Missouri River Commons (Riverfront Development)

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

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bigredmed
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by bigredmed »

iamjacobm wrote:The reason it is all concrete was to cap the contaminated soil making the whole thing grass would be incredibly expensive.
When they built HOA and CAG's campus, they found the contaminated soil was far deeper than expected and much more expensive than planned.
Midwestern
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by Midwestern »

Realistically, there just simply is no financially feasible way to make our riverfront "great". There just isn't. The train track runs right on the edge. The Lewis & Clark portion is on contaminated soil. There is an elevated interstate cutting through the middle.

But it's the truth. It would take a TON of money to do stuff that would make the riverfront great. It's not happening anytime soon. I'd rather we focus on better connectivity between downtown and HOA Park for now.
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GetUrban
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by GetUrban »

Here's some more basic info about the "cap" over the contaminated soil...
http://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/asarco- ... emediation

....and also a brief description from another source on what was done....

Lewis and Clark Landing is being developed on the site of the former Asarco lead smelter/refinery. Constructed in the early 1870s, the facility refined lead bullion and lead dross. The site is being landscaped to include a walking/biking trail, boardwalk, riverfront walking area and parking lots. A restaurant proposed for the site would overlook the river.

Wood and metal components and some brick from the former buildings at the site were hauled off-site for reuse, recycling or disposal. Most of the remaining brick, concrete, and excavated soil were placed in a lined fill area on-site. The entire location has been covered with a multi-layer protective capping system, with the top layer composed of either clean soil seeded to grass, or concrete. An armored coating to prevent contact with the site soils is protecting the bank of the Missouri River.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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GetUrban
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by GetUrban »

Here's some more detailed info about what can and cannot be built on the Lewis & Clark site...

http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/xsp/.ibm ... hanism.pdf
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by RNcyanide »

GetUrban wrote:Here's some more detailed info about what can and cannot be built on the Lewis & Clark site...

http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/xsp/.ibm ... hanism.pdf
Well, |expletive|...
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by swgiust »

Why is there such a huge rush to develop this property? Doesn't endless development eventually hurt the businesses that are already here? How about focusing on what we already have and make it better.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by bigredmed »

swgiust wrote:Why is there such a huge rush to develop this property? Doesn't endless development eventually hurt the businesses that are already here? How about focusing on what we already have and make it better.
You need to do something with the existing structure. Frankly, a lot of the people here have grandiosity issues. We are basically not going to have anything big on that space as the ground beneath it can't be disturbed. But figuring out how to get something into that building that is successful has been a challenge. The first tenant was so uneven that you just couldn't trust it. The second started off a craft brewery that made crappy beer. Once they got their beer fixed, the rest of their menu was way too high end to attract people. They then started getting weird. Bye-bye Storz.

The place needs to be a force. It should be one thing that is open late into the night. Not just a bar, but food as well. I go there for an event, I don't want to eat arena food. I finish the event and am hungry. I find myself having to drive out of downtown to find a place that serves more than bar food. This location could be the food till 2-3 am place.
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GetUrban
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by GetUrban »

swgiust wrote:Why is there such a huge rush to develop this property? Doesn't endless development eventually hurt the businesses that are already here? How about focusing on what we already have and make it better.
After nearly 5 years of failure with the demise of Rick's and the poor management of Storz, it's finally time for something successful to go in. They'll most likely need to work within the existing footprint of the current building, utilizing existing utilities, infrastructure, etc., whether they divide it up into smaller businesses or find a major destination attraction such as Hard Rock Cafe remains to be seen. I think you can rule out any residential or office ever going in, unless they get the lead out first....not much chance of that. As mentioned before, by others too... the city needs to also focus on making L&C Landing a more attractive seasonal venue.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by HskrFanMike »

I think the city might be better off finding a dive bar operator who can make this a low-end destination like the old Freedom Inn or Surfside. Stop trying to make money on it, and just make it a fun destination. The limitations with what was there before are going to prevent you from truly developing this spot to it's greatest potential, so do what you can with it.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by MadMartin8 »

What was on this land before Rick's?
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nebugeater
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by nebugeater »

MadMartin8 wrote:What was on this land before Rick's?

Haz Waste
For the record  NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER    !!!!!!!
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iamjacobm
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by iamjacobm »

One of the largest lead plants on the planet.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by MadMartin8 »

iamjacobm wrote:One of the largest lead plants on the planet.

Bring it back, we'll call it Leadville Canyon.
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Brad
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by Brad »

Storz Trophy Room space should be torn down, Stothert says

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/storz-t ... c21b5.html
Roseann Moring / World-Herald staff writer wrote:But she said she believes the 19,000-square-foot riverfront space is too big and too isolated.

