Dodge Park Development

[Garrett]

The new Urban Core Plan identifies Dodge Park as a prime spot for new development, with a significant amounts of new residential and the basis of a Council Bluffs streetcar line. The renderings are quite stunning.

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnew ... 4f.pdf.pdf

[Brad]

That’s awesome! I like how it also includes the 2nd pedestrian Bridge over the heartland of America Park.

[skinzfan23]

I love the idea, but wonder how long it would take to build out. Aksarben Village has taken nearly 15 years and its still not fully done.

[Athomsfere]

I'm gonna start it: But that's way too much parking for what this needs to be IMO.

[Louie]

I'm gonna start it: But that's way too much parking for what this needs to be IMO.

Lol, I suppose you're right.

[Athomsfere]

I'm gonna start it: But that's way too much parking for what this needs to be IMO.

Lol, I suppose you're right.

Luckily, it's all a pipe dream thing. If even the thought of moving forward comes up, I hope they put real thought into turning this into a modern street car suburb with light concessions to the car. It might take a lot of trust in mass transit, and a slower build out. But I do think it would work out.

[ita]

I'm gonna start it: But that's way too much parking for what this needs to be IMO.

Lol, I suppose you're right.

Luckily, it's all a pipe dream thing. If even the thought of moving forward comes up, I hope they put real thought into turning this into a modern street car suburb with light concessions to the car. It might take a lot of trust in mass transit, and a slower build out. But I do think it would work out.

I agree that the one aspect that jumped out to me is: holy parking, Batman! Really, these are such early concepts that I won't criticize it much. If anything, there is so much that needs to be done first, like getting that $100 million bridge built and streetcar extension approved, that any design issues right now are moot. What I do appreciate about the concept, and other renderings of the Urban Core Strategy, is the placement of potential high rises along/facing the riverfront.

That's what excites me about the Dodge Park redevelopment; the sky is the limit. From a development standpoint, streetcars are most successful when they 1) connect to existing cultural and entertainment amenities and dense residential and business centers and 2) have high potential developable land along the way. I thought Omaha already had a lot of good lots to develop along the initial route, but, like Garrett said, to have this much land to develop on a streetcar route, is rare. Council Bluffs could see some nice growth just by building this out. Since 1970, they've grown by a whopping 2,000 people. They could easily add that by multiples by redeveloping this golf course even at a medium density.

[Louie]

That's what excites me about the Dodge Park redevelopment; the sky is the limit. From a development standpoint, streetcars are most successful when they 1) connect to existing cultural and entertainment amenities and dense residential and business centers and 2) have high potential developable land along the way. I thought Omaha already had a lot of good lots to develop along the initial route, but, like Garrett said, to have this much land to develop on a streetcar route, is rare. Council Bluffs could see some nice growth just by building this out. Since 1970, they've grown by a whopping 2,000 people. They could easily add that by multiples by redeveloping this golf course even at a medium density.

It's honestly kind of crazy CB hasn't seen more growth. Really pretty hills and even some open acreage type opportunities all within 10 min of DT Omaha.

[Athomsfere]

That's what excites me about the Dodge Park redevelopment; the sky is the limit. From a development standpoint, streetcars are most successful when they 1) connect to existing cultural and entertainment amenities and dense residential and business centers and 2) have high potential developable land along the way. I thought Omaha already had a lot of good lots to develop along the initial route, but, like Garrett said, to have this much land to develop on a streetcar route, is rare. Council Bluffs could see some nice growth just by building this out. Since 1970, they've grown by a whopping 2,000 people. They could easily add that by multiples by redeveloping this golf course even at a medium density.

It's honestly kind of crazy CB hasn't seen more growth. Really pretty hills and even some open acreage type opportunities all within 10 min of DT Omaha.

This is what I've thought since I moved here. I know there is a Council Bluffs stigma, but if your willing to build a house in Gretna and commute downtown, how is that better than buying a nice lot in CB, building the same house, and driving 1/3 of the distance DT against most of the morning traffic?

[EastCB]

I'm gonna start it: But that's way too much parking for what this needs to be IMO.

Lol, I suppose you're right.

Luckily, it's all a pipe dream thing. If even the thought of moving forward comes up, I hope they put real thought into turning this into a modern street car suburb with light concessions to the car. It might take a lot of trust in mass transit, and a slower build out. But I do think it would work out.

