Omaha Forums

Habits76 wrote: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.

Nite Owl is definitely a unique place. Sunken bar is awesome, really prohibits crowding around the bar. $3 dollar Coors Banquet tall boy is something I can get behind and they were out of it the other night, but they have Lone Star tall boys on the menu and I have never seen Lone Star in Omaha. Really not a great craft beer selection, but that doesn't seem like their goal. Pretty solid cocktail menu including one on tap. I just ordered the Tot-chos which is basically nachos with tots instead of chips and I added chorizo. It was prefect for 12:30 at night.

They also have projector and play a midnight movie every night. It is just on silent, but kind of a different vibe. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! was on the screen when I was there.

Tif for the two apartment buildings going before the Planning Board at their first meeting of the new year.

Corkscrew has their signage up.

iamjacobm wrote: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.

Modeshift made similar comments about the Blackstone fixes.

Why isn't this ADA? Would of been way easier to do it first rather than coming back in to tear it up in a year.


This is 39th and Farnam, which as I mentioned is going to have a pedestrian getting hit eventually. They should of at least put in a light for pedestrians to hit.

iamjacobm wrote:Why isn't this ADA?  Would of been way easier to do it first rather than coming back in to tear it up in a year.

Did the city do that? That's very interesting if they did...

Although it's confusing for a lifelong Farnam driver, the east view of that stretch is surprisingly urban. These new buildings (as long as not too many existing structures are demolished) will create a rather dense feel. Parking may be an issue, but this will be the first neighborhood to truly benefit from adequate mass transit.

https://twitter.com/BensonBrewery/statu ... 2788756480

Tweeted out that they are starting planning on their Blackstone location!!

iamjacobm wrote: Why isn't this ADA?  Would of been way easier to do it first rather than coming back in to tear it up in a year.

Looks to me like a quick patch job, maybe even after repairing a utility. The cost of slapping down a sidewalk patch like that is probably on the order of $1000, vs $10,000 or more for a full curb rebuild, etc.

The bar at Corkscrew.

iamjacobm wrote:

Coyote wrote: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.

401 S. 41st will be a "Red Cactus", Matthew Mullen being behind the project.

Coyote wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:

Coyote wrote: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.

401 S. 41st will be a "Red Cactus", Matthew Mullen being behind the project.

More residential development is crucial to seeing this neighborhood take off. The work that the Greenslate Development folks are doing with the townhomes on Harney looks like it will be a great rehab of those townhomes.

Coyote wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:

Coyote wrote: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.

401 S. 41st will be a "Red Cactus", Matthew Mullen being behind the project.

Hi all- to clarify, Matt Mullen currently owns the property, but Greenslate Development in partnership with Clarity Development will be developing both 401 S 41st and 3824 Farnam via 3824 Farnam LLC. We expect work on both projects to start in April of 2015.

Thanks!

Coyote wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:

Coyote wrote: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.

401 S. 41st will be a "Red Cactus", Matthew Mullen being behind the project.

What is Red Cactus?

Red Cactus LLC is the legal entity that currently owns the property, but Greenslate and Clarity have it under contract through 3824 Farnam LLC to purchase from Red Cactus LLC in order to do the development.

Thanks for the clarification. I just saw that Red Cactus had submitted site plans last week and thought something had changed...

Nice addition to the Blackstone on the street lights.

I really want to see this area succeed. But I cannot believe the continued building and the lack of parking. Can somebody give me directions? My wife and I have been through twice and just kept on going because we could not find a place to park. People on this forum seem to be in the know with some of the owners. What is the logic here?? Open a bar that nobody can get too?? Or is there a parking lot that I am missing?

Green Slate also presented at the neighborhood meeting last night. Conceptual renderings for the Stoll's lot and the corner of 41st and Harney project were shared. Both looked very cool, particularly the project for the Stoll's lot. The lot will be occupied by two buildings with a courtyard between them. The building facing Farnam street will have street level retail and studio apartments above. The building immediately to the north (courtyard in between the two) will have studio and one bedroom apartments. The courtyard will be for tenants and patio space for the businesses. Alley Poyner designed.

3824 Farnam LLC

Five story 49710 sf building with 52 residential units, 4320 sf ground floor office/commercial space, 19 garage and 13 on street parking stalls, and indoor/outdoor bike storage facility.

3824 Farnam LLC - 401 S. 41st St.
Four story 42,195 sf 39 residential units, 19 garage and 6 street parking stalls, with indoor/outdoor bike storage facility.

3824 Farnam:

Coyote wrote:3824 Farnam LLC

Five story 49710 sf building with 52 residential units, 4320 sf ground floor office/commercial space, 19 garage and 13 on street parking stalls, and indoor/outdoor bike storage facility.

That looks like an excellent site plan. Filling in the surface parking fronting Farnam is going to make that stretch feel much more walkable.

Another redevelopment in the works, this one for the former McFoster's Café lot. A local business that will be opening a second location. Sorry I can't divulge more...