The structure also has several problems, the mayor said, including issues with plumbing, a rotten deck and a bad odor.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by Coyote »

:clap:
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by bigredmed »

With these issues made public, and there are likely more that have not been discovered, but will be once the tradesmen get in there, she is correct. Lets be done with it and think about smaller stuff. I still look at the OM and MTC and see a big hole. The late night post-opera, symphony, ball game crowd that doesn't want bar food and doesn't want arena food is pretty boned when it comes to eating after the event. Most events end at 10 and most of the OM and MTC has either shut down or limited their kitchens by then or serve bar food.

Add in the frequency of inbound flights getting in at 9:45-11pm and people being still hungry even after the sumptuous meals served on their airplanes, and you would get a reasonable number of people who would serve as a market base.

A small place that served normal food and could stay open 24/7 or at least serving till MN, could be a nice add for Omaha.
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Brad
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by Brad »

Jeff from Silicon Prairie sent me this photo yesterday. An I noticed something very interesting...

Is it just me or does it look like all the contaminated soil is in the that big mass west of the road? I know you can't exactly see contamination, but from this photo, it looks like a big liner around the edge and the rest of the soil look like clean clay soil.

If my theory is correct, the bad soil is under the parking on the west side of the road, which could leave the Ricks/Storz site open for development?

Thoughts?

Image

RED = contaminated soil
GREEN = Ricks/Storz
Image
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GetUrban
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by GetUrban »

I think what you're seeing in that photo is the clean clay soil they hauled-in and placed over the geo-cap after it was in-place.

The Asarco plant covered the whole area in several buildings...Seems I read the contamination went all the way to the river, requiring containment along the river bank also.

Image
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by MTO »

GetUrban wrote:I think what you're seeing in that photo is the clean clay soil they hauled-in and placed over the geo-cap after it was in-place.

The Asarco plant covered the whole area in several buildings...Seems I read the contamination went all the way to the river, requiring containment along the river bank also.

Image

Holy śhit things have changed!
15-17, 26, 32
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Coyote
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by Coyote »

MTO wrote:Holy śhit things have changed!
Brings back memories... driving from the airport to downtown, the bridge over the RR tracks past Asarco, dumping you at an intersection which nobody knew where to turn after that... Welcome to Omaha. ..
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skinzfan23
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by skinzfan23 »

Yeah just a little:
Image
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by NovakOmaha »

Before all the development the view to and from the airport was pretty depressing. Visitors got that view. Sometimes I'd take the north freeway just to have newcomers see something other than the asarco plant and the gas storage farm. On some days you also got a wiff of a pretty foul smell, just for icing on the cake.
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Brad
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by Brad »

Here is one where I was trying to find a new photo of that before photo I posted earlier. (sorry, twitter has some weird compression going on with this).
Image
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GetUrban
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by GetUrban »

Looks much nicer now than pre-1997. :-) ....still, you can't tell me there isn't enough parking down there. 90% is paved with roads or parking. We need more buildings, dammit!
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by daveoma »

Wow, that place used to be UGLY! I remember the smell. It was the smell of heavy metals, like rusted batteries mixed with iron oxide...blech! Omaha was much grittier back then. I'm so happy it looks beautiful now.

It would be great if the contamination was isolated but I remember also that the clean soil overlays contaminated soil.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by iamjacobm »

It is too bad there wasn't foresight a decade ago to create something like this. We spent ~$50 million on the park and bridge and just said it will work itself out.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by Garrett »

Well, now is as good of a time as any. Cities have been going back to the river for a good 20 years now, and we just got access back to a huge chunk of it between Storz and The-Corporation-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. When life gives your lemons... Make a lemon-drop.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by iamjacobm »

Garrett wrote:Well, now is as good of a time as any. Cities have been going back to the river for a good 20 years now, and we just got access back to a huge chunk of it between Storz and The-Corporation-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. When life gives your lemons... Make a lemon-drop.
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by nativeomahan »

bigredmed wrote:With these issues made public, and there are likely more that have not been discovered, but will be once the tradesmen get in there, she is correct. Lets be done with it and think about smaller stuff. I still look at the OM and MTC and see a big hole. The late night post-opera, symphony, ball game crowd that doesn't want bar food and doesn't want arena food is pretty boned when it comes to eating after the event. Most events end at 10 and most of the OM and MTC has either shut down or limited their kitchens by then or serve bar food.

