Gene Leahy Mall Remodel

[Garrett]

Seeing that Marty Shukert isn't a fan of the new design of the mall makes me like it that much more.

I agree.

I briefly googled him... But what things has he done I should be aware of?

Namely, he pushed for the demolition of Jobbers Canyon and still stands by it even now.

[Athomsfere]

Seeing that Marty Shukert isn't a fan of the new design of the mall makes me like it that much more.

I agree.

I briefly googled him... But what things has he done I should be aware of?

Marty was the City Planning director for Omaha starting in the early 80’s (1983 I think). I believe then Mayor Mike Boyle appointed him to that position..

I’m not sure he’s done anything that would create too much of a negative reaction from me. He is an older person now, in his early/mid 70’s.. Perhaps he isn’t someone that’s thought of as a “progressive visionary”..That’s fair.. I was still 19 years old when he started his career with the city in 1981.. And maybe that’s the rub. There isn’t much of anything he did that stands out to me today (either positive or negative).

Nondescript?..

Probably so. Also, the 70’s and 80’s were the slowest growth decades for the Omaha metropolitan area since 1950- the past 70 years. And Shukert was still on the city payroll when Jobbers Canyon was demolished to make way for the ConAgra campus (not that I blame him for the awful destruction of those historic buildings. But it’s guilt by association)..Omaha really didn’t start seeing more robust growth and progressive, visionary thinking until probably the mid to late 1990’s. Omaha’s been on a pretty nice roll ever since..and Shukert was long gone as a city employee by then…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Thanks. So my Google-Fu wasn't far off, he just didn't really do much!

[Omaha Cowboy]

Seeing that Marty Shukert isn't a fan of the new design of the mall makes me like it that much more.

I agree.

I briefly googled him... But what things has he done I should be aware of?

Marty was the City Planning director for Omaha starting in the early 80’s (1983 I think). I believe then Mayor Mike Boyle appointed him to that position..

I’m not sure he’s done anything that would create too much of a negative reaction from me. He is an older person now, in his early/mid 70’s.. Perhaps he isn’t someone that’s thought of as a “progressive visionary”..That’s fair.. I was still 19 years old when he started his career with the city in 1981.. And maybe that’s the rub. There isn’t much of anything he did that stands out to me today (either positive or negative).

Nondescript?..

Probably so. Also, the 70’s and 80’s were the slowest growth decades for the Omaha metropolitan area since 1950- the past 70 years. And Shukert was still on the city payroll when Jobbers Canyon was demolished to make way for the ConAgra campus (not that I blame him for the awful destruction of those historic buildings. But it’s guilt by association)..Omaha really didn’t start seeing more robust growth and progressive, visionary thinking until probably the mid to late 1990’s. Omaha’s been on a pretty nice roll ever since..and Shukert was long gone as a city employee by then…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Thanks. So my Google-Fu wasn't far off, he just didn't really do much!

You’re welcome and no it wasn’t. I’ve never had anything against Shukert..and probably his biggest criticism was the Jobbers Canyon fiasco. I hardly blame him for it’s happening. It was going to happen regardless of whether he supported it or not..

The business climate of the times in Omaha back in the 1985-1988 time frame was, simply stated- Fear. The city in 1985/86 just lost the Enron corporate HQ’s with its relocation to Houston, along with nearly 5000 employees..then literally on the heals of that, we had CEO Mike Harper make insinuating threats that he’d move ConAgra out of Omaha with the potential to lose another 5000 employees.. Enron was bad enough..but then taking a potential double gut punch and lose ConAgra too? The city and state was of the mindset they would do everything it took to keep ConAgra an Omaha/Nebraska based HQ’s. LB775 was passed. Marty Shukert was on board for the ride..as was everyone else in city and state leadership positions. Now this doesn’t make it any easier to take, or make it right that Jobbers Canyon had to take the fall..because the city/state caved to Mike Harper’s desires..it’s just important to understand everyone was on board with the “do everything it takes” attitude of that time..It wasn’t just Marty..

For the record, and I’ve stated this numerous times on the forum- I was completely against the demolition of Jobbers Canyon and for as many days as my schedule permitted, stood with the protesters as we watched the debacle (demolition) in progress with our own eyes. It was a sad, SAD event in Omaha history..

