Keystone development back to the courts?

[Coyote]

Keystone final vote rests with Thompson

The controversial Keystone housing development might not clear its final City Council hurdle Tuesday.

The project's developer, the Omaha Housing Authority, needs five votes on two of three issues for construction to move forward after three years of waiting.

Votes among the seven council members appear to be four yeses, two nos and one familiar maybe.

Councilman Franklin Thompson provided the fifth "yes" vote the last time around, in January, but it was conditional.

He hinged his approval on several features he wants added to the 41-home development OHA proposes building at 87th and Boyd Streets.

OHA has changed one corner lot but so far doesn't plan to comply with Thompson's other requests to add a playground, fencing and decorative lighting.

Thompson said he is disappointed but remains open to negotiation.

"I'm looking for OHA to give me a counteroffer," Thompson said. "I believe the citizens do want to have some upgrades."

Brad Ashford, OHA's executive director, declined to comment except to say the matter is in the council's hands.

If the council rejects the project, the case could land back in court. Mayor Mike Fahey and others have said the city could face millions of dollars in losses, including OHA's investment of $1.5 million, $4 million in federal tax credits and up to $11 million the city receives annually in federal housing grant dollars. Some have disputed whether that would happen.

City Attorney Paul Kratz sent Fahey a memo stating Thompson's requests are irrelevant to two of the issues before the council: rezoning and the final plat.

The final plat, he noted, simply deals with lot sizes and placement and street configuration. The rezoning would allow less-dense housing than was previously acceptable.

Kratz said Thompson's conditions are arguably relevant to the amended planned-unit development. But that issue requires only four votes for approval.

The city is operating under a consent decree after a legal settlement last year that ended an OHA lawsuit in federal court. OHA sued the city under fair housing laws when the Keystone development failed last spring.

The five-year consent decree let OHA make its pitch again. Other terms include a requirement that council members give affordable-housing developments the same consideration as any other development and that they tie their opposition to specific land-use reasons.

Thompson said he's concerned about legal ramifications but says the OHA plan, as is, doesn't show a workable compromise.

"Negotiations do not mean their way or the highway," he said, referring to OHA.

If Thompson votes against the Keystone development, called Crown Creek, he would join Councilmen Dan Welch and Chuck Sigerson.

Welch said he remains opposed because of land-use concerns but declined to specify what they were.

Sigerson, long an opponent, has raised a number of concerns, from density to project cost.

Councilmen Frank Brown, Jim Vokal, Marc Kraft and Garry Gernandt support the OHA development. Brown is the chairman of the OHA board.

Kraft said Thompson's suggestions, particularly for a fence, might create more difference - and therefore more separation - between OHA homes and existing houses in Keystone.

"I find the fence offensive," Kraft said.

[DTO Luv]

HOLY |expletive|!! STOP WITH THE LAW SUITS!! KEYSTONE, ELKHORN, WASHINGTON COUNTY, ALL OF YOU STOP!!!

[MTO]

Lets (citizens of Omaha) counter sue them for ignorance and selfishness.

[Brad]

I have never understood this problem. I have been driving by this property for 26 years and it has always been empty and for sale. If keystone is such a prestigous neighborhood why did no one buy this area and develop it the way they wanted to develop it before the city bought it.

[Swift]

Where is this area? What development is this?

[DTO Luv]

It's east of the Golden Corral on N. 90th St. I can't think of the cross street but someone else might know it.

[Finn]

It is off 87th and Boyd Street. Boyd intersects with 90th Street a couple of blocks west. Boyd crosses the Little Papillion Creek (Keystone Trail) and passes a Little League Field (Pilster Park) and some handicapped-designed housing before reaching a large vacant tract that is the proposed site. Further east on Boyd is Boyd Elementary School.

[Brad]

Half way between Maple St and Fort St, 3 blocks east of 90th st. Also approx. 87th and Ames

[DTO Luv]

They said on the news tonight the project was approved so even though it's approved it doesn't mean anything. (Annexation, Vickers Site.)

[greenbuilder]

I'm so sick of the bitching if they would actualy look at the design of these homes they would see they very close the the architecture of the neighborhood. Unlike every other home built in this NIMBYism town they were designed by am architect. People need to get a life all they |expletive| about is density we waste so much land so we can have larger side yards and larger homes that we really don't need!! Larger homes and big yards that waste energy, water, pollute the enviroment with all the fertilizer and pestisites we use to make our yards a fake green!!!

Here is a link to the designs
http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/c ... ng/259.pdf

[greenbuilder]

So worked up I couldn't punctuate or spell correctly

[eomaha]

Well hello... this had less to do with the homes... and much more to do with the prospective residents.

[Swift]

yeah, is this low income housing?

[Coyote]

Omaha council OKs Keystone development

After nearly three years of wrangling, the Omaha City Council voted Tuesday to let the Omaha Housing Authority to proceed with a 41-home public housing development in the Keystone neighborhood.

The vote on the $7.5 million development came after Councilman Franklin Thompson extracted a commitment from OHA Executive Director Brad Ashford to make three revisions to the plan:


Plant a hedge on the south end of the property.
Provide additional playground equipment at nearby Esther Pilster Park.
Improve landscaping throughout the complex.

Thompson, whose vote was needed to pass the plan, dropped his demands for a fence and for decorative lighting.

Voting against the measure were Councilmen Chuck Sigerson and Dan Welch. Voting for it, in addition to Thompson, were Councilmen Frank Brown, Marc Kraft, Jim Vokal and Garry Gernandt. Brown is chairman of the OHA board.

The development near 87th and Boyd Streets, which would include both single-family homes and duplexes, has been the subject of lawsuits filed by both Keystone homeowners and OHA.

Neighbors said after the vote that they weren't sure what they would do next. But Linda Merrill, who lives in the area, said it's not over.

[Coyote]

As greenbuilder says - Keystone residents are saying they are for public housing but not in our back yards. The designs are great, the landscaping looks nice - as Jeff says - it is the residents of this housing project that they are afraid of.

[eomaha]

We need to convince Brad Ashford and company to build a high density, retro design project immediately north of downtown Omaha... a 'welcome' addition which will fit right in, unlike the crummy looking suburbia transplants which have been placed in the Conestoga/Logan Fontenelle developments.

[greenbuilder]

Last that I knew this was a Free Country
What we have here is a case of segregation and discrimination
God forbid we mix economic social levels

[Swift]

Is this Section 8 housing?

[greenbuilder]

This would have been an ideal Habitat for Humanity community.
That would have given the Keystone homeowners a chance to help the future owner build thier home.

[projectman]

Ignorance. They think they will get another Wintergreen situation I guess. The not in my backyard business is getting old.

[Brad]

Looks like this development, named Crown Creek, is starting up again.

[Brad]

Here is the Layout for Crown Creek Estates