Blackstone Business Improvement District

Downtown, Midtown, and all parts east of 72nd.

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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by iamjacobm »

Mexican restaurant, clothing store, classic bar, tattoo parlor, barber shop, pizza by the slice, yoga studio, late night food/bar, wedding venue, wine bar and two breweries is what we know as the tenants so far(I think). What a freaking awesome collection of business to all open in such a small time frame, all small businesses too. This is about as good as it gets for urban renewal. Awesome stuff happening in Blackstone!!
SaveOmaha
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote:Mexican restaurant, clothing store, classic bar, tattoo parlor, barber shop, pizza by the slice, yoga studio, late night food/bar, wedding venue, wine bar and two breweries is what we know as the tenants so far(I think).  What a freaking awesome collection of business to all open in such a small time frame, all small businesses too.  This is about as good as it gets for urban renewal.  Awesome stuff happening in Blackstone!!
This is beginning to be a thriving neighborhood business district again!
Last edited by SaveOmaha on Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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SaveOmaha wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:Mexican restaurant, clothing store, classic bar, tattoo parlor, barber shop, pizza by the slice, yoga studio, late night food/bar, wedding venue, wine bar and two breweries is what we know as the tenants so far(I think).  What a freaking awesome collection of business to all open in such a small time frame, all small businesses too.  This is about as good as it gets for urban renewal.  Awesome stuff happening in Blackstone!!
In addition, Dundee Cycles and a florist are going into the rehabbed building on the SW corner of 40th & Farnam. Plus the NP Dodge real estate office is keeping their lease there as well. It does look like Icon Studio is moving out though.

I actually met with Jay Lund last week. Lots of awesome stuff going on. He showed me plans for the apartment/retail building that they're planning to construct next to the Central Dist. Co. building. They're also trying to purchase the Colonial Hotel on 38th & Farnam to rehab that one as well.

This is beginning to be a true neighborhood business district again!
Farnam could really become our version of Congress Street in Austin. Congress runs from UT, through their downtown past the river and has a number of distinct districts along the entire path of the street. The whole thing is connect by BRT as well. A great model for us to follow. We could anchor both sides by UNMC/Saddle Creek redevelopment and have Blackstone, MTC, Beer Corner, 24th and Farnam, 16th and Farnam and the Old Market/HoA park bookmarking the other end. A TON of potential for the corridor.
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Brad
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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SaveOmaha wrote:In addition, Dundee Cycles
I noticed they already have a sign in the window.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by ShawJ »

I'm sure there's a good reason (aside from probably costing a lot more), but could they have made the conversion go past the bank? You could still have two lanes that curve into Harney St, but the outside lane would have the option of going straight.

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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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ShawJ wrote:I'm sure there's a good reason (aside from probably costing a lot more), but could they have made the conversion go past the bank? You could still have two lanes that curve into Harney St, but the outside lane would have the option of going straight.

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There has been some rumbling about Nebraska building a hotel on the site of the bank/S-Turn. Maybe the city was informed so they didn't bother with it right now?

That is a good observation though, would of been nice to not have to jump to Harney just to have to turn back onto Farnam.
SaveOmaha
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote: Farnam could really become our version of Congress Street in Austin.  Congress runs from UT, through their downtown past the river and has a number of distinct districts along the entire path of the street.  The whole thing is connect by BRT as well.  A great model for us to follow.  We could anchor both sides by UNMC/Saddle Creek redevelopment and have Blackstone, MTC, Beer Corner, 24th and Farnam, 16th and Farnam and the Old Market/HoA park bookmarking the other end.  A TON of potential for the corridor.
Farnam does have some cool building stock, and it's great that the area west of Downtown is getting attention. It's been said that Farnam was actually Omaha's original Main Street.
Last edited by SaveOmaha on Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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SaveOmaha wrote:It's been said that Farnam was actually Omaha's original Main Street.
I've heard that before. In fact, when I used to play SimCity all the time, I did that for my "Omaha" city (there's a thread around here somewhere on that) and made the highway pass north of the original town. Then as my city grew, I converted my Dodge over to be the main.
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Coyote wrote:4016 Farnam (National Indemnity Co)
1st floor 11k sq ft
2nd floor 11.2k sq ft.
plenty of parking.
Any guesses who bought it?
UNMC parking?
Bought by Clarkson Regional Health Services.
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Coyote
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:4016 Farnam (National Indemnity Co)
1st floor 11k sq ft
2nd floor 11.2k sq ft.
plenty of parking.
Any guesses who bought it?
UNMC parking?
Bought by Clarkson Regional Health Services.
Who is this? It can't be the Clarkson Foundation that UNMC bought out...
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Coyote wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:4016 Farnam (National Indemnity Co)
1st floor 11k sq ft
2nd floor 11.2k sq ft.
plenty of parking.
Any guesses who bought it?
UNMC parking?
Bought by Clarkson Regional Health Services.
Who is this? It can't be the Clarkson Foundation that UNMC bought out...
The mailing address is UNMC's campus.
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Nite Owl has their neon sign on the building.
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Coyote
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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cdub wrote:3824 Farnam has a new plan now as well.  2 story fronting the street I believe.  Nice addition.
3824 Farnam LLC is asking the Planning Board to rezone 3824 Farnam (Stoll's Auto) and 401 S. 41st St. (House - south of the former Pella Lutheran Church) to NBD.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Coyote wrote:
cdub wrote:3824 Farnam has a new plan now as well.  2 story fronting the street I believe.  Nice addition.
3824 Farnam LLC is asking the Planning Board to rezone 3824 Farnam (Stoll's Auto) and 401 S. 41st St. (House - south of the former Pella Lutheran Church) to NBD.
3824 is 52 units in 5 floors including 4300 SF in retail.