I agree that the one aspect that jumped out to me is: holy parking, Batman! Really, these are such early concepts that I won't criticize it much. If anything, there is so much that needs to be done first, like getting that $100 million bridge built and streetcar extension approved, that any design issues right now are moot. What I do appreciate about the concept, and other renderings of the Urban Core Strategy, is the placement of potential high rises along/facing the riverfront.

That's what excites me about the Dodge Park redevelopment; the sky is the limit. From a development standpoint, streetcars are most successful when they 1) connect to existing cultural and entertainment amenities and dense residential and business centers and 2) have high potential developable land along the way. I thought Omaha already had a lot of good lots to develop along the initial route, but, like Garrett said, to have this much land to develop on a streetcar route, is rare. Council Bluffs could see some nice growth just by building this out. Since 1970, they've grown by a whopping 2,000 people. They could easily add that by multiples by redeveloping this golf course even at a medium density.

From 1990 to 2020 they grew by 8000. From 1970 to 1990 they lost 6000. There are many new subdivisions and homes in CB since 1990.Plus there are homes and subdivisions next to Cb that are not in the city limits. In Iowa, you cannot annex unless the people in those areas vote for it.

[ita]

I'm gonna start it: But that's way too much parking for what this needs to be IMO.

Lol, I suppose you're right.

Luckily, it's all a pipe dream thing. If even the thought of moving forward comes up, I hope they put real thought into turning this into a modern street car suburb with light concessions to the car. It might take a lot of trust in mass transit, and a slower build out. But I do think it would work out.

I agree that the one aspect that jumped out to me is: holy parking, Batman! Really, these are such early concepts that I won't criticize it much. If anything, there is so much that needs to be done first, like getting that $100 million bridge built and streetcar extension approved, that any design issues right now are moot. What I do appreciate about the concept, and other renderings of the Urban Core Strategy, is the placement of potential high rises along/facing the riverfront.

That's what excites me about the Dodge Park redevelopment; the sky is the limit. From a development standpoint, streetcars are most successful when they 1) connect to existing cultural and entertainment amenities and dense residential and business centers and 2) have high potential developable land along the way. I thought Omaha already had a lot of good lots to develop along the initial route, but, like Garrett said, to have this much land to develop on a streetcar route, is rare. Council Bluffs could see some nice growth just by building this out. Since 1970, they've grown by a whopping 2,000 people. They could easily add that by multiples by redeveloping this golf course even at a medium density.

From 1990 to 2020 they grew by 8000. From 1970 to 1990 they lost 6000. There are many new subdivisions and homes in CB since 1990.Plus there are homes and subdivisions next to Cb that are not in the city limits. In Iowa, you cannot annex unless the people in those areas vote for it.

Thanks for the additional information. If we look at Pottowatomie County, which would capture some of that suburban/exurban growth, this is what growth looked like since 1970 (taken from Wikipedia):

1970 - 86,991
1980 - 86,561
1990 - 82,628
2000 - 87,704
2010 - 93,158
2020 - 93,667

It's not much better, but like you said, growth appears to have occurred mostly outside CB. I think that puts even more pressure on CB to pursue this development.

[PotatoeEatsFish]

Connecting downtown Omaha is the only way for Council Bluffs to grow. The dead space between downtown Omaha and Broadway has really killed any potential for it to grow. The streetcar and bridge is a surprising but necessary move by both cities. Although I have doubts for how well this neighborhood will grow but I'll remain optimistic. The original plans scream office park but I realize these are just quickly drafted ideas.

[ita]

Jay Noddle, in this last Saturday's Grow Omaha show, talked about this site for a minute. It is about 150 acres, and he thinks it can easily fit 3,000 residents. If I am doing my math right, that's about 13k people per square mile. It would make it one of the densest neighborhoods in the Metro.

[Athomsfere]

Jay Noddle, in this last Saturday's Grow Omaha show, talked about this site for a minute. It is about 150 acres, and he thinks it can easily fit 3,000 residents. If I am doing my math right, that's about 13k people per square mile. It would make it one of the densest neighborhoods in the Metro.

Without checking your math, it would at least be in the top 5!

At a glance, I think thats:

Census Tract 313 Pottawattamie County, Iowa (19155031300)
Population Density: 482.0
Total Population: 3,058
Land Area (sq mi): 6.3

[iamjacobm]

Recruit whoever did this in Poland.

