MAT & Greyhound Transit Center

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

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almighty_tuna
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MAT & Greyhound Transit Center

Post by almighty_tuna »

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u ... id=1213403


MAT-Greyhound joint center would lure retailers

BY MICHAEL O'CONNOR



WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Restaurants, retail stores and possibly a day-care center are among features being considered for a joint Greyhound-Metro Area Transit center proposed for the downtown area.

The goal is for the estimated $5 million center to become part of the economic revival of downtown, said Curt Simon, executive director of Metro Area Transit.

"We'd like to make it a destination," he said.

MAT will seek a developer that would attract retailers and other tenants for the joint center, which would have roughly 90,000 square feet, Simon said.

A location has not been selected, but MAT likely would consider sites roughly between 22nd and 30th Streets and Dodge and Leavenworth Streets, Simon said.

MAT hopes to start construction within the next two years, he said.

Kim Plaskett, spokeswoman for Greyhound Lines Inc., said the company has more than 100 joint centers across the country, and some have retailers and other services in them or nearby.

"It's not just about convenience," she said. "It's about amenities."

Plaskett said a good example is the Hawthorne Transportation Center in Minneapolis, which opened four years ago and is connected by the city's skyway system to restaurants and retailers. The center includes a terminal for Greyhound and public bus service.

Roger Humphries, president of Downtown Omaha Inc., said a new transit center that included retailers would provide a boost for downtown.

He said downtown residents need more retailers and similar services and the new center could help fill that gap.

Plaskett said Greyhound probably would close its existing terminal at 16th and Jackson Streets if a new transit center was built.

Humphries said that location would be good for residential or commercial development if Greyhound moved out.

Simon said MAT still needs to secure funding for the proposed center, complete negotiations with Greyhound and submit a feasibility study to the federal government.

About $2 million in federal funds has been earmarked for the project, Simon said. Along with more federal money, MAT would need local matching dollars.

The center would be a connection point between MAT's downtown circulator buses and other routes. The center also would offer access to taxis and airport shuttles.

Plaskett said the joint center would provide easy access for Greyhound riders who need to connect with public transportation.
A day-care center at a major transit stop?! This strikes me as an accident waiting to happen. The article makes a great point about the available space left by Greyhound if it vacates its current location.
DTO Luv
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Post by DTO Luv »

I hope they consider another location besides between 22nd and 30th. If it is supposed to be an attractive stop it should go closer the the core of DT. 16th and Jackson would be a nice place for the transit center since Greyhound is there already and it is closer to things around DT.
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StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

I absolutely agree, DTO. This is a classic example of MAT's use of contradictions. They tell the public they want it to be this "attraction" with retail, restaurants, etc., but they set themselves up for failure by puting it on the outskirts of downtown. Maybe they'll see the light before anything is finalized.

My only other gripe, is that they didn't even mention the fact that it would serve as more of a transit hub in the future as Omaha incorporates other forms of mass transit, such as light rail.
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DTO Luv
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Post by DTO Luv »

But it's not like their planning for rail either.
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Zephyr
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Post by Zephyr »

Yeah, I really don't consider "between 22nd and 30th Streets" downtown. But if they are still looking for funding and don't expect to start construction for another 2 years, I think we can expect 16th Street to remain the "transit mall" that it is for a while longer. Perhaps by then, things will change for the better.
Humphries said that location would be good for residential or commercial development if Greyhound moved out.
...or another expansion of the prison.
StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Well, I hope not another expansion of the prison. They should be MOVING it to a different location, not EXPANDING it where it is.

Anyway, I agree that the current spot where Greyhound is would make an excellent site for a residential development, possibly another mixed use tower. It's in a great location, anchoring the southern end of 16th Street in downtown, and just west of the Old Market.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
eomaha
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Post by eomaha »

I'm curious if someone is thinking this is going to be a Destination Midtown catalyst?

Of course it seems like the Burlington Station would be the perfect location for a transit station... as outlined in so many ways by Eric.

I too think the daycare center idea seems really odd.
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Zephyr
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Post by Zephyr »

I really like the idea of using the existing site at 16th and Jackson. The buses are already hubing along 16th and that would put it a lot closer to central downtown.
DTO Luv
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Post by DTO Luv »

22nd-30th is still DT but it's not what comes to mind like FNC or the OM area. I thought they were originally going to remake the 16th and Jackson station into something nicer. I don't know why they would move it. It's fine where it is.

If they want a daycare I imagine that they would go the extra mile to make it look nice for people kids. But who works in the West DT area to even use a daycare. Gallup has one onsite at their campus. MAT obviously is ran by people who don't have a clue about anything. Put the transit center closer to the businesses and attractions and it will live up to their dreams. Not out in a little used part of town.
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StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

DTO Luv wrote:MAT obviously is ran by people who don't have a clue about anything.
Haha, yeah.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
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