Omaha Development Update

[UrbanNebraska]

Well that's Buffett's problem, he's too entrenched as an icon for frugality. Granted, he did call for raising taxes on his own tax bracket.

Yeah, he isn't going to spend a couple hundred million on a basketball team. It just isn't in his personality.

Warren actually isn't among our cities biggest donors either, most of his donations end up in Bill Gates' foundation. The Scott's, Holland's, Durham's, Kiewit's and a few more are our cities big funders. No new arenas, performing arts centers, med center towers this decade without those big families.

[UrbanNebraska]

Yeah, from looking at their website, it looks like they do a bang-up job of focusing new revitalization efforts on the south side of Omaha which could use some work.

Yep! Their eyes are firmly on Vinton St. right now I can't wait to see this street in a few years.


One big time tenant is already moving in on that street, I think you may find them interesting as well Spartan. http://emergingterrain.org/ Yet another noprofit looking to make Omaha better.

Their biggest project to date is probably my favorite art installation in the whole city. Repurposing old grain elevators near I-80 into massive canvases.


Their new collection goes up later this month and is all about transportation.

They are also installing this on the 24th of this month.

[Spartan]

I love the idea of separate murals on each silo. Doesn't look as cool with one mural covering an entire silo..

[UrbanNebraska]

This incredible exposure for OKC in the pregame got me thinking about Omaha's big 2.5 weeks up coming this summer. To bad Sir Charles wont be coming .

We will be getting 14-17 broadcasts on ESPN or ESPN2 during the CWS, most of which are prime time:


And 8 straight nights of prime time coverage on NBC for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, here is the current state of the pool:


And what the finished product looked like in 2008 when we hosted before Beijing:


All of these will be between June 15th-July 2nd. It's going to be a seriously awesome 18 day stretch for the city.

[UrbanNebraska]

An article in the local paper caught my attention today. It said when the two current hotels u/c and the announced Marriot finish in 2014 downtown Omaha will have seen a 75% increase in rooms since '07. The ending total will be 3,054. Sitting at 2393 now with 311 u/c right now and 350 announced.

I bring this up because I remember reading in one or your guys other threads that the NBA is looking for 6,000 hotel rooms for an all star game host site. I don't know where you guys are sitting right now, but I cannot even imagine another 3000 rooms downtown here. Hotels would be on every corner! Maybe it is just my small city mind set.

[Spartan]

I don't know if it's 6,000, but I read where Stern would consider us if we get 1,000 more hotel rooms, and we have 3 new downtown hotels under construction, not including the CC hotel that the City is about to hit us up for...ugh

[UrbanNebraska]

A convention hotel pretty much then.

[Spartan]

Right, sorry for our hot button abbreviation.. whenever you see CC on here someone is referring to the convention cluster.

[OklahomaNick]

I am kinna jealous of some of the developments in Omaha.
They have some REALLY cool things going on!

[UrbanNebraska]

I am kinna jealous of some of the developments in Omaha.
They have some REALLY cool things going on!

There is some cool stuff going on. Omaha seems to either go huge mega projects or rather small infill. I think we are really missing on the midsize projects, one of the reasons I have become rather enamored with Deep Deuce in OKC. If I could pick one OKC recent project for Omaha, save Devon for obvious reasons, I wish I could clone LEVEL on plop it right in the "dead" area between downtown and midtown here in Omaha. I am probably just really impatient, just seeing the pace of development in Deep Deuce is incredible. So many different projects by different developers all at one time. I just wish people here had the guts to build a 250 unit apartment complex and some brownstones in a concentrated area right now.

Not to downplay the small infill, I think it is often understated, but it wont grab the attention of larger projects.

[UrbanNebraska]

BTW: Congrats on the great season, fell a little short, but no reason to not expect them to be right back there at the end for the next half decade at least. Maybe longer. Also I think OKC is quickly going to be the plains states "home" team, I have never seen so many NBA shirts at the CWS than I have this year. Dozens of people have been rocking Thunder gear at the series this year.

[Just the facts]

The NBA 'requires' 30,000 hotel rooms to host an All-Star weekend.

[Spartan]

I was in Omaha yesterday and took a few pics. I loved the Old Market and the visible new development, but I was frankly surprised at how desolate the area between there and 75 looks. So much potential though.

[UrbanNebraska]

I was in Omaha yesterday and took a few pics. I loved the Old Market and the visible new development, but I was frankly surprised at how desolate the area between there and 75 looks. So much potential though.

Cool hope you enjoyed the visit!

I haven't really highlighted the deficiencies on here. Still a long long ways to go in terms of connecting downtown and midtown. Finally starting a bit though. This building I am sure you saw is being converted to 194 apartment units. Fun fact the tower used to be Enron's HQ for a year before they bailed for Houston and started breaking the law.


