Max Baer buys casino parcel

MINDEN - Max Baer Jr. purchased another 21.4 acres in north Douglas County for his proposed Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino on Monday, according to project spokesman Don Smit. The property was purchased from Riverwood Partners LLC.

County Manager Dan Holler put the price of the transaction at $7 million.

"I'm very excited," Smit said. "This is going to be such a rewarding project to be involved with. It will be interesting to watch the changes and see the benefits for both Douglas County and Carson City."

Smit sees this project as an integral part of the evolution of this region that will bring more rooms and sales tax dollars to both counties; the project is part of a whole package that includes such draws as the evolving V&T Railway and South Carson City's Bodine's Casino, he said.

Baer purchased 2.5 acres adjacent to this site in May and this new purchase completes the land acquisitions for his project. Efforts to put a design team together should be completed in about a week and if all goes well, groundbreaking could be scheduled as soon as August or September, Smit said.

"We've done what we said we would do once we received our approvals. Now, we'd like to move forward as quickly as possible," he said.

Phase one of Baer's project includes a 40,000-square-foot gaming area with 800 slot machines and 16 tables, a showroom, cinema complex and five-story, 240-room hotel. An arcade and "Granny's White Lightnin' Bar" are just a few of the attractions in almost 300,000 square feet.

Two 143-foot hotel towers are proposed for subsequent phases, but the initial project will be built to a height of 80 feet, Smit said.

"Construction of phases two and three will depend on the public's reception of this resort and the success of marketing," he said. "It will all be driven by that."

Numbers indicate the casino industry in Northern Nevada has been hit hard by Indian gaming in California, but in a previous interview, Baer said that fact is irrelevant.

"When gamblers have bad luck at one place they go somewhere else," he said. "Indian casinos can't do that. They stand alone and they hold more slot play. They own you."

By providing a destination casino resort in addition to name recognition and proximity to local attractions like Lake Tahoe, Baer feels he can compete. Competition raises the bar for everyone, he said.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners has not approved an increase in the maximum sign height from 30 to 200 feet for a proposed oil derrick and sign area from 115 to 2,600 square feet for sign boards.

Plans for an oil derrick are in the process of being down-sized and will be substantially lower than 200 feet. That and the readerboard proposal will be reviewed by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 6.

Since the early 1990s, Baer has attempted to build his casino in other locations, including Lake Tahoe, Park Lane Mall in Reno and the old Wal-Mart building in South Carson City.

This is the first time he's come this far with the project in the 18-year journey, Smit said.

Big George Ventures filed a lawsuit in Douglas County District Court Sept. 7 charging the decision to approve a special use permit and variances for the casino was arbitrary, capricious and not based on substantial evidence, but the two groups have been working together since to reach some sort of resolution.

"Max's purchase of the property shows his optimism that we'll be able to find a solution for north Douglas County," said Big George spokesman Robbe Lehmann. "We've been happy with the work his people have done to better integrate and buffer our project from theirs."

In a second lawsuit, Nevada Northwest LLC filed a lawsuit in district court on Sept. 10, charging the county interfered with the company's right to equal protection when they allowed a zoning amendment, special use permit and variances for the casino.



• Contact reporter Susie Vasquez at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.