River's Edge Development (Playland Park)

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Tue May 26, 2009 11:02 pm

My family and I were there... the symphony sounded great, and I would guess 1,000 is probably about right ... we'll be at Mahler's 5th this Friday too at the Holland.

Harpoon · Post by **Harpoon** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:33 pm

World Herald wrote:Plans are moving forward for a large-scale public park on the Council Bluffs side. Bluffs officials recently hired the landscape architecture firm Sasaki - acclaimed for its work on Beijing's Olympic Green - for the project, Bluffs Parks Director Larry Foster said.

Construction is expected to begin next summer.

Officials have said the project could incorporate green space, recreation areas, housing and public art, though Foster said detailed plans for the riverfront aren't ready yet.

Sasaki was also involved in planning the future of the Metro CC campuses here a few years ago.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:12 am

Harpoon wrote:
World Herald wrote:Plans are moving forward for a large-scale public park on the Council Bluffs side. Bluffs officials recently hired the landscape architecture firm Sasaki - acclaimed for its work on Beijing's Olympic Green - for the project, Bluffs Parks Director Larry Foster said.

Construction is expected to begin next summer.

Officials have said the project could incorporate green space, recreation areas, housing and public art, though Foster said detailed plans for the riverfront aren't ready yet.
Sasaki was also involved in planning the future of the Metro CC campuses here a few years ago.

Another year?? Â damnnit.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:14 pm

I'm not sure if that year refers to the park itself (i.e. the land on the riverward side of the levee), or the entire project, housing and all.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:32 pm

Daily Nonpareil wrote: . . . The City Council Monday evening approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Tom Hanafan to submit an Iowa Great Places grant application to promote more tourism.

The River’s Edge project in the former Playland Park area was designated a 2007 Iowa Great Place, and the city received several hundred thousand dollars to help make it a bigger tourism site. The city learned additional money is available in the state program and thus supported a new application of around $260,000.

If approved, the money could be used to help build the landing area at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge . . . .

omaproud · Post by **omaproud** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:55 pm

There is construction equipment at the park. Â The trees, playground equipment, and fencing/parking are all in piles or gone.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:50 pm

So, what's the official status of this? It's gotten so convoluted. There have been city council approvals, announcements of the start of development within 6 months (that was almost a year ago), and an announcement saying work wouldn't start on the park (what about the mixed use development?) until NEXT summer. Now there are reports that equipment is on site and some sort of work has started.

WHAT'S GOING ON COUNCIL BLUFFS??????

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 2:12 pm

Hmmmm...... Great news if something is getting going now.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:31 pm

i was going to post that, too. Â They have a large fence put up in the park around where the old practice baseball diamond was, and a lot of the orange fencing put up around the perimeter of the whole park. Â You can't get off the trail and get into the park anymore without hopping the fence. Â It seems that every tree in the park has been uprooted (after being cut down). Â They definitely don't want any stumps/root systems in there. Â There were a few cranes in the park and i believe a bulldozer. Â Additionally, they have closed the road going around the park (40th street) that hooks up with avenue G. Â They have it torn up, look to be redoing the sewers, etc, but i don't know that the road will connect with 41st, with interstate access, like it did. Â They blocked off the parking to the park, too, and have more equipment parked there as well. Â I wish i had an "in" with the city so that i cold find out.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:46 am

Well, a few things in the last year or so threw wrinkles into the plans - the original plan called for a road through the levee to the river, but that had to be reconfigured, the City had to purchase so many acres of park land to replace the park land lost to the development due to some Federal regulations, the City has had to seek out additional grants and final financial arrangements have been hammered out. Â I think the last piece of the puzzle finally fell into place at the last council meeting when they approved a special taxing fund within the area that sets aside all property taxes for servicing debts on loans and bonds (as I understand it). Â The work we'll see this fall will be just to start getting the basic infrastructure in place for the development.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 1:28 pm

at least they are doing that now. I thought they weren't going to start doing anything at all until next year. Â Is the work they are doing on the sewers/streets directly to the east of River Park related to the infrastructure work for playland?