There is a master plan in place and the developer funding a neighborhood study right now, but none of that means a whole lot. If I could play sim city here I think Deep Deuce would be a darn near perfect template for the swaths of parking lots in the area. Sure hoping someone makes a move on new construction as the very last of the vacant buildings downtown should be apartment conversions over the next 18 months. We will see, I don't think anything substantial will happen unless the streetcar eventually happens, but I am a pessimist about that part of the city.

Although you can get some great authentic Central African food in the area, for it's one mild saving grace.

[Spartan]

I didn't feel Deep Deuce in that area (keep in mind DD is primarily a residential hotspot) - I think it could however develop along the lines of our Midtown. Midtown actually looked very similar to that area just 10 years ago, and yeah I did see a handful of old buildings being restored here and there along Leavenworth I think? As for copying an area in OKC, put in some traffic circles and give it a try.

I loved the tacky pawn shop across 75 on Leavenworth, I hope it can stay bc it has some great character (kind of in a Brown's Bakery way....lol), but I didn't see it up close. I was admittedly in a bit of a hurry because my girlfriend and I were trying to make Sioux City in time for some drinks, and wanted to get dinner in the Old Market, which we did.

I'll post pics when I'm back in town, but it will be a while. After Saturday in the Park (Wilco!!) I'm going to do Chicago, some camping in Michigan's UP, sign for a new apartment in Cleveland, and then spend a day in STL on the way back home.

The few steep hills that Omaha has are its best asset, btw. My OKCer perspective is that you can build structures and districts, but can't do anything about topography...unless you're Aubrey

[Spartan]

I did see these, and loved them. I was actually really surprised how run-down the area with these was - hopefully this fosters some organic momentum. For some reason I just assumed this was totally gentrified, but there are actually still a lot of opportunities left in Omaha, which is exciting.

[UrbanNebraska]

Went to Saturday in the Park for Grace Potter last year and really wanted to go this year, but need to save money for Pitchfork, Maha, 80/35 and a Minnesota music festival/camping trip. Wilco will have to wait. And I know its free, but a guy has to work to afford the other ones!

On the pawn shop I bet it sticks around. Omaha really likes to think of itself as "quirky" or "hipster" as some friends from Dallas and San Diego dub it. Not sure if you got enough time to dig through the Old Market, but there are tons on antique shops and some hidden ones only us locals know about . There is even an "upscale" Goodwill in the Old Market that sells high priced donated goods. As far as I know it is one of a kind.

The Trugs are cool, but it was pretty much accepted on the Omaha forum that they would of had a much much larger impact nearer the Old Market. I suppose something needs to be said for trying to improve other parts of the city. And there are a few decent business along the street, I bought my latest bicycle from a new shop on Leavenworth. The 11worth Cafe has the best breakfast in the city, and this apartment building that looks like it belongs 1500 miles away in Miami is just north of Leavenworth.


And it is the gay bar central in the city with places like The Omaha Mining Company.


Being right next to the jail will always hamper development though.

[UrbanNebraska]

Hey Spartan, did you get a chance to swing by Midtown Crossing?

[Spartan]

Sadly, I did not. I knew exactly where it was in my bearings, but we were hungry and I wasn't confident in Midtown's restaurant offerings over Old Market's.

In Cleveland now, so I'm close to getting back and putting up pics. I have to warn you though, my KC pics were amazing, Sioux City pics were pretty good, and comparatively my Omaha pics are meh - but there are a few artistic shots I'm kinda excited about around SoMa and some new modern dev/historic contrast further south.

Here's a preview from my instagram:

[UrbanNebraska]

Nice! I absolutely love KC, heading down there in a few hours to watch a few home runs in fact.

[Spartan]

I doubt you'll be seeing many of those in KC

[UrbanNebraska]

Article on the apartment market since '09. It mostly highlights a local development company that is starting it's 3rd 100+ unit renovation in the past 3 years, but it lists the number of apartments to hit the market since 2009. I didn't even realize the numbers. They kind of catch you by surprise listed all in a row like that.

http://www.omaha.com/article/2012073...707319996/1697

412 completed. 331 u/c. 507 announced.

I'll show the 3 NuStyle projects since those were the main ones talked about.

The Bank completed 106 units.


The Highline u/c 194 units.


Yet to be named project announced 110 units.
Currently.


Aug 2013 completion date.

[Spartan]

Love the last two mid-century buildings. Mid-century mod is so hot right now.

[MikeOKC]

Love the last two mid-century buildings. Mid-century mod is so hot right now.

Yeah, you're right! They look like they could be right out of Mad Men.

[UrbanNebraska]

Not really development, but something awesome happened today that makes me just love this city.

Jack White who is playing to a full house tonight in Omaha played a 6 song set in a movie theater in a candy shop/antique store in the Old Market.


Biggest name secret/surprise performance since Lady Gaga last spring.