Old Union Pacific Headquarters Lot

[GetUrban]

If this all pans out, the next big question is who will the Architect will be? Most likely I would guess Leo A Daly, or maybe HDR, but it might be good to inject some new design savvy from outside sources into Omaha, or at least a local architectural firm teamed with a more cutting edge international firm with high-rise experience, such as Adrian Smith (formerly of SOM). Exciting times may lie ahead.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Another guess-

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

If this all pans out, the next big question is who will the Architect will be? Most likely I would guess Leo A Daly, or maybe HDR, but it might be good to inject some new design savvy from outside sources into Omaha, or at least a local architectural firm teamed with a more cutting edge international firm with high-rise experience, such as Adrian Smith (formerly of SOM). Exciting times may lie ahead.

Agreed with you outside sources take..cart before the horse for sure, but fun to discuss nonetheless …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Garrett]

Another guess-

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

Unless they’ve exponentially grown in the last 10 years, them leaving Aksarben seems far fetched.

I could see Mutual with their old HQ converted.

[strangerthings]

If its multi-tenant, they just need to be taking 40%+ of the building. Insurer can write their own loan so maybe a lower percentage. Do not have to take the entire building.

[jomaha9]

If this rumor has legs, it will be interesting to see what insurance company would anchor a 50 story building in Omaha. Mutual of Omaha is the obvious pick here as they have talked about a new headquarters for years. Do they still own a stake in Midtown Crossing? Would they relocate out of their neighborhood?

Some less obvious possibilities...

Markel - Currently in Central Park Plaza. Would they expand in Omaha? Do they want to be in a new tower?
Metlife - Currently in the Gavilion Building. Potential to relocate some of their workforce out of an expensive metro (New York) to Omaha?
Aetna - Larger office out west. Would they move downtown and expand in Omaha?
Physicians Mutual - They currently have a lot of land in west downtown. They could anchor a tower and make a killing redeveloping their campus
Pacific Life - They have a relatively new building in Aksarben. Not sure on this one.
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance - Could potentially anchor a tower
Breeze - Growing startup but not likely to anchor a tower

[ita]

If this rumor has legs, it will be interesting to see what insurance company would anchor a 50 story building in Omaha. Mutual of Omaha is the obvious pick here as they have talked about a new headquarters for years. Do they still own a stake in Midtown Crossing? Would they relocate out of their neighborhood?

Some less obvious possibilities...

Markel - Currently in Central Park Plaza. Would they expand in Omaha? Do they want to be in a new tower?
Metlife - Currently in the Gavilion Building. Potential to relocate some of their workforce out of an expensive metro (New York) to Omaha?
Aetna - Larger office out west. Would they move downtown and expand in Omaha?
Physicians Mutual - They currently have a lot of land in west downtown. They could anchor a tower and make a killing redeveloping their campus
Pacific Life - They have a relatively new building in Aksarben. Not sure on this one.
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance - Could potentially anchor a tower
Breeze - Growing startup but not likely to anchor a tower

Mutual of Omaha's real estate arm still owns much of Turner Park East. Additionally, they just bought the Runza property in July, according to county records. That indicates to me that they are still invested in Midtown Crossing/Turner Park East, unless they are compiling properties to sell to a major developer. Anyway, if the rumors are true about a new downtown tower, my guess is it's not MoO.

Also, check out this week's Midland Business Journal. The cover photo looks like a different design for the Lanoha property. I looked it up. I think this is the old wall street tower rendering. It's odd that they used this.

[Athomsfere]

If this rumor has legs, it will be interesting to see what insurance company would anchor a 50 story building in Omaha. Mutual of Omaha is the obvious pick here as they have talked about a new headquarters for years. Do they still own a stake in Midtown Crossing? Would they relocate out of their neighborhood?

Some less obvious possibilities...

Markel - Currently in Central Park Plaza. Would they expand in Omaha? Do they want to be in a new tower?
Metlife - Currently in the Gavilion Building. Potential to relocate some of their workforce out of an expensive metro (New York) to Omaha?
Aetna - Larger office out west. Would they move downtown and expand in Omaha?
Physicians Mutual - They currently have a lot of land in west downtown. They could anchor a tower and make a killing redeveloping their campus
Pacific Life - They have a relatively new building in Aksarben. Not sure on this one.
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance - Could potentially anchor a tower
Breeze - Growing startup but not likely to anchor a tower

MoO has also said they would want to stay in midtown, but who knows.

What I wonder: Is Lanoha still leading this? I mean, it's gaining 20 floors, so that is a radical change. Perhaps it is still the same plan but stretched out to fit what Lanoha wanted, plus the new rumored tenant?

