More loft condos

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:43 am

A developer is looking to create more loft condos on the south side of the Old Market. The conversion would be in the old warehouse building that houses the Passport Restaurant (across the street from Upstream Brewery).

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:03 pm

Again, Finn, more great news. I was just there Thursday night and thought it would be a great building for condos. I must remember to wear my tinfoil hat. That building also houses a bookstore, Big Brain tattoos and is across the street (southernly) from Upstream and Jones Street Art Gallery.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:00 pm

Wow Finn, you've made my day with these two announcements. Good news!

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:17 am

One word..

Nice!..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:42 am

From the OWH:

Floors above restaurant join list of condo projects in Old Market

BY DEBORAH SHANAHAN

The pace of condominium project announcements is prompting fresh looks at some long-empty spaces in Omaha's Old Market.

Developer Greg Mahloch of First Commercial Realty has architects, environmental consultants and contractors climbing stairs to check out the space above and below the Passport Restaurant, 1101 Jackson St. If everything pencils out, he plans to turn the building's top four floors into 24 to 36 condos and the basement into a parking garage.

This project would push to more than 700 the number of downtown condo units expected to come on line in the next couple of years. Eighty-five others are planned just west of downtown. Nearly 600 of the condos are new residences, with the rest conversions of existing apartments.

Mahloch previously announced plans to construct a 16-unit, five-story condo project on a parking lot at 12th and Jackson Streets. He said he has worked with city planners to revise his design to make it more modern and to include retail on the first floor. Construction could begin this summer, Mahloch said.

Mahloch was involved in a joint venture that built the Wild Oats center at 78th and Dodge Streets, and he developed the Saddle Creek Road and Cuming Street shopping center that originally featured an Albertson's supermarket.

The space above the Passport once housed farm implement and appliance businesses, but Mahloch said it has been empty for about 30 years. He took an option on the property this month for a price he said he agreed not to disclose and promptly posted a "Coming Soon Loft Condos" banner.

The building got his attention, Mahloch said, because of its views, thick concrete floors that would buffer noise between units and a location in the Old Market that would put residents close to Howard Street crowds but not in the middle of them.

"The Farmer's Market will be right across the street," he said.

Mahloch also is excited about 16-foot ceilings on the top floor and 12-foot ceilings on the lower floors. He said a wide alley would permit sunlight in on all sides of the building.

As with his other project, Mahloch said he expected to have buyers custom-design their spaces around kitchen and bath fixtures. The smallest unit, with alley views, probably would sell for $175,000, with the others going for more depending on size and location, he said.

City Planning Director Bob Peters said that while he hadn't seen any paperwork on Mahloch's latest proposal, the Passport building is among a handful of Old Market buildings that have upper floors that always have been "wonderful opportunities" for residential conversion. He mentioned those housing Crawdad's and Delice, the Bemis Bag building and the Iler building as others.

The Passport building would need to have some windows enlarged to bring the sill heights down, Peters said, but it "is one of the battleship buildings of the Old Market."

"It's fireproof and provides the opportunity for secured, enclosed parking," Peters said. "It's one of the few structures in the Old Market that provides that opportunity."

Mo Tajvar, owner of the Passport and two other Old Market restaurants, said a plan to use the upper floors of the Passport building was long overdue. He said he looked forward to the condos adding "more life to our corner of the street."

"At night, we're the only life on this side of the street," Tajvar said. "When you have condos, you have lights, traffic. It's awesome for us."

He said residents would find that it's a solid building with great views and a location that's not in the midst of noisy Old Market crowds "but just a step away from all the action."

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:54 am

Construction this summer!

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:24 pm

Nice.

Did you catch the tidbit on the Jackson Street project... I recall many complaining of the absence of street level retail/restaurants.

Mahloch previously announced plans to construct a 16-unit, five-story condo project on a parking lot at 12th and Jackson Streets. He said he has worked with city planners to revise his design to make it more modern and include retail on the first floor. Construction could begin this summer, Mahloch said.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:14 pm

Nice call Finn! Hope your other one is right.

Anyway I saw that little tid bit too. I wonder what modernizing the design of the Jackson st project...

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:49 pm

I really am begining to wonder who actually lurks here! *looks around suspiciously*

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:41 pm

What makes you wonder Swift?

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 9:03 pm

I always thought the Passport had apartments or condos above it already. Amazing how many warehouses down there are empty above street level. This is great but only 36 more condos.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 9:13 pm

It may be only 36, but they all add together over time. Remember how just a few months ago we were at 400, now 700+. It will be just a matter of time before we crack 1000. Hopefully it will be a single tower that gets us there

redfield · Post by **redfield** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 8:41 am

I can count over 800, just from what has been announced publicly.

Whats on the drawing boards right now will push us well over 1k.

Grocers take notice.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:05 am

Great announcement!!

It's actually really surprising....and appauling...that so many buildings in the Old Market still are not filled with residential. It's like, the ground floor has retail or restaurants, and then the upper floors are vacant or used for storage. WOW? It's like, where have Omaha's developers been for the last 30 years?

We have a lot of ground to make up, and we're off to a REALLY nice start so far. And I know there's TONS more to come.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:06 pm

It will be a very noticable differance in how many people will be in the OM. It's usually pretty full now but just imagine if all of the spaces in the immediate OM area were filled.