RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Earlier this week, Tesla has announced plans for two new facilities in Storey County. The $3.6 billion investment requires 3,000 new employees and 4 million square feet.
“We’ve built a Gigafactory before and we can do it again,” Storey County Executive Austin Osborne said.
Osborne says our region will continue to support Tesla’s cutting-edge technology.
“You go halfway through Storey County and you go back in time to the 1800s…and at the other end of the county you’re in the middle of the 21st century with the most advanced technology,” a- he declared. said.
Tesla will offer 3,000 new jobs as part of the expansion and half will be offered to Nevada residents, meaning 1,500 people could move to Nevada from out of state.
“There will be an influx of employees and we are looking at ways to deal with that influx,” Osborne said.
One of the biggest concerns in the area is Interstate 80. Storey County is sponsoring Senate Bill 63 in the upcoming legislative session, which aims to reduce traffic congestion.
“Simple things, even speed limits and increased signage and better lighting and enforcement of existing laws,” he said.
“Also long-term solutions such as widening the freeway and alternative traffic routes.”
While many Tesla employees live in Washoe County and commute to work, Storey County hopes to change that. Osborne says they have approved residential development near the industrial park.
“3,600 homes will be located there as a high-density, mixed-use community. It’s the type of place people who work in the Gigafactory want to live,” Obsborne said.
Storey County has yet to find a developer to build the homes, and Tesla has not announced when they will begin work on the new factories.
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