I feel like Physicians might be the most likely, with a property sale / swap deal for Lanoha. Where Lanoha can't get the backing they want, but aren't willing to give up this spot unless they have something new to develop later. Get the current PM downtown spot, plus maybe something out west might fit that bill perfectly, while also giving PM a cash injection to build a part of a new plan.

Obviously, I'm just sitting here speculating though.

[Athomsfere]

Also, check out this week's Midland Business Journal. The cover photo looks like a different design for the Lanoha property. I looked it up. I think this is the old wall street tower rendering. It's odd that they used this.

Wait a tick, that's the Wallstreet Tower

[Louie]

If this rumor has legs, it will be interesting to see what insurance company would anchor a 50 story building in Omaha. Mutual of Omaha is the obvious pick here as they have talked about a new headquarters for years. Do they still own a stake in Midtown Crossing? Would they relocate out of their neighborhood?

Some less obvious possibilities...

Markel - Currently in Central Park Plaza. Would they expand in Omaha? Do they want to be in a new tower?
Metlife - Currently in the Gavilion Building. Potential to relocate some of their workforce out of an expensive metro (New York) to Omaha?
Aetna - Larger office out west. Would they move downtown and expand in Omaha?
Physicians Mutual - They currently have a lot of land in west downtown. They could anchor a tower and make a killing redeveloping their campus
Pacific Life - They have a relatively new building in Aksarben. Not sure on this one.
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance - Could potentially anchor a tower
Breeze - Growing startup but not likely to anchor a tower

MoO has also said they would want to stay in midtown, but who knows.

What I wonder: Is Lanoha still leading this? I mean, it's gaining 20 floors, so that is a radical change. Perhaps it is still the same plan but stretched out to fit what Lanoha wanted, plus the new rumored tenant?

I feel like Physicians might be the most likely, with a property sale / swap deal for Lanoha. Where Lanoha can't get the backing they want, but aren't willing to give up this spot unless they have something new to develop later. Get the current PM downtown spot, plus maybe something out west might fit that bill perfectly, while also giving PM a cash injection to build a part of a new plan.

Obviously, I'm just sitting here speculating though.

The land swap idea is very interesting for Physicians Mutual. That much land on the edge of downtown would be developed quickly since they could be shorter buildings.

[jomaha9]

Do the cryptic rumor people know if there is a residential or hospitality component to the tower?

[Omaha Cowboy]

Do the cryptic rumor people know if there is a residential or hospitality component to the tower?

No additional detail other than what was reported. I’d imagine though, considering the size and scope of what would be a 700 plus foot skyscraper (Omaha’s tallest if built), there would be multi dimensional components to this plan- including retail, hospitality and possibly residential..

For the insurance component, my likely 3 best guesses would be-

Berkshire Hathaway’s Insurance Group, Physician’s Mutual or Mutual of Omaha..

An outlier could be Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[ita]

If this rumor has legs, it will be interesting to see what insurance company would anchor a 50 story building in Omaha. Mutual of Omaha is the obvious pick here as they have talked about a new headquarters for years. Do they still own a stake in Midtown Crossing? Would they relocate out of their neighborhood?

Some less obvious possibilities...

Markel - Currently in Central Park Plaza. Would they expand in Omaha? Do they want to be in a new tower?
Metlife - Currently in the Gavilion Building. Potential to relocate some of their workforce out of an expensive metro (New York) to Omaha?
Aetna - Larger office out west. Would they move downtown and expand in Omaha?
Physicians Mutual - They currently have a lot of land in west downtown. They could anchor a tower and make a killing redeveloping their campus
Pacific Life - They have a relatively new building in Aksarben. Not sure on this one.
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance - Could potentially anchor a tower
Breeze - Growing startup but not likely to anchor a tower

MoO has also said they would want to stay in midtown, but who knows.

What I wonder: Is Lanoha still leading this? I mean, it's gaining 20 floors, so that is a radical change. Perhaps it is still the same plan but stretched out to fit what Lanoha wanted, plus the new rumored tenant?

I feel like Physicians might be the most likely, with a property sale / swap deal for Lanoha. Where Lanoha can't get the backing they want, but aren't willing to give up this spot unless they have something new to develop later. Get the current PM downtown spot, plus maybe something out west might fit that bill perfectly, while also giving PM a cash injection to build a part of a new plan.

Obviously, I'm just sitting here speculating though.

The land swap idea is very interesting for Physicians Mutual. That much land on the edge of downtown would be developed quickly since they could be shorter buildings.