But I do understand the climate of that time and why it ended up happening..Still don’t and never will agree with it..

In any case, I thought I’d give a bit more substance to your inquiry.. Remembering full well this is the GLM discussion thread. History connects things, and it’s important and relevant within the discussion to understand and be aware of it…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Athomsfere]

In any case, I thought I’d give a bit more substance to your inquiry.. Remembering full well this is the GLM discussion thread. History connects things, and it’s important and relevant within the discussion to understand and be aware of it…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I appreciate it. And I feel it's still at least partially on topic. With Omaha as my adopted home, and being a self-diagnosed urbanist. I have been wondering a lot lately how much better Omaha would feel if the GLM and Jobber's were still there.

As nice as the GLM is/ was/ will be, I feel having more old stock buildings would really help us feel like we aren't crawling our way back to having a downtown. When I drive around some of our "peer" cities, like KC, OKC, Minneapolis and there are just oodles of old infill. This versus Omaha's pockets of stuff. It really hurts the livability/ walkability of many areas.

[Omaha Cowboy]

In any case, I thought I’d give a bit more substance to your inquiry.. Remembering full well this is the GLM discussion thread. History connects things, and it’s important and relevant within the discussion to understand and be aware of it…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I appreciate it. And I feel it's still at least partially on topic. With Omaha as my adopted home, and being a self-diagnosed urbanist. I have been wondering a lot lately how much better Omaha would feel if the GLM and Jobber's were still there.

As nice as the GLM is/ was/ will be, I feel having more old stock buildings would really help us feel like we aren't crawling our way back to having a downtown. When I drive around some of our "peer" cities, like KC, OKC, Minneapolis and there are just oodles of old infill. This versus Omaha's pockets of stuff. It really hurts the livability/ walkability of many areas.

I completely agree. It is partially on topic. There is connectivity to the event of the Jobbers Canyon historical district demolition and the Riverfront Redevelopment plan in progress today.. And your “stock building” comment is spot on. It’s one of the most important reasons why that district should have never EVER been sacrificed. There should have been a compromise..and city/state leadership should have had more backbone and made a MUCH stronger push for it.. In the end, sadly, fear won over courage..

In any case- today, we have the opportunity with the current Riverfront plan to course correct and make our downtown core the livable, walkable 24/7 environment which was the original vision of (former Omaha City Planner) Alden Aust more than 50 years ago…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[skinzfan23]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

We can cite example after example of this..

But it is and always will be the Historical Jobbers Canyon district demolition that sticks out like a sore thumb every time..

It’s what happens when we allow fear to lead us by the nose- we lose all elements of common sense, vision and critical thinking.. We didn’t “future proof” or do our DT core any favors with that debacle of a demolition. Especially considering ConAgra ended up bolting from Omaha anyway in 2015.. One positive is we have an opportunity now to redevelop the ConAgra campus the right way..

Rehashing Jobbers Canyon is relevant to me in the sense of thinking just how much better our core would be had we salvaged that district combined with our current Riverfront Development plan today..Then feel the frustration and learn from the mistake..

Anywho-

It would seem we at least have our course correction in progress with the GLM/Riverfront plan…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

We can cite example after example of this..

But it is and always will be the Historical Jobbers Canyon district demolition that sticks out like a sore thumb every time..

It’s what happens when we allow fear to lead us by the nose- we lose all elements of common sense, vision and critical thinking.. We didn’t “future proof” or do our DT core any favors with that debacle of a demolition. Especially considering ConAgra ended up bolting from Omaha anyway in 2015.. One positive is we have an opportunity now to redevelop the ConAgra campus the right way..

Rehashing Jobbers Canyon is relevant to me in the sense of thinking just how much better our core would be had we salvaged that district combined with our current Riverfront Development plan today..Then feel the frustration and learn from the mistake..

Anywho-

It would seem we at least have our course correction in progress with the GLM/Riverfront plan…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

A city really needs the right people in charge making decisions at the right time. Unfortunately, for Jobber's Canyon, that was not the case. Having read that article about the Riverfront project and history, it is sad to know that there were people with visions for Jobber's Canyon (2000 residences would have been amazing for downtown and the city generally). That's neither here nor there now, but like you said knowing the history is important. We shouldn't, though we still do, repeat the mistakes of the past. I have general optimism that good things will happen downtown, but sometimes feel that we do not have the right leadership in place when there is much to capitalize on. I can be proven wrong, and hope I am.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

We can cite example after example of this..

