Creighton Campus Development

[Coyote]

Creighton University raises skybridge for new health sciences building


KMTV 3 News Now

Construction is happening on the new health sciences building at Creighton University

[WyoJay278]

I've been meaning to ask - what did Creighton do with all of those solar panels that were over the lot on Cuming? They were installed to much fanfare only a couple of years back. Can't be done with their useful life yet. I'd assume they will reinstall somewhere, but haven't seen any announcements....

They were moved to the Creighton Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa.

[S.O.Boy]

https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-d ... t/40970616#

[ita]

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/07 ... allfields/

Creighton, College World Series officials pitch $60 million request for health center, ballfields
Paul Hammel
Officials with Creighton University and the College World Series made a pitch Tuesday for $60 million in state funds to help finish a trio of projects, including a new baseball field for the university’s team and the CWS.

One project is completion of the $90 million C.L. Werner Center for Health Sciences Education, which was portrayed as a way to address Nebraska’s workforce shortage in nurses, physicians and other health-related fields.

Another was a series of projects to beautify the university’s Omaha campus and convert some streets to pedestrian use.

The third project was to build a complex of baseball and softball fields near Charles Schwab Field that would serve as practice fields for CWS teams, home fields for Bluejay baseball and softball teams, and community use, including youth baseball tournaments.
...
He told members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that Creighton will match the $60 million dollar-for-dollar if the Legislature decides to fully fund the request contained in Legislative Bill 444.
...
He said $14 million of the funds requested would be used to equip classrooms and laboratories in the health services center, which is scheduled to open this fall.

The baseball field, which would use $13.7 million, would become the new home of the Creighton Bluejays baseball team and serve as a practice field for teams playing in the CWS.
...
Creighton is seeking $11.4 million for the softball field. Hendrickson said the baseball/softball complex would also be available for community use, including youth baseball tournaments, which attract teams from 40 states during the CWS.

The remaining $20.9 million would be used to increase green space on the CU campus and renovate Burt Street, from 20th to 27th Streets, to enhance its use for pedestrians and cyclists.

[Louie]

Are they trying to use Lot D or B as more fields? |expletive| that |expletive|.

[Athomsfere]

New field for the CWS and Creighton? What am I missing here?

[skinzfan23]

Are they trying to use Lot D or B as more fields? |expletive| that |expletive|.

I was wondering the same thing. I don't want any more stadiums on those lots, unless there is some sort of guarantee that they will be used more than a few times each year.

[ita]

Are they trying to use Lot D or B as more fields? |expletive| that |expletive|.

I don't think so. There have been renderings of the improvements discussed in the article in the urban core strategy plan. I highlighted the location of the future fields in Yellow:



Essentially an area between 17th and Florence and Cuming and Burt. Creighton already owns most of it and the rendering actually shows some of the existing buildings owned by private parties, I think.

Also, here is the rendering for North Downtown by CHI and the Chuck. The city and Chamber worked on this plan together, so I am assuming they do not want to just have college baseball fields at Lot B and D.

[ita]

New field for the CWS and Creighton? What am I missing here?

New fields for Creighton teams that CWS teams can use during CWS.

[Louie]

Oh ok, when they said near schwab, I guess I thought they meant next door.

[PWL73316]

I think Automatic Printing is the only active business on that site. Most of it is vacant lots, and then a warehouse that Creighton uses to store light construction/landscaping equipment.

[Louie]

I don't recall exactly when these renderings came out, but they do have Mutual (or a Mutual height tower) in it.

[Athomsfere]

New field for the CWS and Creighton? What am I missing here?

New fields for Creighton teams that CWS teams can use during CWS.

So that CWS can have practice games too?

[ita]

New field for the CWS and Creighton? What am I missing here?

New fields for Creighton teams that CWS teams can use during CWS.

So that CWS can have practice games too?

I think just to hold practices generally. That and batting cage facilities as well. The investment is relatively small, about $25 million for both fields, and sounds like Creighton is moving forward even without the state funds. From the State's perspective, if it helps CWS stay here, the investment, at least in the fields, should be a sound one. But then you get into if the State provides funding here, why not Union Omaha's?

[ita]

I don't recall exactly when these renderings came out, but they do have Mutual (or a Mutual height tower) in it.

Report is dated March 2022, so yeah MOO was already announced by that point, though who knows when the rendering was completed.

[PWL73316]

I get that its giveaway season at the legislature, and as a Creighton alum I am a huge Creighton cheerleader, but I really think there is better use of public funds than doing Creighton's landscaping for them and building a baseball stadium they need anyway.

