Gerlach Economic Development

The Office of the County Manager is working to support economic development for the community of Gerlach. The Gerlach area currently has limited economic opportunity, but great economic potential. Gerlach, Nevada is a unique rural community on the edge of the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada. This rural community has a colorful history with historical ties to ranching, agriculture, the railroad and mining.

At its peak, Gerlach and the surrounding area is thought to have had a population that approached 1,000 but the number of residents has decreased significantly as economic challenges have made it increasingly difficult to make a living in the frontier community.

In addition to the community of Gerlach, this report will also look at the surrounding area including the mining town of Empire. These two communities are only separated by a few miles, and while they have unique differences and a separate self-proclaimed identity and character, they function as one economic region.

Washoe County, with support and assistance from the Gerlach Economic Development Committee and passionate residents, secured Community Development Block Grant funding to fund technical assistance and develop a comprehensive economic development strategy for the Community. A consulting team led by Better City LLC and including Bunnyfish Studios, Nevada Preservation Foundation and CFA Engineers was selected and began efforts on the creation of the economic development strategic plan in March 2018.

GERLACH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The findings of which will be summarized in the following bullet point list (the section in which the finding can be found is given in parenthesis):

The closing and re-opening of the Empire mine has caused significant demographic changes since the last decennial census, clouding an accurate representation of the population. However, the population is estimated to be approximately 223 (Demographic Characteristics)

The median age is 46, about 10 years higher in Gerlach-Empire than in the County or State, causing relatively smaller household sizes (Demographic Characteristics)

The local median household income is $37,263, much lower than the County and States median near $45,000 (Demographic Characteristics).

A majority (53%) of residents in the Gerlach Area work in the Services Industry (Demographic Characteristics)

The area’s largest employers include Empire Mine, Washoe County School District, Washoe County road department, and Burning Man (Workforce).

The Community has a strong entrepreneurial climate, with three times the number of businesses 8 per capita compared to the County and the State (Workforce)

Local entrepreneurs do not have adequate access to necessary capital and funding options (Workforce)

Entrepreneurial infrastructure investment and remote job opportunities will create a short and long-term path to local job creation (Workforce)

An analysis of the housing stock showed a significant surplus of lower-value homes and a deficiency of higher-value homes based on reported incomes (Built Environment)

Multiple historic structure and historic districts are identified that may be eligible for national registry nominations (Historic Preservation)

The Town has the potential to create an annual Historical Tourism Event as well as self-guided tours (Historic Preservation)

The town has adequate water and sewer capacity to experience population and business growth in the medium and long term (Infrastructure)

Significant electrical infrastructure and broadband investments are necessary to support economic and community development (Infrastructure)

Multiple catalytic projects are recommended, including: Entrepreneurship Center and Incubator, Export-oriented businesses, art-centered RV park, Historic Preservation, and Tiny Homes (Economic Development Strategy)

New Buildings should fit with but not copy historic buildings (Land Use and Zoning) • Zoning and Land use considerations are outlined in detail (Land Use and Zoning).