But it is and always will be the Historical Jobbers Canyon district demolition that sticks out like a sore thumb every time..

It’s what happens when we allow fear to lead us by the nose- we lose all elements of common sense, vision and critical thinking.. We didn’t “future proof” or do our DT core any favors with that debacle of a demolition. Especially considering ConAgra ended up bolting from Omaha anyway in 2015.. One positive is we have an opportunity now to redevelop the ConAgra campus the right way..

Rehashing Jobbers Canyon is relevant to me in the sense of thinking just how much better our core would be had we salvaged that district combined with our current Riverfront Development plan today..Then feel the frustration and learn from the mistake..

Anywho-

It would seem we at least have our course correction in progress with the GLM/Riverfront plan…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

A city really needs the right people in charge making decisions at the right time. Unfortunately, for Jobber's Canyon, that was not the case. but like you said knowing the history is important. We shouldn't, though we still do, repeat the mistakes of the past. I have general optimism that good things will happen downtown, but sometimes feel that we do not have the right leadership in place when there is much to capitalize on. I can be proven wrong, and hope I am.

It would be great if we were proven wrong as it relates to the city leadership aspect you bring up..The good thing is, we have developments going on downtown/north downtown despite what I’ll say is questionable leadership at City Hall (and leave it at that)..

The Riverfront Redevelopment plan is overwhelmingly philanthropist driven and Omaha is very, VERY fortunate to have a large and generous philanthropist community which has vision and wants to make positive, enhancing change..

It isn’t easy to find the right balance. There are many cities within Omaha’s peer group which also have nondescript leadership at city hall, but don’t have the generous philanthropist/business community Omaha does..and that’s a double whammy which stunts any hint of development..

In the end, again, Omaha is very fortunate in this regard..and the development activity going on all over the city into the downtown core is proof of that. And it’s exciting to see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[GetUrban]

Great discussion people! Sorry I missed-out on most of it. I’m happy there is pretty strong consensus among most forum members than the destruction of Jobbers was probably one of the biggest mistakes ever made in Omaha planning. And thankfully within the local and national planning communities and city leadership circles this sentiment is now mostly shared except by those too stubborn to accept the truth and admit their contribution to letting it happen. As most here know, I’ve spent a great deal of effort on other forum threads saying the loss of JC was a huge mistake. ConAgra’s decision to move their corporate headquarters after all, only 29 years later, drives that point home, especially after they moved into the historic Merchandise Mart building in Chicago!

I enjoyed the OWH article and that it looked into the pros and cons and trade offs that came with the development of the GLM. The loss of the 19-story Woodman of the World building was almost equal to the loss of JC, and was totally unnecessary, especially without an equal or even more significant higher-rise replacement as others have said. One can only hope that with this new GLM remake the demand for more substantial multi-use, higher density signature architecture will increase and the stubby Kiewit center will be toast. What Noddle is saying is very encouraging.

Unfortunately, the clearing of so much building stock for the GLM, which was a remnant of the Alden Aust “Marina City” concept, probably greased the wheels, making the clearing of large swaths of city blocks seem necessary and more palatable for such large scale redevelopment to appease the stubborn ConAgra CEO to keep the company downtown.

I’m very optimistic that Omaha is starting to fix some of the past mistakes and heal the scars! I’m looking forward to the next OWH story in the series. It’s a keeper.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Great discussion people! Sorry I missed-out on most of it. I’m happy there is pretty strong consensus among most forum members than the destruction of Jobbers was probably one of the biggest mistakes ever made in Omaha planning. I’ve spent a great deal of effort on other forum threads saying the loss of JC was a huge mistake. ConAgra’s decision to move their corporate headquarters after all, only 29 years later, drives that point home, especially after they moved into the historic Merchandise Mart building in Chicago!



I’m very optimistic that Omaha is starting to fix some of the past mistakes and heal the scars! I’m looking forward to the next OWH story in the series. It’s a keeper.