[ita]

I get that its giveaway season at the legislature, and as a Creighton alum I am a huge Creighton cheerleader, but I really think there is better use of public funds than doing Creighton's landscaping for them and building a baseball stadium they need anyway.

The state is considering giving tax breaks to private school donors and possibly, in the near future, funding to private and/or charter schools. They can get a head start by throwing Creighton some money.

[Louie]

I get that its giveaway season at the legislature, and as a Creighton alum I am a huge Creighton cheerleader, but I really think there is better use of public funds than doing Creighton's landscaping for them and building a baseball stadium they need anyway.

The state is considering giving tax breaks to private school donors and possibly, in the near future, funding to private and/or charter schools. They can get a head start by throwing Creighton some money.

But is a head start a good thing?

[ita]

I get that its giveaway season at the legislature, and as a Creighton alum I am a huge Creighton cheerleader, but I really think there is better use of public funds than doing Creighton's landscaping for them and building a baseball stadium they need anyway.

The state is considering giving tax breaks to private school donors and possibly, in the near future, funding to private and/or charter schools. They can get a head start by throwing Creighton some money.

But is a head start a good thing?

That's the difficulty with these ARPA funds and extra revenues. Once they started doling it out, everyone wants a piece of the pie and the state has less and less justifications for not funding all these requests. Despite my harping about what should and shouldn't get states funds in this forum, I do not envy the position of the legislature and other decision makers when deciding what to do with all these funds.

[ita]

Just for future reference, here is the master plan render.

[nativeomahan]

This rendering shows the two tallest/largest dormitories on the main campus being replaced by green space.

[PWL73316]

This rendering shows the two tallest/largest dormitories on the main campus being replaced by green space.

They are also among the oldest and most "unattractive" (to prospective students) buildings on campus, so that makes sense in a master plan.

For better or worse, dormitories without suites are extremely out of fashion and will be replaced at pricey private schools like Creighton.

[skinzfan23]

Here is a quick citycam view that shows some of the projects on the Creighton campus.

[ita]

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/18 ... nors-plan/

Paul Hammel
Some interesting spending items in the state budget:
...
$30 million in shovel-ready infrastructure funds to Creighton University for a new health sciences building and baseball/softball fields that could be used for the College World Series.

Creighton got half of what they asked for, but still a good chunk of change to go to these campus projects.

[Brad]

Looks like Creighton is taking over Burt Street from 20th to 27th.

20-24
https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... une/36.pdf
24-27
https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... une/37.pdf

[Louie]

Looks like Creighton is taking over Burt Street from 20th to 27th.

20-24
https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... une/36.pdf
24-27
https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... une/37.pdf

Looks like they are doing more than that. Sounds like it's going away and becoming campus land..

[Dundeemaha]

This is my favorite running and biking route to get from Benson area to Downtown. Kind of discouraging to transfer this from public ROW to private. Would much prefer the city convert it to ped/bike only or something if that's Creighton's goal and leave it public.

[Athomsfere]

This is my favorite running and biking route to get from Benson area to Downtown. Kind of discouraging to transfer this from public ROW to private. Would much prefer the city convert it to ped/bike only or something if that's Creighton's goal and leave it public.

Agreed

[Brad]

This is my favorite running and biking route to get from Benson area to Downtown. Kind of discouraging to transfer this from public ROW to private. Would much prefer the city convert it to ped/bike only or something if that's Creighton's goal and leave it public.

Agreed

The reason they make all this stuff public is so that you can go to the public hearing next week and voice your opposition to it.

[Dundeemaha]

This is my favorite running and biking route to get from Benson area to Downtown. Kind of discouraging to transfer this from public ROW to private. Would much prefer the city convert it to ped/bike only or something if that's Creighton's goal and leave it public.

Agreed

The reason they make all this stuff public is so that you can go to the public hearing next week and voice your opposition to it.

I may go, though it is at 1:30pm on Wednesday which is not very easy to make. However isn't the point of posting it to this board also so that we can discuss whether we like it or not whether or not we do anything to affect the outcome?

[Brad]

This is my favorite running and biking route to get from Benson area to Downtown. Kind of discouraging to transfer this from public ROW to private. Would much prefer the city convert it to ped/bike only or something if that's Creighton's goal and leave it public.

Agreed

The reason they make all this stuff public is so that you can go to the public hearing next week and voice your opposition to it.

I may go, though it is at 1:30pm on Wednesday which is not very easy to make. However isn't the point of posting it to this board also so that we can discuss whether we like it or not whether or not we do anything to affect the outcome?

