Cermak wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 7:10 am
I’m only moderately excited about this. But it should help with density in that part of downtown. I’m also wondering if all the buildings will be built at once or are they going to start with one. Glad they are building downtown. The renderings look nice, but will reserve final judgement until I actually see them in person. Hines has a good reputation so that’s in our favor.
It’s going to be a square. And a rectangle. More plain brick wrappers.
On the progress side ... the benches and trash cans that used to sit in circle at 10th Harney have been removed. A few more shrubs. Since they will be tearing it up anyway, when walking the dog through there I’ve said heck with it ... leave the dog bombs where they drop. It’s like pooping on ConAgra.
I’m curious to see how this looks when completed. I’m guessing it will definitely help hide the remaining ConAgra buildings. Now we just need some height, even a 200 footer would be much welcomed.
I know I'm old but were both the remote reporter and the anchor taught in J school to force parts of a sentence that make it seem more important than it needs to be? "AAAAND a seven hundred and TWENTY car parking garage." "....it will AAAAD three new city blocks..."
Woof...
Bob from Omaha wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:40 am
I know I'm old but were both the remote reporter and the anchor taught in J school to force parts of a sentence that make it seem more important than it needs to be? "AAAAND a seven hundred and TWENTY car parking garage." "....it will AAAAD three new city blocks..."
Woof...
No editing, no coaching. ("D00d! 720 parking spaces! Won't have to walk as far on our next bar crawl!!!111!!!")
The Mercantile will feature multiple apartment buildings, a boutique hotel, new office buildings and a beautifully landscaped boulevard. Hines will also construct a 720-car, City of Omaha-owned parking structure that will serve the residents, retailers and public.
At completion, The Mercantile will include more than 20 acres of land and provide a full mix of residential, commercial and green space uses for generations.
Looks great to me! My only gripe: It adds to the sea of 4-5 story buildings instead of really adding anything to the skyline. But it's a minor gripe for such a major win.
The Mercantile will feature multiple apartment buildings, a boutique hotel, new office buildings and a beautifully landscaped boulevard. Hines will also construct a 720-car, City of Omaha-owned parking structure that will serve the residents, retailers and public.
At completion, The Mercantile will include more than 20 acres of land and provide a full mix of residential, commercial and green space uses for generations.
Looks great to me! My only gripe: It adds to the sea of 4-5 story buildings instead of really adding anything to the skyline. But it's a minor gripe for such a major win.
Yep, some fools paid $500 to put up a tent and create a photo-op for some goons and called it a “ground-breaking ceremony”.
The ultimate irony ... ConAgra building will be demolished ... put in a landfill ... and later we will all be lectured on the need to re-use. What’s the carbon footprint of the demolition?
6EQUJ5 wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2020 9:00 am
500million for a bunch of low rises.. meanwhile a smaller city to our east is getting a 466feet skyline changer for 180million.
They might be getting a skyline changer. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that you really can’t trust that any project will happen until girders start going up.
"Video game violence is not a new problem. Who could forget in the wake of SimCity how children everywhere took up urban planning." - Stephen Colbert
I can’t believe I have to post this, but because of the weirdly disgruntled reaction to a giant, widespread, area transformational development, let me remind everyone:
1: Highrises are dumb. They are outrageously expensive per square foot and Omaha‘s bedrock is not especially suited for them.
2: Highrises are only cool from miles away. For those of you that think that Omaha‘s downtown is only a postcard picture, let me remind you that people actually enjoy spending time there. Tall buildings surrounded by vast acres of quasi-empty parking lots are NOT enjoyable. A city feels empty without pedestrians, store fronts, and prototypical urban activity. This has been Omaha’s ignominious recent past. Time to break from it.
3: Density is a function of low to midrises. Look at population/sq mile in Paris vs New York for proof.
4: Density makes urban spaces interesting.
5: Highrises tend to actually take away urban density. Counter-intuitive, but true. Highrises actually discourage infill as high build costs are offset with cheaper surface parking solutions.
6: Omaha desperately needs infill. Downtown and near downtown. This is EXACTLY what this city should be building. More and more and more until downtown feels like an urban space. If highrises come later, that’s fine.
7: Ok. Rant done.
The damage done to downtown Omaha from 1960-2000 is nearly insurmountable. From street level, in downtown, midrises make such a positive impact. The fact they take up more of a footprint really helps make the whole are seem more walkable and liveable. Eventually high rises make more sense as property values rise and land is sparse. We are far far away from that reality.
In the meantime I‘m curious what sort of commercial tenants they attract. Any rumors?