I was hoping you’d find and contribute to the discussion as well..glad you found it!..

It’s no mystery we’re of the same mindset here, lol. And as you stated (and I’ve mentioned in several posts) Omaha looks to be in the process of course correcting with our Riverfront Redevelopment Plan..

As to this series of W-H stories- Yes. It’s fantastic content and can’t wait to read the next piece. They are an urban development geeks dream …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

We can cite example after example of this..

But it is and always will be the Historical Jobbers Canyon district demolition that sticks out like a sore thumb every time..

It’s what happens when we allow fear to lead us by the nose- we lose all elements of common sense, vision and critical thinking.. We didn’t “future proof” or do our DT core any favors with that debacle of a demolition. Especially considering ConAgra ended up bolting from Omaha anyway in 2015.. One positive is we have an opportunity now to redevelop the ConAgra campus the right way..

Rehashing Jobbers Canyon is relevant to me in the sense of thinking just how much better our core would be had we salvaged that district combined with our current Riverfront Development plan today..Then feel the frustration and learn from the mistake..

Anywho-

It would seem we at least have our course correction in progress with the GLM/Riverfront plan…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

A city really needs the right people in charge making decisions at the right time. Unfortunately, for Jobber's Canyon, that was not the case. but like you said knowing the history is important. We shouldn't, though we still do, repeat the mistakes of the past. I have general optimism that good things will happen downtown, but sometimes feel that we do not have the right leadership in place when there is much to capitalize on. I can be proven wrong, and hope I am.

It would be great if we were proven wrong as it relates to the city leadership aspect you bring up..The good thing is, we have developments going on downtown/north downtown despite what I’ll say is questionable leadership at City Hall (and leave it at that)..

The Riverfront Redevelopment plan is overwhelmingly philanthropist driven and Omaha is very, VERY fortunate to have a large and generous philanthropist community which has vision and wants to make positive, enhancing change..

It isn’t easy to find the right balance. There are many cities within Omaha’s peer group which also have nondescript leadership at city hall, but don’t have the generous philanthropist/business community Omaha does..and that’s a double whammy which stunts any hint of development..

In the end, again, Omaha is very fortunate in this regard..and the development activity going on all over the city into the downtown core is proof of that. And it’s exciting to see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Those are all good points. I haven't lived here long, but I could see so much missed potential from even more recent decisions or failed opportunities with Downtown with this current administration and a couple prior ones and other leaders/entities that make the decisions for the Urban Core. I look at the success of the Storm Chasers and Union Omaha at Werner Park and think of the struggles of North Downtown businesses and development and think "if only they through the Storm Chasers a bone." Can you imagine having several thousand be downtown at TD Ameritrade every week from May to October? I think of the UP site/Wall Street Tower/Lanoha site and what a farce that has been. The almost but not really landing of HDR and a nice high rise downtown. The streetcar (Omaha should have gotten it before or around the time that KC did!). The Civic site (still not optimistic about that coming to fruition even with the modest plans).

My point being, for every GLM/Riverfront and Capitol District success, there have been opportunities missed that, I suppose in retrospect as I was not around for some of these, would have been impactful to the vibrancy and success of downtown. These misses were lobs and Omaha swung out and missed. Decisions aren't unilateral of course, but it seemed like Omaha and its leaders could have done more?

Still I am optimistic despite the pessimistic ruminations you read here. As many have commented, the philanthropic led effort to redo the downtown parks will be a boon to the urban core. I have no doubt, I just wish some other things would have been or will be addressed to help downtown.

[stadsborgare]

Going vertical!

[ita]

Going vertical!

Nice. What is this again, the bathrooms?

[Omaha Cowboy]

Going vertical!

Nice. What is this again, the bathrooms?

I’m not sure that’s bathrooms (maybe?), but the Omaha Riverfront Twitter page posted a picture Tweet yesterday showing they’ve added more trees to the north side of the GLM-



The progress continues …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[stadsborgare]

You get the best view from the 10th Street bridge, so I thought I'd do a before/after.


before


after

[Omaha Cowboy]

You get the best view from the 10th Street bridge, so I thought I'd do a before/after.


before


after

Nice! Thanks for the pics …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[OmaJayhawk]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

We can cite example after example of this..