I like Physician's Mutual being the one moving. If it frees up the nearly 20 acre site for redevelopment, that would awesome. Between that lot, the Lutheran Family Services block, and the Joslyn addition, that area could undergo a transformation and increase density significantly.

[Athomsfere]

That Lutheran Services block, I'd love to develop if I could... lol

Does anyone know what BCBS's lease / ownership of the AK lot is? I can't see them moving for the most part, because I know a lot of the staff there wouldn't want to come even further downtown. BUT! I also know they are trying to attract great tech talent, and an even more urban spot might help them there.

[Coyote]

Does anyone know what BCBS's lease / ownership of the AK lot is? I can't see them moving for the most part, because I know a lot of the staff there wouldn't want to come even further downtown. BUT! I also know they are trying to attract great tech talent, and an even more urban spot might help them there.

I believe BCBS owns about 51% of AK. As of about a year ago.

[Garrett]

Yeah I'm definitely starting to think Physicians is likely, unless its a relocation from a larger metro area. The potential of the redevelopment of their campus is huge. If Heritage weren't set on 72nd for the new library I would think this would be a perfect site for it. Either way, a potentially great catalyst for new development in western downtown. Save some of the greenery and trees as a new park and bring new uses to a lot of underutilized lots.

[Doctor Fate]

I have heard that JE Dunn was already awarded the contract by Lanoha. If that's the case, I don't think a swap with Physicians would be in the works.

[Garrett]

I have heard that JE Dunn was already awarded the contract by Lanoha. If that's the case, I don't think a swap with Physicians would be in the works.

Yeah I don't think a land swap is likely at all. But I could see Physicians either selling their land or developing it if it is them.

[Brad]

What if Physicians and Mutual went to war and built competing skyscrapers?

[GetUrban]

I forgot that the West downtown building and campus that Physician’s Mutual is in now was originally built for Enron before they moved their HQ to Houston. I believe Gensler was the architect on that building, which is really quite a nice facility that would make a good home for some other company. There is still a large chunk of property left that could be developed if that building were to be saved. There’s a big parking garage west of the Physician’s building too.

[BobbiDon]

I am trying to temper expectations, because in the development realm, we all know to well, it is easy to be left wishing.. BUT.. can you imagine if a project of this magnitude were to be underway at the same time as our other cryptic rumor of a 14-20 story firserv building!?

I can’t imagine at this time it could be any company outside of Omaha, or a company with a relatively small contingency in the area due to our ~1% unemployment rate. Would be an uphill battle to recruit a workforce.

[Doctor Fate]

I am trying to temper expectations, because in the development realm, we all know to well, it is easy to be left wishing.. BUT.. can you imagine if a project of this magnitude were to be underway at the same time as our other cryptic rumor of a 14-20 story firserv building!?

I can’t imagine at this time it could be any company outside of Omaha, or a company with a relatively small contingency in the area due to our ~1% unemployment rate. Would be an uphill battle to recruit a workforce.

This is one of the major things that gets me excited. Imagining this potential 700 ft tower, the library site tower (which could be 300 ft), the residential mid rise that Cowboy mentioned a month or so ago, the 15+ story Med Center admin tower, Luminarium and Joselyn construction, and ConAgra campus development all at the same time.

[OmahaOmaha]

It’s fun dreaming about all this, but the supply chain and inflation problems caused by Biden will most likely kill any high rise plans. I bet Mutual of Omaha is kicking themselves for putting off building plans back in 2019.

[Garrett]

It’s fun dreaming about all this, but the supply chain and inflation problems caused by Biden will most likely kill any high rise plans. I bet State Farm is kicking themselves for putting off building plans back in 2019.

You really want to try to do this right now? No. Let's not

[Omaha Cowboy]

You really want to try to do this right now? No. Let's not

Agreed..

We have a good rumor from rock solid sources..regarding a prominent parcel downtown that’s been starving for development for 15 years.. We’ll be keeping politics out of it..

A cup half full attitude and spitballing our predictions on “when’s and what if’s” are the fun part for now. What has me excited, is this was not some sporadic, random rumor..It’s been confirmed by trusted sources…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[MadJack]

It's not unheard of for companies to build skyscraper office buildings even in this unusual real estate environment. Just two months ago, Hines (a Houston-based real estate developer) announced it was building two new highrise office buildings in downtown San Francisco including a 61-story one that will be the 4th tallest building in that city. Obviously, someone believes that tall office towers are still viable.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It's not unheard of for companies to build skyscraper office buildings even in this unusual real estate environment. Just two months ago, Hines (a Houston-based real estate developer) announced it was building two new highrise office buildings in downtown San Francisco including a 61-story one that will be the 4th tallest building in that city. Obviously, someone believes that tall office towers are still viable.