This is actually a legitimate complaint that could easily be addressed with a public bike lane/trail and access easement or something like that. Most of the time the planning board hears "WE CANT HAVE APPARTMENTS, KIDS WILL DIE FROM ALL THE TRAFFIC" or "THE REALESTATE AGENT SAID THAT WOULD ALWAYS BE A CORNFIELD BEHIND MY BACKYARD" or "WHAT ABOUT ALL THE CRIME THAT WILL COME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD IF YOU LET THEM BUILD HERE. There could be any number of reasons Creighton wants that land that don't include keeping the public out.

[Garrett]

Brad is right. Planners and developers hear batshit stuff all the time from a variety of people. Asking for continued access to a bikeway could even prove to be in Creighton’s interest. Providing continued access to a small public benefit like that is an easy win.

[Linkin5]

Brad is right. Planners and developers hear batshit stuff all the time from a variety of people. Asking for continued access to a bikeway could even prove to be in Creighton’s interest. Providing continued access to a small public benefit like that is an easy win.

[Brad]

Brad is right. Planners and developers hear batshit stuff all the time from a variety of people. Asking for continued access to a bikeway could even prove to be in Creighton’s interest. Providing continued access to a small public benefit like that is an easy win.

VIDEO

LOL!

You ever see "Donnie" from the Omaha City Council Meetings? He speaks as an opponent to almost every single development. He wants the city to set aside land got grow Weed in every new development for "when the Nebraska legislature gets its act together". He's usually wearing a t-shirt with a wolf on it.

[Mapguy]

I dont really have an opinion either way. But from my expereince the city planning hearings are a sham. Everyone could go and be against a development and it would still be rubber stamped for approval. Every development project east of 72nd has been rubber stamped for approval with zero modifications.

The decisions on these projects are made well before the public has any input. If you want impact youre better off writing a council member directly. Dont waste 4 hours of your life at a planning meeting----because every member on that board has agreed to what the vote will be on every project beforehand.

[BIGO88]

I think it was mentioned in one of the past articles that they are turning it into an enhanced walk/bike path.

[Linkin5]

Brad is right. Planners and developers hear batshit stuff all the time from a variety of people. Asking for continued access to a bikeway could even prove to be in Creighton’s interest. Providing continued access to a small public benefit like that is an easy win.

VIDEO

LOL!

You ever see "Donnie" from the Omaha City Council Meetings? He speaks as an opponent to almost every single development. He wants the city to set aside land got grow Weed in every new development for "when the Nebraska legislature gets its act together". He's usually wearing a t-shirt with a wolf on it.

I’ve never seen Donnie but now I want to attend every city council meeting.

[PWL73316]

This is the language from the attachments:

● Coordinate with the Planning Department, Public Works Department and Parks Department on the design and alignment
of a publicly accessible bikeway and pedestrian path to implement the proposed connection of the Boulevard Trail to the Riverfront Trail as proposed by the City of Omaha Master Plan.
● A public access easement must be recorded with the Douglas County Register of deeds to accommodate the above mentioned bikeway and pedestrian path.
● Pedestrian and bicycle access along the corridor must be maintained to the extent feasible throughout the reconstruction of the corridor.

So there will be a permanent easement for cycle and pedestrian traffic. What's not clear to me is if that easement will necessarily follow the same path of Burt Street. Does anyone know how to find the referenced proposed connection of the trails? I searched through most of the master plan elements and did not find mention of the Boulevard Trail.

[Brad]

This is the language from the attachments:

● Coordinate with the Planning Department, Public Works Department and Parks Department on the design and alignment
of a publicly accessible bikeway and pedestrian path to implement the proposed connection of the Boulevard Trail to the Riverfront Trail as proposed by the City of Omaha Master Plan.
● A public access easement must be recorded with the Douglas County Register of deeds to accommodate the above mentioned bikeway and pedestrian path.
● Pedestrian and bicycle access along the corridor must be maintained to the extent feasible throughout the reconstruction of the corridor.

Thanks for the clarification.

So there will be a permanent easement for cycle and pedestrian traffic. What's not clear to me is if that easement will necessarily follow the same path of Burt Street. Does anyone know how to find the referenced proposed connection of the trails? I searched through most of the master plan elements and did not find mention of the Boulevard Trail.

The sidewalk on the east side of Florence Blvd is 8.0' wide, which I believe its technically a trail.

[OmahaRedWing]

Anyone know where their new baseball and softball stadium's are going?