But it is and always will be the Historical Jobbers Canyon district demolition that sticks out like a sore thumb every time..

It’s what happens when we allow fear to lead us by the nose- we lose all elements of common sense, vision and critical thinking.. We didn’t “future proof” or do our DT core any favors with that debacle of a demolition. Especially considering ConAgra ended up bolting from Omaha anyway in 2015.. One positive is we have an opportunity now to redevelop the ConAgra campus the right way..

Rehashing Jobbers Canyon is relevant to me in the sense of thinking just how much better our core would be had we salvaged that district combined with our current Riverfront Development plan today..Then feel the frustration and learn from the mistake..

Anywho-

It would seem we at least have our course correction in progress with the GLM/Riverfront plan…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

A city really needs the right people in charge making decisions at the right time. Unfortunately, for Jobber's Canyon, that was not the case. but like you said knowing the history is important. We shouldn't, though we still do, repeat the mistakes of the past. I have general optimism that good things will happen downtown, but sometimes feel that we do not have the right leadership in place when there is much to capitalize on. I can be proven wrong, and hope I am.

It would be great if we were proven wrong as it relates to the city leadership aspect you bring up..The good thing is, we have developments going on downtown/north downtown despite what I’ll say is questionable leadership at City Hall (and leave it at that)..

The Riverfront Redevelopment plan is overwhelmingly philanthropist driven and Omaha is very, VERY fortunate to have a large and generous philanthropist community which has vision and wants to make positive, enhancing change..

It isn’t easy to find the right balance. There are many cities within Omaha’s peer group which also have nondescript leadership at city hall, but don’t have the generous philanthropist/business community Omaha does..and that’s a double whammy which stunts any hint of development..

In the end, again, Omaha is very fortunate in this regard..and the development activity going on all over the city into the downtown core is proof of that. And it’s exciting to see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Those are all good points. I haven't lived here long, but I could see so much missed potential from even more recent decisions or failed opportunities with Downtown with this current administration and a couple prior ones and other leaders/entities that make the decisions for the Urban Core. I look at the success of the Storm Chasers and Union Omaha at Werner Park and think of the struggles of North Downtown businesses and development and think "if only they through the Storm Chasers a bone." Can you imagine having several thousand be downtown at TD Ameritrade every week from May to October? I think of the UP site/Wall Street Tower/Lanoha site and what a farce that has been. The almost but not really landing of HDR and a nice high rise downtown. The streetcar (Omaha should have gotten it before or around the time that KC did!). The Civic site (still not optimistic about that coming to fruition even with the modest plans).

My point being, for every GLM/Riverfront and Capitol District success, there have been opportunities missed that, I suppose in retrospect as I was not around for some of these, would have been impactful to the vibrancy and success of downtown. These misses were lobs and Omaha swung out and missed. Decisions aren't unilateral of course, but it seemed like Omaha and its leaders could have done more?

Still I am optimistic despite the pessimistic ruminations you read here. As many have commented, the philanthropic led effort to redo the downtown parks will be a boon to the urban core. I have no doubt, I just wish some other things would have been or will be addressed to help downtown.

"if only they through the Storm Chasers a bone" ?? The Storm Chasers wanted nothing to do with sharing a stadium with the CWS. They grew tired of having to leave town for 2-3 weeks every May/June.

[Linkin5]

Yeah it’s not the city’s fault at all that Stormchasers are out west. The city’s job of using the stadium for other events outside of the CWS has been abysmal though.

[Greg S]

Yeah it’s not the city’s fault at all that Stormchasers are out west. The city’s job of using the stadium for other events outside of the CWS has been abysmal though.

Yeah the initial plans for North Downtown area's stadium were for the Chasers not the CWS. Once that area got identified for the CWS, it was no longer viable for the Chasers.

Greg

[ita]

Yes, the fact that older buildings are sacrificed all the time, many times whole blocks of buildings for one development. That is one area that drives me nuts, Omaha needs these older buildings, we don't need every new development that comes along to take up an entire city block.

We can cite example after example of this..

But it is and always will be the Historical Jobbers Canyon district demolition that sticks out like a sore thumb every time..

