are measured from the back of the curb rather than the property line to facilitate wide, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks [Section 18.04.1003(a)(2)].
Lot and Building Standards Table
| Standard | MD-ED District Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minimum Lot Width | 30 feet |
| Minimum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) | 3.0 |
| Minimum Residential Density | 45 dwelling units per acre |
| Front Setback (Virginia and Fourth Streets) | 18 feet (from back of curb) |
| Front Setback (All other streets) | 12 feet (from back of curb) |
| Side Setback | 0 feet (5 feet if adjacent to a residential zone) |
| Rear Setback | 0 feet (5 feet if adjacent to a residential zone) |
| Building Separation | 10 feet between principal buildings |
| Minimum Off-Street Parking | No minimum requirement |
[Section 18.02.301, Section 18.04.705, and Section 18.04.1003]
Supplemental District Standards
The City of Reno applies additional design and streetscape requirements to ensure development in the MD-ED district remains consistent with the Downtown Streetscape Design Manual [Section 18.04.1004(b)].
- Parking Lot Landscaping: Surface parking areas must be planted with shade trees at a ratio of one tree for every five parking spaces [Section 18.04.1004(b)].
- Streetscape Improvements: Before a certificate of occupancy is issued, developers must install streetscape improvements, including specific street lighting, in accordance with city manuals [Section 18.04.1004(b)].
- Density Requirements: Minimum density standards apply to vacant sites or sites where existing structures are being demolished. Projects that are multi-story and contain a mix of residential and nonresidential uses are exempt from minimum FAR and density ratios [Section 18.04.1003(a)(3)].
Sections Cited
- Section 18.02.301, MD-ED: Downtown - Entertainment District
- Section 18.03.206, Table of Allowed Uses
- Section 18.03.304, Commercial Uses
- Section 18.04.705, Off-Street Parking Requirements
- Section 18.04.1003, General Standards for Urban Districts
- Section 18.04.1004, Supplemental Standards for Downtown Districts