Nugget close to having developer for $87M project

The Carson Nugget project may have a developer as early as next Thursday, said Mark Lewis, a consultant working with Carson Nugget owner Steve Neighbors.

He said two developers have been interviewed by a committee overseeing the project.

"We are kind of working through that vetting process, the final stages of it," he said Thursday, adding an announcement is likely within the next week. He declined to indicate who or where the developers are.

The estimated $87 million Carson Nugget proposal would include a knowledge center, business incubator and retail space.

In February, Neighbors said there could be one or two developers who would work on the project, one on the privately-funded portion of the project and the other on the public.

He said there are developers in Boise, Idaho; Portland, Ore.; and Salt Lake City who have expressed interest.

"We are looking for somebody who has experience with public-private partnerships because they are a unique animal," Neighbors said. "We have some people who have expressed some interest and are quick to the table."

The project has been pushed as a public-private partnership with Carson City and the Carson Nugget.

The private portion of the project is estimated to cost $46.4 million. The public portion is projected to cost $41 million.

The board of supervisors has the authority to enact a 1⁄8-cent sales tax increase to partially fund the project without going to the voters, an amount that would cost the average family about $26 a year and has the potential to generate about $12.4 million over 30 years.

Projected higher property values within the project area also could generate $13.5 million over 30 years, according to the preliminary plan.

Those numbers, however, represent only potential funding sources if the project moves forward.

• Reporter Sandi Hoover contributed to this report.