It’s what happens when we allow fear to lead us by the nose- we lose all elements of common sense, vision and critical thinking.. We didn’t “future proof” or do our DT core any favors with that debacle of a demolition. Especially considering ConAgra ended up bolting from Omaha anyway in 2015.. One positive is we have an opportunity now to redevelop the ConAgra campus the right way..

Rehashing Jobbers Canyon is relevant to me in the sense of thinking just how much better our core would be had we salvaged that district combined with our current Riverfront Development plan today..Then feel the frustration and learn from the mistake..

Anywho-

It would seem we at least have our course correction in progress with the GLM/Riverfront plan…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

A city really needs the right people in charge making decisions at the right time. Unfortunately, for Jobber's Canyon, that was not the case. but like you said knowing the history is important. We shouldn't, though we still do, repeat the mistakes of the past. I have general optimism that good things will happen downtown, but sometimes feel that we do not have the right leadership in place when there is much to capitalize on. I can be proven wrong, and hope I am.

It would be great if we were proven wrong as it relates to the city leadership aspect you bring up..The good thing is, we have developments going on downtown/north downtown despite what I’ll say is questionable leadership at City Hall (and leave it at that)..

The Riverfront Redevelopment plan is overwhelmingly philanthropist driven and Omaha is very, VERY fortunate to have a large and generous philanthropist community which has vision and wants to make positive, enhancing change..

It isn’t easy to find the right balance. There are many cities within Omaha’s peer group which also have nondescript leadership at city hall, but don’t have the generous philanthropist/business community Omaha does..and that’s a double whammy which stunts any hint of development..

In the end, again, Omaha is very fortunate in this regard..and the development activity going on all over the city into the downtown core is proof of that. And it’s exciting to see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Those are all good points. I haven't lived here long, but I could see so much missed potential from even more recent decisions or failed opportunities with Downtown with this current administration and a couple prior ones and other leaders/entities that make the decisions for the Urban Core. I look at the success of the Storm Chasers and Union Omaha at Werner Park and think of the struggles of North Downtown businesses and development and think "if only they through the Storm Chasers a bone." Can you imagine having several thousand be downtown at TD Ameritrade every week from May to October? I think of the UP site/Wall Street Tower/Lanoha site and what a farce that has been. The almost but not really landing of HDR and a nice high rise downtown. The streetcar (Omaha should have gotten it before or around the time that KC did!). The Civic site (still not optimistic about that coming to fruition even with the modest plans).

My point being, for every GLM/Riverfront and Capitol District success, there have been opportunities missed that, I suppose in retrospect as I was not around for some of these, would have been impactful to the vibrancy and success of downtown. These misses were lobs and Omaha swung out and missed. Decisions aren't unilateral of course, but it seemed like Omaha and its leaders could have done more?

Still I am optimistic despite the pessimistic ruminations you read here. As many have commented, the philanthropic led effort to redo the downtown parks will be a boon to the urban core. I have no doubt, I just wish some other things would have been or will be addressed to help downtown.

"if only they through the Storm Chasers a bone" ?? The Storm Chasers wanted nothing to do with sharing a stadium with the CWS. They grew tired of having to leave town for 2-3 weeks every May/June.

Thanks for the information. I wasn't here for all that and didn't know all the details. I had read that the Storm Chasers were denied any share of concessions and other revenue sources if they played at TD. I thought that was the main issue, but it sounds like the scheduling was a bigger deal.

[Linkin5]

The schedule, and a ballpark that big just is terrible atmosphere for a minor league team. On the nights they would draw like 8k in Rosenblatt it still looked completely empty.

[Greg S]

The schedule, and a ballpark that big just is terrible atmosphere for a minor league team. On the nights they would draw like 8k in Rosenblatt it still looked completely empty.

Yeah there were many issues for the Chasers trying to make it work at TD. Schedule (losing 3 weeks in one of your best months), MECA running things and controlling the stadium (look at all the events at Werner that aren't Chaser games), a stadium that dwarfs anything else in MiLB (hard to presell tikcets when you know the absolutely won't sell out exept July 4).


I really hope Creighton builds something around their campus like UNO has done. The atmosphere at CU games at TD is the worst.


