Official: North Downtown Discussion

swgiust · Post by **swgiust** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:27 am

There is no question that North Downtown is a work in progress. It can take years for an area to develop a personality. But if you look at how quickly this area has filled in, it is pretty amazing.

When you factor in the 400 or so apartments that are going in on 10th and Capitol, that is a game changer. The key to a thriving area is to have people live there.

North Downtown will continue to compliment the Old Market and vise versa. Getting people into an area is key.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:02 am

These last few post could probably stand to be moved to one of the other few North Downtown threads we have.

That being said I still hope North Downtown gets a bigger employer presence. I have been thinking and if Hayneedle could be convinced to move to the area it would be a great boost. They could boost the tech company profile in an area with the most concentration of startups in Omaha.

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:28 pm

I'm not sure about a big employer presence, but the area is crying out for more retail and Lids isn't going to cut it. Even if TD had some sporting event consistently most of the year its not quite enough foot traffic for these establishments to flourish.

Union
The Matt
Goodnights
The Blatt

I'm sure more bars will pop up in the years to come, but I hope there's a limit. I'm not advocating a "University Village" but more retail that caters to Creighton would be smart in addition to bolstering the neighborhood. And for the love of god, I don't mean f'ing walmart.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:30 pm

Diverse events keep north downtown bars on toes

Cara Pesek WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:Though the bar and restaurant in Omaha's north downtown area had been open for less than a month, the hardwood floors took such a beating that they already needed to be replaced...the business went through 40,000 wristbands during the CWS.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:35 pm

That was a good read. Crazy about the floor getting trashed so quickly!

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:50 pm

The handful of buildings across from the Mastercraft building were flattened last week.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 8:11 am

iamjacobm wrote:The handful of buildings across from the Mastercraft building were flattened last week.

More specifics, please.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 8:41 am

Big E wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:The handful of buildings across from the Mastercraft building were flattened last week.
More specifics, please.

There was a 4 story brick building that was taken down 2 months ago as part of the Sewer Seperation Project.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:47 am

Just a reminder how far NDT has come (Brad's pic from page 13):

Post by **Brad** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:58 am

Or even this:

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:09 am

Anything in that photo still standing for reference?

Post by **Brad** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:14 am

Big E wrote:Anything in that photo still standing for reference?

I think that white blob in the upper left hand corner is the elevator that is on Noth 16th Street.

Somewhere the Chamber has a series of Aerial of North Downtown over the years. I shot the 2010 copy of it, but they showed me some of the others.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:38 pm

Brad wrote:
Big E wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:The handful of buildings across from the Mastercraft building were flattened last week.
More specifics, please.
There was a 4 story brick building that was taken down 2 months ago as part of the Sewer Seperation Project.

It was the few 1 floor buildings directly west of the Mastercraft. They were kind of a blue grey color.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 4:36 pm

http://northdowntownomaha.com/thecard/

A membership card, you can get some discounts at certain places at certain times.

koberaptor · Post by **koberaptor** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:17 pm

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:21 pm

That looks like Village Point.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:36 am

iamjacobm wrote:That looks like Village Point.

Whatever. Those kids all have parents.

Fromaha · Post by **Fromaha** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:56 am

...only if you can get some palm trees to grow. No parking!? Where am I gonna park my Hummer?

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:55 am

koberaptor wrote:We should consider building something similar to the Mall of Louisiana in North Downtown

"We should consider building something..." What do you even mean by that? Do you have any idea how projects like this happen (rhetorical)?

And yes, as someone pointed out, all that is is a typical, conventional suburban lifestyle center like Village Pointe or Shadow Lake. What you don't see in the renderings are the seas of parking lots and immense arterial highways that feed a development like that. It's a |expletive| disaster.

Oh, but don't those renderings just look all cute and old-timey?

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:07 pm

We're already supposed to be doing something sort of like this on 16th Street. We don't need another Ye Olde Mega Malle, especially not one built from scratch.

Lately I've been exhausted from how fake a lot of recent developments have looked throughout the United States. Particularly shopping centers. A blog post I read from a British couple visiting the US summed it up pretty well. They said we have a strange fascination with building shopping centers that are made to have a look and feel of an old timey main street while our real old timey main streets are left to rot and deteriorate several blocks away. It doesn't make any sense.

We should renovate the existing structures we have in North Downtown and fill in the gaps with structures that don't look like they are mocking the older ones. Something that looks like that mall would be making a mockery of the existing structures there (windows for an upper level that doesn't exist, one building that is designed to look like 8 different buildings).

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:14 pm

Here is what I would like to see done on Lot B. I think it would appease any parking issues people would have with losing the lot.