I agree with the basics of what you are saying. Build a high rise because it is needed, not just for sake of building one. And certainly not where you want to encourage more residential. High rises create shadows and valleys and dead space.
Look to experience of cities that have battled the “walling off” of waterfronts and other community gathering places.
Beautiful and significant “skyline” buildings do not have to be 30 stories tall.
Let's also not forget that if (and yes, its a big IF) the Lanoha project comes to fruition, then unlike "that city to the east", Omaha will have its highrise cake and eat its midrise infill too.
Sorry for the tortured idiom.
"In Heaven there is no beer. That's why we drink it here." -Plato (Probably. No one is really sure.)
Hawkeye wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:58 am
Let's also not forget that if (and yes, its a big IF) the Lanoha project comes to fruition, then unlike "that city to the east", Omaha will have its highrise cake and eat its midrise infill too.
Sorry for the tortured idiom.
Hawkeye ‘ol friend.. I’m waiting for your Omaha MSA/CSA population prediction in the Statistics Forum (my latest thread)..
Hawkeye wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:58 am
Let's also not forget that if (and yes, its a big IF) the Lanoha project comes to fruition, then unlike "that city to the east", Omaha will have its highrise cake and eat its midrise infill too.
Sorry for the tortured idiom.
Hawkeye ‘ol friend.. I’m waiting for your Omaha MSA/CSA population prediction in the Statistics Forum (my latest thread)..
For old times sake at least ...
Ciao..LiO...Peace
Done. And you can just go ahead and send Ol' Hawkeye the beer now.
"In Heaven there is no beer. That's why we drink it here." -Plato (Probably. No one is really sure.)
Hawkeye wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:58 am
Let's also not forget that if (and yes, its a big IF) the Lanoha project comes to fruition, then unlike "that city to the east", Omaha will have its highrise cake and eat its midrise infill too.
Sorry for the tortured idiom.
Hawkeye ‘ol friend.. I’m waiting for your Omaha MSA/CSA population prediction in the Statistics Forum (my latest thread)..
For old times sake at least ...
Ciao..LiO...Peace
Done. And you can just go ahead and send Ol' Hawkeye the beer now.
You are missing the ones with the windows coming out. Last week. From 11th and Harney you can see all the way to Loess Hills East of CB. In two years, some ugly |expletive| square structures will stand there.
Pretty amazing seeing those demolition pics. Probably be one of the newer office buildings ever torn down in Omaha. I believe they are about 30 years old. I for one never disliked the buildings. The new apartments and parking garage should completely change the look of the area.
I know that this looks bland to you all. And I'm sure it is compared to some other projects you know about.
But take it from an average Joe's (me) point of view. People like me think this project looks really nice. I, as a non-urban anner point of view, am excited and think this project will add a lot to our downtown.
Erik wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:45 pm
I know that this looks bland to you all. And I'm sure it is compared to some other projects you know about.
But take it from an average Joe's (me) point of view. People like me think this project looks really nice. I, as a non-urban anner point of view, am excited and think this project will add a lot to our downtown.
Okay, I'm ready to be beaten up for this lmao
Hey! This is the internet. Stop posting your opinion!
Erik wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:45 pm
I know that this looks bland to you all. And I'm sure it is compared to some other projects you know about.
But take it from an average Joe's (me) point of view. People like me think this project looks really nice. I, as a non-urban anner point of view, am excited and think this project will add a lot to our downtown.
Okay, I'm ready to be beaten up for this lmao
...but it is a good project!
"Video game violence is not a new problem. Who could forget in the wake of SimCity how children everywhere took up urban planning." - Stephen Colbert
Omahacritic wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:51 pm. “After all, it’s just another brick in the wall.” .
Someone please send "All in all, you're just another red ugly brick in the wall" scrawled on a brick from this building to the CEO who demolished Jobbers.
When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will.
Omahacritic wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:12 pm
You are missing the ones with the windows coming out. Last week. From 11th and Harney you can see all the way to Loess Hills East of CB. In two years, some ugly |expletive| square structures will stand there.
My understanding is the Conagra campus has long cut off the River from Downtown, particularly from Old Market. The Mercantile is working, I believe, in conjunction with the GLM/Heartland Park Riverfront project in making the River more accessible. Maybe you're right and we won't be able to see the other side of the River after all is sad and done, but this is great project in terms of land use and flow of Downtown to the Riverfront. The Conagra HQ was a travesty in both those aspects.
...
...
. “After all, it’s just another brick in the wall.” 
