News from Omaha

[FangKC]

Omaha must decide what to do with Civic Arena

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111201/N ... p-up-civic

[eomaha.com]

The Civic's demise is hastened by the community of Ralston (wedged between Omaha and Papillion) currently building a 3,500 seat arena which will be used by Omaha's junior league hockey team and most likely by it's arena football team as well (both of which have been among last remaining tenants for the Civic)... sort of pursuing the same 'right size' venue strategy which the Royals AAA farm club here followed... Civic way too big for them.



Also, as long as we're talking about arenas... some here may have already heard that Lincoln is building a considerable arena of it's own to host UNL sports/larger concerts/etc. Naming rights were just awarded the other day... Pinnacle Bank Arena... 16,000 seats ... located SW of campus in Lincoln's 'Haymarket' district.

[eomaha.com]

Happy Holidays from Omaha!

http://vimeo.com/33612918

[warwickland]

Happy Holidays from Omaha!

http://vimeo.com/33612918

Is this some kind of backhanded compliment?

[eomaha.com]

??

Maybe deja vu from a page ago.

No backhanded compliment... just a nice promo video produced by the Omaha Economic Development Partnership.

[eomaha.com]

Condo market has slowed a bit as with everywhere, but over the past few weeks/months several new proposals have emerged for apartments in and around downtown Omaha (past news story highlighting the boom, largely TIF spurred) http://www.ketv.com/money/30099099/detail.html

Here are a few of them... there are still others I haven't seen renderings on yet... some are well under way.

Garage Lofts, N 19th and Capitol, renovation
Conversion of a parking garage near the Civic Auditorium to 32 loft style apartments, market rate



8th Street Towns, 8th and Pacific, new construction
47 market rate apartments, mostly studios



1501 Jackson, Old Market, new construction
79 market rate apartments, commercial bay



14th and Leavenworth, new construction
42 units



CO2 on 10th (1502 S 10th) new construction, LEED certified
9 units, w/ commercial



Park Avenue apartment buildings renovation, 8 structures from St Mary Ave to Mason St
Some of these have already been completed, all will be completed this year, 137 units





318 North End (North Downtown), renovation
Several apartments over a brewery


12th and Howard, Old Market, new construction
12 apartments over commercial including full service restaurant

[chrizow]

those look like great proposals. good to see a mix of new construction and historic rehab.

[eomaha.com]

Today, the University of Nebraska Medical Center announced plans to build a $110 million cancer research building, 98 labs, 108 oncology beds.

http://www.unmc.edu/cancercenter/cancer ... roject.htm

[eomaha.com]

A historic South Omaha site once home to the world's largest livestock market is set to undergo yet another transformation to meet the needs of the day.

Two new four-story buildings — for health care services and senior citizen housing — will rise next year at the old Omaha Stockyards site near 30th and L Streets, thanks to an infusion of funds from the new federal health care law.

The buildings are part of an expansion of OneWorld Community Health Centers, which already leases the three lower floors of the historic Livestock Exchange Building.

The pair of brick structures will stand in the shadows of the 11-story Exchange Building, which also contains several floors of affordable family housing and two ballrooms.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20101118/N ... stockyards

Just broke ground

[FangKC]

That's a neat old building. I didn't realize that the Omaha stockyards were the largest in the world.

[eomaha.com]

I don't miss the stock yards, the livestock exchange building remains a good landmark... my grandfather of course referred to the 'smell of money'.

[FangKC]

Yes, I don't think anyone misses the Kansas City stockyards either. In many respects, I'm really surprised that downtown grew at all with the over-riding odor drifting up from the West Bottoms. Especially in the days before air conditioning when most office buildings had to open windows to bring in fresh air in the summer. I think that is probably what caused the wealthy to leave Quality Hill more than any other reason.

[mean]

I like the exterior of Omaha's livestock exchange building better than KC's.

[FangKC]

Mean, I thought the same thing.

[loftguy]

That looks like "the Bellerieve Hotel meets the New York Life Building". What is its era?

Really a handsome building. I can't believe it's not familiar to me with all my times in Omaha.

[FangKC]

That is a good description Loftguy.

[mean]

I was totally thinking NY Life, too. Which I believe Omaha has a copy of, yeah?

[AJoD]

Really a handsome building. I can't believe it's not familiar to me with all my times in Omaha.

It's in southeast Omaha, not surrounded by too much else you'd have occasion to visit. I lived there my first 18 years and saw this building a few years back hunting down some 24th St Mexican food, and I had much the same reaction.

[eomaha.com]

A little history... 'South Omaha' was actually a separate incorporated city until bigger Omaha annexed it in 1915 (there are a number of former municipalities which Omaha annexed over the past century with the help of Nebraska's liberal annexation laws... most recent example being Elkhorn).

You might be impressed with how the South 24th Street district has changed AJoD... has undergone extensive street scape updates... most of it privately funded by the predominantly Hispanic business community.

[eomaha.com]

I was totally thinking NY Life, too. Which I believe Omaha has a copy of, yeah?

Actually, Omaha's was the 'original' !