Add in the frequency of inbound flights getting in at 9:45-11pm and people being still hungry even after the sumptuous meals served on their airplanes, and you would get a reasonable number of people who would serve as a market base.

A small place that served normal food and could stay open 24/7 or at least serving till MN, could be a nice add for Omaha.
What exactly makes food "normal"? Unprocessed? Organic?
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by RNcyanide »

nativeomahan wrote:
bigredmed wrote:With these issues made public, and there are likely more that have not been discovered, but will be once the tradesmen get in there, she is correct. Lets be done with it and think about smaller stuff. I still look at the OM and MTC and see a big hole. The late night post-opera, symphony, ball game crowd that doesn't want bar food and doesn't want arena food is pretty boned when it comes to eating after the event. Most events end at 10 and most of the OM and MTC has either shut down or limited their kitchens by then or serve bar food.

Add in the frequency of inbound flights getting in at 9:45-11pm and people being still hungry even after the sumptuous meals served on their airplanes, and you would get a reasonable number of people who would serve as a market base.

A small place that served normal food and could stay open 24/7 or at least serving till MN, could be a nice add for Omaha.
What exactly makes food "normal"? Unprocessed? Organic?
Something that can be appreciated by every palate. Nothing extraordinary, but something more interesting than bar/pub food. No one will want to walk to the middle of nowhere to get mediocre food.
When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will.

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bigredmed
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Re: Storz Trophy Room Grill & Brewery (Rick's Boatyard)

Post by bigredmed »

RNcyanide wrote:
nativeomahan wrote:
bigredmed wrote:With these issues made public, and there are likely more that have not been discovered, but will be once the tradesmen get in there, she is correct. Lets be done with it and think about smaller stuff. I still look at the OM and MTC and see a big hole. The late night post-opera, symphony, ball game crowd that doesn't want bar food and doesn't want arena food is pretty boned when it comes to eating after the event. Most events end at 10 and most of the OM and MTC has either shut down or limited their kitchens by then or serve bar food.

Add in the frequency of inbound flights getting in at 9:45-11pm and people being still hungry even after the sumptuous meals served on their airplanes, and you would get a reasonable number of people who would serve as a market base.

A small place that served normal food and could stay open 24/7 or at least serving till MN, could be a nice add for Omaha.
What exactly makes food "normal"? Unprocessed? Organic?
Something that can be appreciated by every palate. Nothing extraordinary, but something more interesting than bar/pub food. No one will want to walk to the middle of nowhere to get mediocre food.
Yes
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PotatoeEatsFish
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by PotatoeEatsFish »

Tear down Storz and put the boats from that one park there.
#SaveTheUglyGrainSilos2024
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by RNcyanide »

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:Tear down Storz and put the boats from that one park there.
That's actually not a bad idea.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by Bosco55David »

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:Tear down Storz and put the boats from that one park there.
You mean Freedom Park? The place where the only two ships of their kind still in existence are displayed, a long with many other military artifacts?

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bigredmed
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by bigredmed »

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:Tear down Storz and put the boats from that one park there.
Considering the statues on the west side of that street, that might work if you could correctly engineer the support structures given the cap over the contaminated soil.
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by PotatoeEatsFish »

Bosco55David wrote:
PotatoeEatsFish wrote:Tear down Storz and put the boats from that one park there.
You mean Freedom Park? The place where the only two ships of their kind still in existence are displayed, a long with many other military artifacts?
The park looks run down in all the pictures. I bet you most people don't know where those boats even are, putting them on the riverfront would make Omaha stand out from the crowd.
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PotatoeEatsFish
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by PotatoeEatsFish »

I created a Facebook account just to message Freedom park's page :lol:
#SaveTheUglyGrainSilos2024
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by PotatoeEatsFish »

https://www.change.org/p/jene-city-of-o ... m=copyLink

Please sign and share with your friends!
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Re: Riverfront Development (Rick's & Storz area)

Post by Bosco55David »

PotatoeEatsFish wrote:
Bosco55David wrote:
PotatoeEatsFish wrote:Tear down Storz and put the boats from that one park there.
You mean Freedom Park? The place where the only two ships of their kind still in existence are displayed, a long with many other military artifacts?
The park looks run down in all the pictures. I bet you most people don't know where those boats even are, putting them on the riverfront would make Omaha stand out from the crowd.
The park looks run down because it was damn near wiped out in the 2011 flood and they've spent the last few years putting everything back together and they just recently opened to the public again.

I'm actually not opposed to moving the park to a more prominent location, but I doubt it will happen after all the money was spent repairing the current park.
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