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:06 pm

Thanks for that info, Icejammer.

guitarguy · Post by **guitarguy** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:35 pm

Gosh I would love to see this eventually turn into a board walk type thing where there is a line of businesses right up next to the river that are connected by a large walk way... That would do wonders for the area when the CWS is in town.

-adam

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:54 pm

thenewguy wrote:at least they are doing that now. I thought they weren't going to start doing anything at all until next year. Is the work they are doing on the sewers/streets directly to the east of River Park related to the infrastructure work for playland?

I think the next year construction comment was directed more at the park riverward of the levee. Â But, things can always change, just hope things don't unravel between now and then.

I would assume the stuff going on east of River Park is all part of the effort.

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:05 am

So where is this replacement park located?

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:46 am

They've purchase several parcels of land for parks. Â One of the thread in here list a couple of the parcels. Â I think Valley View Park is one park that is going to be expanded because of this requirement.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:43 am

i am hoping that they have some sort of up-to-date announcement on the project soon in terms of housing/businesses. Â My wife and i will be looking to buy a bigger house in the next year to 2 years, and if they had the right types of homes there, it'd be a definite option. Â Living close to the bridge and trail would also be a plus.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:47 pm

there is a big pile of dirt in the middle of the park, and they had people down there grading the land. Â Seems that there is a lot going on, especially since they were working on a Sunday.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:32 am

Structural work in progress near Playland Park

. . .The Council Bluffs Public Works Department is installing a storm sewer from that area to the Missouri River, plus elevating the dry side of the river levee with 120,000 cubic yards of dirt, said Director Greg Reeder.

“There’s a plan for future development and the plan requires elevation,” he said.

Workers are also renovating a pump station at Second Avenue and 35th Street, plus extending a sanitary sewer there to the Playland Park neighborhood, Reeder said. . . .

It’s hoped that all this work will be completed by winter, he said. Next spring, depending on funding, the continued plan calls for several blocks of paved streets, including from Interstate 480 to Avenue B and a street going east to west, Gross said.

While the city would listen to proposals for commercial and retail shops there, Gross said, it appears the most of the development would be of mixed residential uses, including condos, apartments as well as single-family homes.

“I would like to see private development start in the summer of 2010,” Gross said. “It would be implemented in phases over a number of years.”

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:15 pm

While the city would listen to proposals for commercial and retail shops there, Gross said, it appears the most of the development would be of mixed residential uses, including condos, apartments as well as single-family homes.

I'm glad to see work progressing on this. But I hope CB realizes that there NEEDS to be a mix of commercial, retail, and residential for it to really anchor the IA side of the bridge.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:15 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:
While the city would listen to proposals for commercial and retail shops there, Gross said, it appears the most of the development would be of mixed residential uses, including condos, apartments as well as single-family homes.
I'm glad to see work progressing on this. But I hope CB realizes that there NEEDS to be a mix of commercial, retail, and residential for it to really anchor the IA side of the bridge.

I think they do...the only problem i could see is them saying that we've reached our saturation point right now in terms of attracting new business. Â However, i still think this would be a perfect spot for a Joe's Crab Shack, maybe a pub, bicycle shop, and an ice cream parlor.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:40 am

The park is nearly completely torn up, with the exception of a few spots with grass still visible. Â There is quite a bit of construction equipment down there, and there is a large square hole to the right of the on ramp, with a steel container inside it. Â It's exciting to see something going on, rather than a big, inactive, empty field.

Post by **Brad** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:00 am

Huge pieces of RCP down there too.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:32 am

They're putting in storm sewer outfall thru the levee to the river.

OmahaBen · Post by **OmahaBen** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:30 am

icejammer wrote:They're putting in storm sewer outfall thru the levee to the river.

Yeah, while I'm happy to see the work going on...

I'd just like to thank the Iowa Roads Dept. and the city of Council Bluffs for closing the I-29 North to I-480 bridge and East-West roads on both sides of that intersection at the same time. That's really helpful trying to get from my apartment to work every day, and especially so in the mornings when all the traffic heading into Omaha gets off at the Harrah's exit and guns it through intersections by my apartment complex to hit the on-ramp by the park without looking.