Ben wrote:Another redevelopment in the works, this one for the former McFoster's Café lot.  A local business that will be opening a second location.  Sorry I can't divulge more...

So when you say lot that means the building goes away?

Corkscrew opened the other day. They had the head chef from Railcar Modern Kitchen consult on their food menu for the new location.

They have some pictures on their facebook.

iamjacobm wrote:

Ben wrote:Another redevelopment in the works, this one for the former McFoster's Café lot.  A local business that will be opening a second location.  Sorry I can't divulge more...

So when you say lot that means the building goes away?

I really hope not. The building and McFosters are part of what makes the neighborhood interesting.

iamjacobm wrote:

Ben wrote:Another redevelopment in the works, this one for the former McFoster's Café lot.  A local business that will be opening a second location.  Sorry I can't divulge more...

So when you say lot that means the building goes away?

I haven't personally seen the plans, so to be honest, not entirely sure. Knowing this business, and their original location, which was a remodel of a historic building (which they tried to carefully pay homage to this piece of Omaha history), they might actually renovate/restore the existing structure onsite.

Don't forget though, McFoster's wasn't what that building was designed as, it was originally a gas station. So it'll be interesting to see if they do go the restoration route, which era they stay true to.

I'm kind of torn on McFosters. It's a neat building that I'd like to see stay, but I also don't mind the idea of building a new and trying to hide the parking a little bit more.

ShawJ wrote:I'm kind of torn on McFosters. It's a neat building that I'd like to see stay, but I also don't mind the idea of building a new and trying to hide the parking a little bit more.

I would like to see them take the handful of stalls out from in front of the building and do a cool patio or somehig like that.

It's going to be a bank. The former owner one of the dirtiest hippies I've ever seen got $405k for the property.

The building itself was a gas station on the old Lincoln highway. That and Tom Goster used to supply the Franklin sex parties with their narcotics. So it has a lot of history to this city. That said doze it, start over, I can vouch those hippies soiled that place beyond repair.

Dundee Bank maybe?

I still think it would make a nice conversion. The exterior is still very intact, and the interior would need to be gutted for pretty much any new use anyway. The parking in front does take a lot away from it, though. All in all, I hope it's renovated, but if it's demolished and replaced with a nice sidewalk-fronted building on the corner, I won't feel bad.

Pulp Boutique is about to open to the west of Nite Owl:

Paperie and Gifts in the Blackstone :: Opening February 2015
Express yourself and enrich personal connections in a memorable and distinctive way with our ink and paper created by independent designers and produced by artisinal methods. Our sophisticated and stylish selection of gifts, decor, jewelry and sundries are made in the USA with an emphasis on sustainable practices and social giving.

I'd say this neighborhood has officially hit hipster/yuppy status.

Seth wrote:I'd say this neighborhood has officially hit hipster/yuppy status.

You say that like its a bad thing...ha!

In all seriousness I think its great to see new/unique shops opening up in this neighborhood. These are the kinds of shops that you see in thriving urban neighborhoods in cities like Portland or Minneapolis. The focus by the developers on local/unique/non-chain shops and restaurants as tenants will help to create a vibrant neighborhood. These local/unique shops and restaurants are the kind that develop loyal followings which is crucial for neighborhoods like the Blackstone to really take hold. One man's "yuppy" is another's "unique".

I would think that a place like Pulp would find a better home at a place with more foot traffic, or better parking. I don't see it as a destination retailer (maybe I am completely wrong on this..) but a place you sort of just wander into...

Coyote wrote:I would think that a place like Pulp would find a better home at a place with more foot traffic, or better parking. I don't see it as a destination retailer (maybe I am completely wrong on this..) but a place you sort of just wander into...

I agree that Pulp seems like a place that people will wander into, and I suppose I see the Blackstone becoming a neighborhood with increasing foot traffic. It is still a (relatively) newly redeveloped area and people are still figuring out what kind of neighborhood it is. While there will be people going to the Blackstone for dinner on a Friday night and treating it as a destination (a recognition of the appeal of a neighborhood like this), I think with the proximity to the med center, Kiewit, Mutual of Omaha, Midtown Crossing, and with residential properties around that this neighborhood is also positioned to be a walkable area for residents of the area. Especially as redevelopment moves south to Harney, east to connect with Midtown Crossing, and west to connect to the Med Center. In my opinion one of the biggest obstacles to this area having that "main street" feel is how busy Farnam is. I don't really think parking is a concern in this area as there is a rather large lot just north of the Mula/Archetype/Scriptown building.

iamjacobm wrote:

Coyote wrote:The Craigslist help wanted adds for Mula mentioned a coffee shop in the neighborhood. Jacob, you are filling in a few blanks spaces today!

Found another one!

16 apartments going into this building.  They will take the awnings off the front and punch windows in the west side of it.

Requested $300K in tax credits due to the Historic Tax Credit program.