[Athomsfere]

Recruit whoever did this in Poland.

Now that's a dream development!

[Coyote]

A footbridge connecting Omaha to Council Bluffs? Not so fast, say CB golfers



The bridge would start at Dodge Park and end somewhere on 10th and Douglas. The catch is it would require redevelopment of the Dodge Park Golf Course, which is the only course owned by the City of Council Bluffs.

[Linkin5]

Golf courses are a massive waste of space and resources, especially in an urban area. Go find another golf course.

[buildomaha]

Golf courses are a massive waste of space and resources, especially in an urban area. Go find another golf course.

Period. The one thing they are good for is water absorption.

[Athomsfere]

The good news: It's not really changing anything right now. It's just someone complaining about change.

[Greg S]

How much will flooding impact this. CB doesn't have the protections in place the DT Omaha has. Is there anything planned to help with this?

Greg

[Brad]

How much will flooding impact this. CB doesn't have the protections in place the DT Omaha has. Is there anything planned to help with this?

Dodge Park in on the dry side of the Levee, unlike Playland Park. In theory it should be good, but levees can break or be over-topped like we saw in 2019.

[skinzfan23]

My guess is that anything built would have this in mind and put parking on the lower level.

[orangeboots]

Amid shortage, Council Bluffs proposes selling historic golf club for more housing

https://www.3newsnow.com/council-bluffs ... re-housing

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — The city of Council Bluffs is considering turning the 100-year-old Dodge Riverside Golf Course into a new housing development. The city has a very little available housing available to rent or to own. The Mayor says Council Bluffs employers, such as the hospitals and schools, say their workers can't find homes in Council Bluffs.

[almighty_tuna]

I wonder if this could signal the beginning of building up instead of out for properties near the river on the CB side because of available land, and/or maybe some precursor to getting property ducks in a row for the potential CB streetcar extension.

[skinzfan23]

I wonder if this could signal the beginning of building up instead of out for properties near the river on the CB side because of available land, and/or maybe some precursor to getting property ducks in a row for the potential CB streetcar extension.

I think the development of the golf course and the extension of the streetcar is the end goal for CB, not sure how quickly any of that will happen.

[Garrett]

This is a key component of building a streetcar line/multimodal bridge into CB. Very exciting to see this moving forward in the planning process.

[Athomsfere]

This is a key component of building a streetcar line/multimodal bridge into CB. Very exciting to see this moving forward in the planning process.

My thoughts too. A couple of good ideas here and an announcement of that bridge getting funded would send me over the moon.

[MetcalfeHarrison]

I was hoping they would render it with the streetcar bridge, where do we think it would actually run through the development?

[Garrett]

More renderings from the city webpage on the possible project. No streetcar bridge though.

https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/2610/F ... e-Riversid

[Nosebot]

Maybe I'm wrong but 3'900 housing units almost seems small for how massive this development looks.

[skinzfan23]

I like the idea, but if they couldn't pull off the apt tower in the playland park area, I doubt all this happens.

[Garrett]

Maybe I'm wrong but 3'900 housing units almost seems small for how massive this development looks.

That's about 30 units per acre across the ~130 acre site. It's on a low end of medium density, but it's still decent density. For reference, a typical single family home subdivision will usually hit between 3 and 4 units per acre.

Edit: The full plan is here. While it doesn't talk about the streetcar, the plan does denote a space for a Streetcar Storage Shed on the north end of the property.

https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/Docume ... /View/9456

[ita]

Maybe I'm wrong but 3'900 housing units almost seems small for how massive this development looks.

That's about 30 units per acre across the ~130 acre site. It's on a low end of medium density, but it's still decent density. For reference, a typical single family home subdivision will usually hit between 3 and 4 units per acre.

Edit: The full plan is here. While it doesn't talk about the streetcar, the plan does denote a space for a Streetcar Storage Shed on the north end of the property.

https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/Docume ... /View/9456

Nice find! Interesting the NuStyle and Arch Icon were part of the team. With NuStyle bulding Omaha's first residential high rise in a while by the Children's Museum, I could see them getting a couple at this golf course while Arch Icon builds some low/mixed income housing.

On the density of this potential development, it is on the lower end, but for Council Bluffs, it's pretty good. Just look at the East Manawa development. 90 or so acres and only about 900 units planned. Also, assuming every unit is occupied with new residents in the potential Dodge Park Development, it could represent up to a 10% increase to their population. Council Bluffs population has been largely stagnant since the 1970's, so they could use something big like this.