Really guys, thanks for co-ordinating your work so well. Nothing like diverting two lanes of interstate traffic onto a now one-lane side street (yeah yeah, your official detour doesn't do that. Of course, no one is using the official detour that requires going 2 miles out of their way and then 2 miles back when there are local roads heading directly where they want to go) and forcing people who want to go the other direction to go 5 minutes out of their way.

Really guys, nice planning all around. Along with Omaha's plan of working on portions of every major East-West artery at the same time, you guys really know your ****.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:47 pm

they are getting ready to work on the sewers & storm drains; there are quite a few concrete conduits on site and ready to go.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:13 pm

i couldn't tell very well while driving, but it appeared that they were doing work on the river side of the levee, too. Â It looked to me like there were some big piles of dirt, but i caught only a passing glimpse of it from 480 into council bluffs.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:21 pm

Icejammer said they were building an outfall so this big pieces or RCP will go all the way to the river.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:19 pm

What is RCP short for, for those of us not in the sewer drafting profession?

Post by **Brad** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:24 pm

the1wags wrote:What is RCP short for, for those of us not in the sewer drafting profession?

Re-enforced Concrete Pipe.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:26 pm

I assumed the last two correctly.

SaOmaha · Post by **SaOmaha** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:04 pm

Yesterday afternoon, a friend and I hiked across Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to Playland Park and back. Â I saw dirt being moved for River Edge Development – no photo because I didn’t have a camera with me. Â I visited with a family that walked to east side of Playland Park and learned that children’s playground is still there.

It will be interesting to what will be built there next year.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:55 am

in the paper, they said they still didn't have the developer decided yet, and that it should be determined in the next few months. Â The question is this: does the developer have any input on the design, or will be be solely decided by the city of council bluffs? Â If it is based on what the city wanted entirely, would the plans already be in place and just need to be executed? (and able to show the public) Â We have all seen the master plan, but i guess i'd like to know if that's for sure what it will be, or if there are variations. Â Blue prints would be nice.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:19 pm

Preliminary work under way for Playland development

. . . Workers are updating a storm sewer there plus adding dirt in the area to raise its elevation, she said.

“When we adopted our Playland Park master plan, one concept was to raise the elevation of that parcel so that it would be more even with the levee,” Brown said.

If not for the elevation, ground-level offices, for example, would look up at the nearby levee, she added. . . .

It’s hoped this phase can be completed by the end of the year or early 2010.

A developer for the actual construction of homes and commercial buildings has not yet been chosen, Brown said.

To answer thenewguy's question, no, the developer will propose design. Â The city will have the right to disapprove if it does not meet substantially with the master plan for the area.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:00 pm

This should indirectly help the River's Edge development by "cleaning up" some of the less attractive properties near the proposed site, as well as possibly be used directly for the River's Edge work.

City approves Playland Park redevelopment

Re-development of the Playland Park area got a boost by the Council Bluffs City Council Monday evening.

On a 3 to 0 vote – with council members Darren Bates and Lynne Branigan absent – the council gave the go-ahead for Mayor Tom Hanafan to execute all the paperwork to accept a $475,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help pay for a combination of re-development needs, according to the Community Development Department.

These needs would include single-family rehab and new construction, acquisition of some single-family properties, blight removal and site development. . . .

Post by **Brad** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:16 pm

And hopefully better access to the site from the east...

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 2:32 pm

i'd love to see the proposals.

OmahaBen · Post by **OmahaBen** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:39 pm

Brad wrote:And hopefully better access to the site from the east...

That's dependent on the Interstate reconstruction plans throughout Council Bluffs. Last I saw their were two proposed plans, both of which would clean up access to streets in the area. But I believe the I-29/I-480 interchange is part of Phase IV of the plan, which means it won't get done for years.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:02 pm

Well may be a lot of good signage until then...

OmahaBen · Post by **OmahaBen** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:57 pm

Brad wrote:Well may be a lot of good signage until then...

http://www.iowadot.gov/cbinterstate/index.asp

Yeah, the I-480/I-29 project is phase IV, and is postponed indefinitely due to the budget. Phase 1 is currently being done (the Missouri River bridge and interstate expansion on the Omaha side of the river). Phases 2-3 are the parts of the Interstate where I-29 and I-80 come together through Council Bluffs. Currently in the design and planning stages, scheduled to start construction in earnest in 2-3 years.