Excellent point..

High rises are still being constructed in cities throughout the US. This can happen for Omaha as well.. It just requires proper planning secured financing and commitment to see the project through…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Garrett]

The mods have said not to make this thread political. I do not want to debate this right now with you, even though I believe you’re wrong, because I don’t come to this website to do anything but read about and advocate for Omaha development. Seriously. Stop.

[Omaha Cowboy]

The mods have said not to make this thread political. I do not want to debate this right now with you, even though I believe you’re wrong, because I don’t come to this website to do anything but read about and advocate for Omaha development. Seriously. Stop.

This is 100% correct. We’ll not talk politics on a potential highrise development thread..

There is a place for political discussion. That place is not on this forum..and any continual out of place political references here, will be eliminated. That’s the rules folks. You don’t like it, DONT post on this forum..

This will be the LAST time this BS will be addressed here..

Moving back to topic now..

Thanks…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[GetUrban]

I could say that supply chain and shipping bottlenecks are a worldwide problem as we emerge from this unprecedented pandemic and that fear of inflation can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I’d rather focus and speculate on what may very well become one of the most exciting skyline-changing eras we’ve experienced in Omaha for a long, long time. I won’t let the politically-motivated naysayers dash my optimism.

[Hawkeye]

[youtube][/youtube]

[ita]

Someone posted in the Omaha Reddit about the 700 ft. rumor. A lot of comments are asinine, but there is some good conversation about Omaha, not unlike those we have here.

[Athomsfere]

Someone posted in the Omaha Reddit about the 700 ft. rumor. A lot of comments are asinine, but there is some good conversation about Omaha, not unlike those we have here.

I was wondering how long until Reddit scooped it up. There is also a link back to this thread now, apparently.

[Hawkeye]

Jus' spitballin' what a 700-ish footer might look like on that parcel.

Yeah, yeah, I know:
a) This perspective probably isn't precisely lined up with the parcel as you'd see it from the 10th street bridge and
b) The building wouldn't be cockeyed like that. Was just using Minneapolis' Capella Tower because it's an interesting shape, and because at around 57 stories and just under 800 feet, it's at least somewhat in the general ballpark of what's being discussed here.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Jus' spitballin' what a 700-ish footer might look like on that parcel.

Yeah, yeah, I know:
a) This perspective probably isn't precisely lined up with the parcel as you'd see it from the 10th street bridge and
b) The building wouldn't be cockeyed like that. Was just using Minneapolis' Capella Tower because it's an interesting shape, and because at around 57 stories and just under 800 feet, it's at least somewhat in the general ballpark of what's being discussed here.

Love it.. Great job there ..

‘Ol Hawkeye can spitball on the forum any time he wants …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Night Train]

Hi there! I’ve been a fan of this site for a long time and just now finally decided to register. Thank you for letting me join the conversation.

One thing that I thought of recently: when the Woodmen was built didn’t it have a height restriction of other newly built buildings for like 30 years (correct me if I’m wrong)? It was completed in 1969. 30 years later in 1999 the FNBO tower starts construction and is completed in 2002. And now nearly 20 years after its completion there’s talk of a potentially higher tower being built.

Granted I understand Omaha wasn’t necessarily in the market for another tall skyscraper and we’ve had other proposals before but I’m curious that if FNBO possibly had a height restriction (however long it may have been or if it existed) and if that restriction is over does it give this rumor stronger legs to stand on?

Regardless it is a blast to speculate on what might be and, while being cautiously optimistic, knowing that things are in the works/being discussed.

Side note: one of my favorite things over the years has been seeing member’s renderings of downtown like Hawkeye’s yesterday. Brad made one recently as well and it’s fun to imagine what downtown would be like with more density and having these sacred lots being filled.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

[Garrett]

I can’t imagine why the city would agree to something like that. I’ve never heard of that before with a private company.

[Linkin5]

I have never heard of a height restriction in Omaha like the one Lincoln has imposed.

[GetUrban]

The only height restrictions I'm aware of are closer to the river such as the Bob Kerrey Bridge location which is within the approach flight path of Eppley runway 18/36. The bridge pylons were limited to something like 500' height, if I remember correctly. The budget limited the height of the pylons more the the flight path though.

https://flightaware.com/resources/airpo ... RWY+36/pdf

[GetUrban]

I have never heard of a height restriction in Omaha like the one Lincoln has imposed.

The Lincoln height restriction relates to maintaining good views of the State Capitol Building, which is a good thing and probably one of the best buildings that will ever be built in Nebraska, at least for the foreseeable future.