401 is 39 units all residential. House must be coming down.
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Seth
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote:
Coyote wrote:
cdub wrote:3824 Farnam has a new plan now as well.  2 story fronting the street I believe.  Nice addition.
3824 Farnam LLC is asking the Planning Board to rezone 3824 Farnam (Stoll's Auto) and 401 S. 41st St. (House - south of the former Pella Lutheran Church) to NBD.
3824 is 52 units in 5 floors including 4300 SF in retail.

401 is 39 units all residential.  House must be coming down.
Wow, 5 floors on the old service station site will be a big transformation. That will be a great fit for the area.

Looks to me like the current structure at 401 S. 31st is an old house converted to multi-unit. It will be sad to lose another historic structure, but it's not particularly special. Hopefully the new building has some interesting architecture; all the postwar rectangular brick apartments around there look cheap and boring.
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Nite Owl opens Wednesday.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote:Nite Owl opens Wednesday.
Hey everybody! The Nite Owl is super stoked to announce that we have (finally) passed all of our inspections and we will be open to the public Wednesday, December 10th!!! Can't wait to see all your lovely faces!!!
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Spent another night in Blackstone on Friday and have a couple observations to share.

Fist off I had dinner at MTC and there was a really good crowd walking around there, stopped in Brix for a min and every table was full. Kind of wished there was a "normal" bar to get after dinner drinks. Saints is decent, but I think a smaller booze only place would do well.

So we went up the street to Blackstone. Parking on the street was a no go, but there were actually a handful of open spots in the lot behind Mula. Pretty well lit back there which is nice.

One thing two people who aren't usual East Omaha visitors mentioned was how fast traffic was moving on Farnam. It will probably be a matter of time until someone gets hit crossing the street here. It would be nice if they added another light on 39th to help calm the speed some, sort of like all the lights in Benson. I know it would upset commuters off, but it really seems like it could be safer especially as the nightlife crowd picks up with all these new places opening.

Overall a very good night, I am loving having all these options around town. I can have a different vibe and experience every night if I want in the city. Very cool.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote:. . .  Kind of wished there was a "normal" bar to get after dinner drinks.  Saints is decent, but I think a smaller booze only place would do well.
What about the two lounges in Marcus Midtown? We go in there once in a while for a quieter, more laid back atmosphere. You know where a small group can hear one another talk.
My son got a 27 on his ACT. No this score is not as high as what Jeff's son achieved. But one has to remember the paternal gene-pool my son has to overcome. On a PGPAB [Paternal Gene-Pool Adjusted Basis], my son's score is a 37 and Jeff's son's PGPAB ACT score is 19.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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The Nite Owl is having a private opening party tonight that I'm hoping to make, I'll try and give a review before tomorrow.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by swgiust »

Really look forward to exploring this new area of the city. One major issue, PARKING SUCKS! Went to Mula last weekend and drove round and round. Somebody needs to plan better for this kind of area. These businesses will struggle because nobody can get to them.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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swgiust wrote:Really look forward to exploring this new area of the city. One major issue, PARKING SUCKS! Went to Mula last weekend and drove round and round. Somebody needs to plan better for this kind of area. These businesses will struggle because nobody can get to them.
With as well as the rest of this area has done recently, I am surprised that parking hasn't been addressed. I agree, this could kill this area.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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I wouldn't go so far as to say kill. These are surrounded by some of the densest areas of the city and near a major medical center. If this area was more than a block long I would worry more about parking short term but as of right now I think they will do well. I am a little curious how everything will play out when The Pella has 200 people in it though...

