Omaha Forums

bigredmed wrote:

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.

Yes, and it definitely needs to be well secured, or |expletive| like this happens;

GetUrban wrote:

This isn't riverfront related but when did they tear down that tower that looks to be roughly 19th and Cuming?

Do you mean Burt Towers? https://youtu.be/thhnRGddacg here is a video of it going down.

Thanks for posting guys. I was wondering the same thing. I realized that wasn't there anymore either. I am surprised that we don't have any high rises like that or the Elmwood tower being constructed now.

Why was it torn down?

LOL! Lets clear up what looks to be drifting. The older photo shows the tower, The boatyard was NOT torn down. The towers were demolished sometime in 2003 If I recall correctly and is now the Creighton soccer field. Torn down because it was old and worn out.

vvindows10 wrote:LOL! Lets clear up what looks to be drifting. The older photo shows the tower, The boatyard was NOT torn down. The towers were demolished sometime in 2003 If I recall correctly and is now the Creighton soccer field. Torn down because it was old and worn out.

Who said the boatyard was torn down?

iamjacobm wrote:

GetUrban wrote:

This isn't riverfront related but when did they tear down that tower that looks to be roughly 19th and Cuming?

I found this aerial and it still shows the tower in it from 2001:

Now I remember that building. You would see it on the news in the CU Baseball highlights...

Isn't that that old |expletive| housing project that was raised?

Looks like that was the Burt Tower on 20th and Burt, which was demolished in 2003 to make way for Creighton dorms. I think it was elderly housing in the 70's and 80's.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/203721.html

Here's a video of the implosion

yard salad wrote:Looks like that was the Burt Tower on 20th and Burt, which was demolished in 2003 to make way for Creighton dorms. I think it was elderly housing in the 70's and 80's.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/203721.html

Here's a video of the implosion

That's it, kinda sucked to see it go it added some height to that area.

At least they replaced it with a nice stadium.

Well I wonder what this means? From the planning board agenda.


National Park Service Approval of a Major Amendment to the Mixed
Use District Development Agreement for
Gallup University Riverfront Campus
LOCATION: 601 Riverfront Drive

iamjacobm wrote:Well I wonder what this means? From the planning board agenda.


National Park Service Approval of a Major Amendment to the Mixed
Use District Development Agreement for
Gallup University Riverfront Campus
LOCATION: 601 Riverfront Drive

Probably going to paint the benches out back.

City moving forward with demolition of Storz Trophy Room

Alexandra Stone KETV reporter wrote:the city is gathering permits and planning to put the demolition out for bid in the next six weeks.

I always liked the look of the building itself, and it was fun being down on the river with a drink in your hand. After the Anchor closed, there hasnt really been an experience quite like it since, and Ricks was the closest to it. Hopefully something significant (entertainment related) goes in.

Great News!

thenewguy wrote:I always liked the look of the building itself, and it was fun being down on the river with a drink in your hand. After the Anchor closed, there hasnt really been an experience quite like it since, and Ricks was the closest to it. Hopefully something significant (entertainment related) goes in.

Yeah it was pretty cool when they were having the different festivals and concerts (pre-flooding) on the plaza in front of Rick's. After the floods, none of that stuff seemed to return.

We really need something again that embraces the river. I always liked sitting outside for lunch or drinks (even though the food at Rick's was very uneven, never went to Storz, was too pricey).

Greg

I wonder if they are considering of getting rid of some of the concrete down there. The story mentioned all the concrete and how it sits vacant but there are a few events that utilize it (Santa Lucia Festival, Taste of Omaha)

Obviously a couple of smaller buildings will probably do better at the site.

I thought they couldn't get rid of concrete cause its containing the led from the plant that was there before?

I am sure it wont happen, but this would be the time to kind of reset what we have down there and go big. Make Lot A a multi level parking garage with the top level being a green roof that stretches over the train tracks. That huge green space could open up the riverfront for apartment buildings and restaurant space and would actually connect the river to downtown. You could step out the front door of the new hotel at 10th and Capitol and walk across a park to the river.

iamjacobm wrote:I am sure it wont happen, but this would be the time to kind of reset what we have down there and go big. Make Lot A a multi level parking garage with the top level being a green roof that stretches over the train tracks. That huge green space could open up the riverfront for apartment buildings and restaurant space and would actually connect the river to downtown. You could step out the front door of the new hotel at 10th and Capitol and walk across a park to the river.