1000 stall parking garage on the east center part of the lot. It would have the same swooping glass finish as the convention center to create a pretty cool dynamic drive down 10th into downtown. I don't think commercial space would move well along 10th, maybe a space for a coffee shop and a bank. Putting on my developer hat I would convince the city to build the garage and it would be city owned.

Along Cass a 250 room full service hotel with their own in house restaurant/ patio on street level along with the lobby.

Along 12th would be 180 apartment/condos with ground floor commercial along it's entirety.

Along Fahey would be offices or a corporate HQ. Ground floor commercial on the western portion of the block. The eastern portion being the lobby for the office space.

I think something like that would create a much more entertaining an interesting urban fabric than a foux main street concept.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:43 pm

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:We're already supposed to be doing something sort of like this on 16th Street. We don't need another Ye Olde Mega Malle, especially not one built from scratch.

Lately I've been exhausted from how fake a lot of recent developments have looked throughout the United States. Particularly shopping centers. A blog post I read from a British couple visiting the US summed it up pretty well. They said we have a strange fascination with building shopping centers that are made to have a look and feel of an old timey main street while our real old timey main streets are left to rot and deteriorate several blocks away. It doesn't make any sense.

We should renovate the existing structures we have in North Downtown and fill in the gaps with structures that don't look like they are mocking the older ones. Something that looks like that mall would be making a mockery of the existing structures there (windows for an upper level that doesn't exist, one building that is designed to look like 8 different buildings).

Excellent point Tito. What I would personally love to see is all of those buildings near 13th and Nicholas completely renovated. Those things are gems!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:17 pm

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:They said we have a strange fascination with building shopping centers that are made to have a look and feel of an old timey main street while our real old timey main streets are left to rot...

Uh, YEAH! Do you happen to still have the blog post? I'd be interested.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 4:05 pm

One of these days there will be more apartment projects than parking projects in North Downtown. Until then, more pavement.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20121229/M ... ng-options

A white warehouse on a half-block along 16th Street near California Street is being razed and the area is being redeveloped into additional surface parking for bank employees, said Brenda Dooley of First National.

ShawJ · Post by **ShawJ** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:33 pm

http://typecastrecast.org/the-art/

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:12 pm

ShawJ wrote:http://typecastrecast.org/the-art/

They better be careful, the art could be hindered by the fast pace on the construction of the Shamrock Development!

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Thu Feb 21, 2013 8:26 pm

Something is in the agenda for the are NW of 13th and Nicholas called THE COAL YARD. I have no idea what that exactly entails though. What would a peliminary plat be for here?

Edit: Also a mention of changing the zoning from heavy industrial to central business district. There must be something in the works.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:16 pm

I really hope someone does something with those buildings on Nicholas... so much potential...

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:55 pm

It looks like they might be putting in a sidewalk on the west side of 12th street, long overdue if that is the case.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:49 pm

There is a mention of vacating California St between 16th and 17th.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 4:44 pm

iamjacobm wrote:There is a mention of vacating California St between 16th and 17th.

Vacating it? It's pretty well vacant as is...isn't it?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 4:56 pm

When an alley or other city street is no longer needed a business or neighborhood can ask the city to vacate that land and give to the business or neighborhood. Their are several proposals on Tuesday's Agenda where the city is being asked to vacate a road.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:01 pm

Coyote wrote:When an alley or other city street is no longer needed a business or neighborhood can ask the city to vacate that land and give to the business or neighborhood. Their are several proposals on Tuesday's Agenda where the city is being asked to vacate a road.

Do you think it's a sign of possible development in those lots on California then?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:32 pm

The purpose of this request is to provide consolidation of the vacated right of way with the adjacent property owned by the First National Bank.

I believe this is to provide for a block by two block parking area.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:58 pm

Coyote wrote:The purpose of this request is to provide consolidation of the vacated right of way with the adjacent property owned by the First National Bank.

I believe this is to provide for a block by two block parking area.

Thats what I was afraid of. Another joke for North Downtown it looks like.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:24 pm

The people in charge of planning and upholding the designs of the NDT plan need to be... well, changed.

We need some tar and some feathers.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:10 pm

The North Downtown Alliance people are battling this, asking them to reconsider greater use to the properties. BTW, the Planning Board denied this 4-2.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Sun Jun 09, 2013 7:50 am

The city has royally |expletive| up north downtown.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:47 am

Linkin5 wrote:The city has royally |expletive| up north downtown.

It could be worse. It could be L Street Marketplace.

MadMartin8 · Post by **MadMartin8** » Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:02 am

Coyote wrote:The North Downtown Alliance people are battling this, asking them to reconsider greater use to the properties. BTW, the Planning Board denied this 4-2.

Stop taking away all my outlets for rage :(