It would be wise to have a plan for the next 5 years though. There are far fewer spots here than Dundee or Benson which means if the area ramps up it will feel the crunch. A public parking garage would be great but who pays for it?
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GetUrban
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by GetUrban »

The Midtown Crossing parking garage is only about 5 blocks away. Too bad Mutual couldn't allow after-hours parking in some of their huge lots in the area.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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GetUrban wrote:Too bad Mutual couldn't allow after-hours parking in some of their huge lots in the area.
They let the Crescent Moon customers park in their lot...
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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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GetUrban wrote:The Midtown Crossing parking garage is only about 5 blocks away. Too bad Mutual couldn't allow after-hours parking in some of their huge lots in the area.
People in this city aren't even willing to walk 5 blocks to go to a baseball game. I doubt anyone would drive to MTC then walk to Blackstone.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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iamjacobm wrote:
GetUrban wrote:The Midtown Crossing parking garage is only about 5 blocks away. Too bad Mutual couldn't allow after-hours parking in some of their huge lots in the area.
People in this city aren't even willing to walk 5 blocks to go to a baseball game. I doubt anyone would drive to MTC then walk to Blackstone.
Yeah, Nite Owl, Oxide, Scriptown, and Mula are a little further west than I was thinking....probably a bit far from the MTC garage even in warm weather, but there are a lot of other surface lots in the area for Mutual or Nebraska Medicine (UNMC) that could be used in off-hours. What we really need is a frequent streetcar system on Farnam/Harney from UNMC to Old Market/DT.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by Habits76 »

Whenever I've gone to Brothers bar I always park in the Stoll's auto repair parking lot on the corner of 38th & Farnam. I've also parked in the lot behind the blackstone hotel and never had any issues.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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I went to the opening party for the "Nite Owl" last night and was very pleased with the place. The bar is a mix of booths and tables with a large wrap around sunken bar that will seat quite a few people. They have a small selection of cocktails and beers on tap along with some canned and bottled beers selection. I started out with a complimentary PBR and ordered a Nite Owl burger with torilla soup and everything tasted very good. I decided to have a cocktail after dinner and tried the Archetype which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think this is a great addition to the Blackstone area and adds a little different atmosphere than the other bars in the area.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Habits76 wrote:The bar is a mix of booths and tables with a large wrap around sunken bar that will seat quite a few people.
I have it on good authority that the large booth is from the old Ranch Bowl.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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frankt wrote:
Habits76 wrote:The bar is a mix of booths and tables with a large wrap around sunken bar that will seat quite a few people.
I have it on good authority that the large booth is from the old Ranch Bowl.
That is correct! Most all the furniture has been re purposed from my understanding.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Would you feel of of place just getting a table and having drinks? More restaurant or more bar that serves food?
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by GreenSlate »

Hi Friends! This is GreenSlate Development, one of the companies that is working to help develop the Blackstone District. I plan to jump on here frequently to help add more to the discussion. Today I wanted to chime in on parking. There are 3 lots available for parking after 4pm weekdays as well as all day on the weekends. These lots are all within a block of 40th and Farnam. Please see attached map for details :D


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iamjacobm
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Very cool to have you on the forum! Thanks for posting that, I had assumed the Med Center lots were off limits. Great to know they are open at night.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Thanks for that info! I hope you chime in more often!
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

Post by 4norsemen »

As an active member at First Presbyterian I am pleased to have found this forum. The possible renovation of the Colonial and progress at Stoll's is great news. Central Pres at 55th and Leavenworth has sold and it's congregation is merging with ours. So much talk about the District.
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Welcome 4norsemen! Didn't Central have a large daycare ministry? Moving to First Pres also? First has the labyrinth?
Edit - I guess first Congregational has the labyrinth in front...
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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Coyote, I do not believe Central Pres had a daycare ministry in the last year anyway. I am on the merger transition team. It certainly was not brought to the table. Happy to note that attendence is up at FPC perhaps 60% Today almost 90% compared to the Sunday before Christmas in 2013. We hope folks notice the beautifully redone Portico on the Farnam Street side that is now enclosed and has lights on all night brightening up that 34th to 35th street section of Farnam Street.

By the way... We are open on Sundays before noon. :lol:
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Re: Blackstone Business Improvement District

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With the church info posted, I'm not really "new". I actually tended bar at Jaspers in the mid eighties, enjoyed great evenings at Purcello's (The Moon) in the seventies,and lived 3 years in the Storz Mansion carriage house. Enjoyed great movies at the Admiral Theater and bought my first good stereo from the man who ran National Sound. Thats alot of Farnam Street for a Minne Lusa guy.
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