Extra floor for housing at old Citibank building in Carson City

The former Citibank building in downtown Carson City may get an additional top floor for housing units, Miya MacKenzie, local spokesperson from the Hop & Mae Adams Foundation, said Monday.

“That’s something that we’re investigating,” said MacKenzie, who has acted as the Adams foundation’s local public relations person in connection with her MacWest Marketing firm but now solely is the foundation’s local representative. She said she is phasing out of her firm.

“The word on the street is right,” she said in response to questions about reports regarding prospects for a rehabilitation of the bank structure including another floor. But she also branded it preliminary until a feasibility study and other matters jell for a final decision. She said the decision would come fairly soon. “We’re going to have that decided in a couple of weeks.”

MacKenzie said one factor is a cost benefit assessment, which includes whether the investment to build another story will produce sufficient income to justify the addition.

“The building is demolished,” she said, referring to an interior gutting that readied it for a new design, renovation work and any prospective addition.

“We’ve already taken a big bite out of the cost,” she said.

If another floor is to be added, MacKenzie said, not only would it have to prove feasible but be designed to conform with a previous decision to put up a facade blending with the historic west side, and then go through city government’s planning process. Steve Neighbors is the Idaho-based trustee for the foundation formed by Mae Adams, the late co-owner of the Carson Nugget casino, and last year he said building renovation is anticipated in 2015.