[Garrett]

Maybe I'm wrong but 3'900 housing units almost seems small for how massive this development looks.

That's about 30 units per acre across the ~130 acre site. It's on a low end of medium density, but it's still decent density. For reference, a typical single family home subdivision will usually hit between 3 and 4 units per acre.

Edit: The full plan is here. While it doesn't talk about the streetcar, the plan does denote a space for a Streetcar Storage Shed on the north end of the property.

https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/Docume ... /View/9456

Nice find! Interesting the NuStyle and Arch Icon were part of the team. With NuStyle bulding Omaha's first residential high rise in a while by the Children's Museum, I could see them getting a couple at this golf course while Arch Icon builds some low/mixed income housing.

On the density of this potential development, it is on the lower end, but for Council Bluffs, it's pretty good. Just look at the East Manawa development. 90 or so acres and only about 900 units planned. Also, assuming every unit is occupied with new residents in the potential Dodge Park Development, it could represent up to a 10% increase to their population. Council Bluffs population has been largely stagnant since the 1970's, so they could use something big like this.

Yeah! This is definitely a very exciting development for CB and the metro as a whole. City leadership in CB has been calling for and implementing some very ambitious plans over the last few years, and I hope it works out!

Side bar: we do have an active thread for these developments in the CB section. Merge?

-MODERATOR EDIT - DONE-

[ita]

For those who like renderings, starting on Page 38 of the report, there are some neat close-ups of the housing and building types contemplated in the plan.

Additionally, they have a break down of proposed residential units: 3,230 apartment buildings, 385 condos split between the three towers, 140 missing middle, 100 townhomes, 35 cottage homes, and 10 village homes. They also included a 180 room hotel; we need one of those on our riverfront. Here's the kicker, 8,300 parking spots.

It estimates that total infrastructure would be $95M, including park space. Speaking of the park space, while there is a decent central park, they incorporated a "greenline" that goes essentially from the pier through the main park and linear parks through and on the east side of the development.

Conservatively, I would think such a development would bring at least 5,000 new residents. This would be huge for the Urban Core, nearly doubling current estimates.

Also, to add to Garrett's comment above about the streetcar, the bridge is there in the initial renders shown on the plan.

[Dusty]

8300 parking stalls seems very over the top. But...it is in a weird pocket where you can only enter on 2nd Ave or 9th Ave. This makes it hard to get a bus in here for access. Your saving grace will be getting that streetcar line cutting through it.

I do like all the variety of housing styles.

[Brad]

8300 is high. Even if you took out 200 for the hotel (which is also high), that still over 2 stalls per unit which is way higher than a suburban apartment development.

It varies by City, typically a development with 3900 residential units would have around 6800 parking stalls. In Omaha you could cut that in half with the TOD zoning.

[thenewguy]

Maybe I'm wrong but 3'900 housing units almost seems small for how massive this development looks.

That's about 30 units per acre across the ~130 acre site. It's on a low end of medium density, but it's still decent density. For reference, a typical single family home subdivision will usually hit between 3 and 4 units per acre.

Edit: The full plan is here. While it doesn't talk about the streetcar, the plan does denote a space for a Streetcar Storage Shed on the north end of the property.

https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/Docume ... /View/9456

Nice find! Interesting the NuStyle and Arch Icon were part of the team. With NuStyle bulding Omaha's first residential high rise in a while by the Children's Museum, I could see them getting a couple at this golf course while Arch Icon builds some low/mixed income housing.

On the density of this potential development, it is on the lower end, but for Council Bluffs, it's pretty good. Just look at the East Manawa development. 90 or so acres and only about 900 units planned. Also, assuming every unit is occupied with new residents in the potential Dodge Park Development, it could represent up to a 10% increase to their population. Council Bluffs population has been largely stagnant since the 1970's, so they could use something big like this.

Did I miss something?

[Garrett]

8300 is high. Even if you took out 200 for the hotel (which is also high), that still over 2 stalls per unit which is way higher than a suburban apartment development.

It varies by City, typically a development with 3900 residential units would have around 6800 parking stalls. In Omaha you could cut that in half with the TOD zoning.

These are their calculations. It’s definitely high for what should be a TOD.