I thought that a park with underground parking was part of the original downtown master plan:

One can hope, they are going to have to make more parking stalls when Lot B goes away so maybe this can be kept in mind going forward.

iamjacobm wrote:I am sure it wont happen, but this would be the time to kind of reset what we have down there and go big. Make Lot A a multi level parking garage with the top level being a green roof that stretches over the train tracks. That huge green space could open up the riverfront for apartment buildings and restaurant space and would actually connect the river to downtown. You could step out the front door of the new hotel at 10th and Capitol and walk across a park to the river.

Great idea! You should email that to the mayor!

a) Dont email the mayor. The deck over a parking garage was in the downtown plan already

b) We dont need more parking if lot B goes away, however, dont worry MECA has your back.

Hopefully the new plans for the area make better use of valuable space much more worthy than a suburban restaurant building and giant open plains of concrete.

Seth wrote:Hopefully the new plans for the area make better use of valuable space much more worthy than a suburban restaurant building and giant open plains of concrete.

Word.

Seth wrote:Hopefully the new plans for the area make better use of valuable space much more worthy than a suburban restaurant building and giant open plains of concrete.

I dunno, with The Yard gone, I think we need a fenced off "event space".

Depending on costs, I would like to see a total and complete redo of this property, with dense, mixed use development, park land and event space. Right now it is desolate, and horribly underutilized.

nativeomahan wrote:Depending on costs, I would like to see a total and complete redo of this property, with dense, mixed use development, park land and event space. Right now it is desolate, and horribly underutilized.

That all depends on the boundaries of the Superfund Site. That's what's limiting development down there in the first place.

nativeomahan wrote:Depending on costs, I would like to see a total and complete redo of this property, with dense, mixed use development, park land and event space. Right now it is desolate, and horribly underutilized.

Don't forget there are limitations with this site. Mostly due to possible flooding.

I don't think a large development needs to go in every available space. This would be a great spot to do something that would be good for our visitors and family in Omaha. The existing building could have been kept as a city information center and event spot. Stay out of the river but we have the water available to make something like this. just as an idea.

Cities could create groups to manage riverfront development, under new legislation

Martha Stoddard - World-Herald Bureau wrote:Legislative Bill 806, would allow cities to create new entities called riverfront development authorities to coordinate and facilitate development efforts within designated riverfront areas. They could issue bonds and fund infrastructure projects with assessments on private property or occupation taxes within the riverfront district.

Coyote wrote:Cities could create groups to manage riverfront development, under new legislation

Martha Stoddard - World-Herald Bureau wrote:Legislative Bill 806, would allow cities to create new entities called riverfront development authorities to coordinate and facilitate development efforts within designated riverfront areas. They could issue bonds and fund infrastructure projects with assessments on private property or occupation taxes within the riverfront district.

Last thing we need is another unelected board like the MECA board.

Joe_Sovereign wrote:

Coyote wrote:Cities could create groups to manage riverfront development, under new legislation

Martha Stoddard - World-Herald Bureau wrote:Legislative Bill 806, would allow cities to create new entities called riverfront development authorities to coordinate and facilitate development efforts within designated riverfront areas. They could issue bonds and fund infrastructure projects with assessments on private property or occupation taxes within the riverfront district.

Last thing we need is another unelected board like the MECA board.

I tend to agree with you on this. In Omaha, it sounds like a role the Omaha Planning Dept. should already be playing. Details about how it would actually work, such as where does the "riverfront" boundary really start/stop are not mentioned in the article. Development along the riverfront is so intertwined with everything else going on in downtown and north downtown, it makes more sense for the planning dept to do its job and coordinate it. I agree we don't need another MECA-like entity ruling the riverfront.

I agree. There are enough existing frameworks for development authority, that I don't see the need for an entirely new one just because it's a "riverfront". It's makes more sense for it to fit in with a larger-scale plan for the adjacent downtown and north downtown area anyway.

I think that's a terrible idea. Granted some of these places may or may not have MECA-like organizations in place, but we don't need a third bureaucracy in place to stifle decisions. It's bad enough with MECA as it is. Ron Swanson wouldn't stand for this |expletive|.

Heritage Services appears to be leading the push for development along the river now. They're soliciting stakeholder input at this website: http://reimaginetheriverfront.com/