Greg

[SunMan]

For years, the Pacific Coast League was on the Omaha Royals' case about their stadium situation regarding Rosenblatt. They were tired of working their pro schedule around a college event. It was definitely in the Royals' interests to break free and have their own stadium (and new identity). Now that Minor League baseball is being run by Major League baseball, a shared stadium would not be tolerated. The Eugene Emeralds (High A West league) share a stadium with University of Oregon. They have been put on notice by Major League baseball to have a stadium plan in place by 2025 or the team will be relocated.

[ita]

This Facebook post has some good pictures of the project. You can really see how the hardscaping is progressing.

https://m.facebook.com/tim.kiuntke/post ... dp=1&mdf=1

[Louie]

This Facebook post has some good pictures of the project. You can really see how the hardscaping is progressing.

https://m.facebook.com/tim.kiuntke/post ... dp=1&mdf=1

Good to get some of those trees back. I know a lot of people were upset to lose the trees. Luckily we can plant more and we'll get the great lawn feature, too.

[Omaha Cowboy]

This is some cool information from The Riverfront’s June newsletter which I just received through email yesterday-

“With the exciting return of the NCAA Men's College World Series, The RiverFront activation team is already dreaming up opportunities and experiences for both locals and visitors to enjoy in 2022.

At this time next year, Gene Leahy Mall will have been reopened for just a couple of weeks - and already it will be fully programed with fitness classes and game carts, along with numerous food and beverage stations. In addition to the great, free amenities that will be permanently placed throughout the park, various spaces will also be available for pregame party rentals, alumni gatherings, and corporate events. Additionally, state-of-the-art playgrounds will also provide a place for kids to burn off some of their ballpark cotton candy energy.

But at its core, The RiverFront will be a tranquil escape within walking distance of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha - an ideal place to sit quietly with the morning paper, for out-of-towners to catch up on work (thanks to free WiFi throughout the area) or for a post-game stroll.”..

If you haven’t already, go to their web site and sign up for their newsletter. It’s free, and you get some nuggets of information not mentioned in traditional media regarding the project-

https://riverfrontrevitalization.com/

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

From today’s W-H-

“Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall is slowly blossoming into what could be one of the city’s signature attractions.

Playground infrastructure is taking shape. Decorative concrete walkways have been poured. Honeybees and rabbits have even begun to hang around the trees and shrubbery that have breathed a little life into the former lagoon now raised to street level.

Upon the mall’s opening next Memorial Day weekend, Omahans will be able to party at the park like it’s 2022.”..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/with-trees ... op-story-1

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

https://m.facebook.com/story/graphql_pe ... g0OTg3MTM0

I think this is the appropriate place to put it. OPL provided a summary of related items in the mayor's proposed budget. Related to GLM is an earmark in the cip for $20 million in 2023 towards a new downtown library. The city is apparently actively working in redeveloping the library site, but nothing concrete yet.

[omahahawk]

Great find, very interesting.....thanks. Wonder if this would entail a new library at the current site or possibly at the Civic site leaving the old space open for hopefully new development.

[ita]

Great find, very interesting.....thanks. Wonder if this would entail a new library at the current site or possibly at the Civic site leaving the old space open for hopefully new development.

Based on how I read it and what has been said before, the current downtown library would be razed for private development and a new library be built elsewhere in downtown. Civic site has been thrown around the forum and brought up in other rumors concerning a possible location for the downtown library. I think the Civic site is a good location, but I am sure there other viable options.

[Doctor Fate]

Great find, very interesting.....thanks. Wonder if this would entail a new library at the current site or possibly at the Civic site leaving the old space open for hopefully new development.

Based on how I read it and what has been said before, the current downtown library would be razed for private development and a new library be built elsewhere in downtown. Civic site has been thrown around the forum and brought up in other rumors concerning a possible location for the downtown library. I think the Civic site is a good location, but I am sure there other viable options.

I believe the plan is still to have like a 10-12 story office tower on the current library site. I would love to see the new library remain around the GLM, as there are lots of surface lots. Something like a 4 story building with a rooftop terrace on NW corner of 10th and Harney.

[omahahawk]

Absolutely, if possible I would love to see it remain in the area of the park as well. A beautiful new state of the art facility with a terrace view of the park would be stunning in that setting and would make for an incredible city flagship library.

[Omaha Cowboy]

I believe the plan is still to have like a 10-12 story office tower on the current library site. I would love to see the new library remain around the GLM, as there are lots of surface lots. Something like a 4 story building with a rooftop terrace on NW corner of 10th and Harney.

It would be disappointing if the downtown library was razed and only a 10-12 story building took its place on the site property. There has been the idea also of a signature high rise built at this location as well..

But IF the library is razed and we only get a low rise development, we’ll take what we can get ..

I also agree and feel a new library location would be best served along the Riverfront Redevelopment area.. Perhaps even on land relatively close to the Luminarium Science Museum..but I don’t know if the lay of the land would make that possible. But I think it would be great for “dotted line” connectivity..

I don’t know if the Civic site is the best landing spot for the library..

We’ll see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[omahahawk]

Nope, I would take the Civic site for the library if that was all we could get but definitely feel a new downtown library would benefit with a panoramic view of trees and water.

[iamjacobm]

The original plan was to build the new library one block east of the current site. That block is supposed to see development.

[Omaha Cowboy]

The original plan was to build the new library one block east of the current site. That block is supposed to see development.

And I remember reading that quite awhile back as well.. At this point, I really don’t have a sense as to if the library gets relocated, where it’s eventual landing spot would be. I’m not a fan of it being located at the Civic site though..

I really believe it belongs along our Riverfront Redevelopment area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

I appreciate the thoughts and comments on this issue. I guess this raises another ancillary topic regarding GLM and the Riverfront Redevelopment; should the City be focusing on residential development around the parks or office? More and more business choose to go where the people are, so I would lean towards more residential. I think it is an important subject because there are only so many possible redevelopment opportunities around the parks. Obviously, we need multiuse buildings around the parks, but the predominant use, in my opinion should be residential. One obvious one redevelopment site, the green lot next to the Holland, is already spoke for by OPA's expanded educational space, or something like that, so we only have a handful of opportunities. There are some biggies that could open up, like Lots A and B (this one I count because it will be connected to the Riverfront via Baby Bob), but in the direct vicinity we have to start tearing down some undesirables, like the state building to open up development around the parks.

Just for kicks, I will throw in that triangle shaped lot that was previously marked for a mid- or high-rise residential building on the north side of Heartland of America bounded by Douglas and 480 for a possible library site. We could get a narrower building with some height and an interesting shape. We could still have the rooftop space and benefit from park and river view, while taking a spot that I think would be cool for a residential project, but may be a hard sell due to the odd shape and size.

I still like the Civic site due to proximity to Central High and Creighton and if they redevelop it for mixed income residential.

[Doctor Fate]

I believe the plan is still to have like a 10-12 story office tower on the current library site. I would love to see the new library remain around the GLM, as there are lots of surface lots. Something like a 4 story building with a rooftop terrace on NW corner of 10th and Harney.

It would be disappointing if the downtown library was razed and only a 10-12 story building took its place on the site property. There has been the idea also of a signature high rise built at this location as well..

But IF the library is razed and we only get a low rise development, we’ll take what we can get ..

I also agree and feel a new library location would be best served along the Riverfront Redevelopment area.. Perhaps even on land relatively close to the Luminarium Science Museum..but I don’t know if the lay of the land would make that possible. But I think it would be great for “dotted line” connectivity..

I don’t know if the Civic site is the best landing spot for the library..

We’ll see…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I was told an office building on the library site of 10-12 stories and the block east of the library they were hoping for a significant residential high rise of over 300 ft. That is what MECA EVP told me. They said that the residential high rise was taken out of renderings while they wait and see how other residential developments do but that the views on all sides would be a major draw for any high rise build on that location.

[Doctor Fate]

The original plan was to build the new library one block east of the current site. That block is supposed to see development.

And I remember reading that quite awhile back as well.. At this point, I really don’t have a sense as to if the library gets relocated, where it’s eventual landing spot would be. I’m not a fan of it being located at the Civic site though..

I really believe it belongs along our Riverfront Redevelopment area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

See my comment above about the library site and the block to the east.

But I agree with the library being in the Riverfront Redevelopment area. That makes the most sense synergy-wise and logistically, I think.