La Vista City Centre (7800 South 84th Street)

[skip]

Heights Draftroom has been open for 2 years. It's crazy that there are no other businesses in here.

I keep meaning to check that place out too and I've been forgetting (for apparently 2 years... lol).

Do they serve food at all? That is, is it the type of place you would stop in for lunch?

No food there. Sometimes there are food trucks that visit but that is usually in the evenings - would have to check their event calendar on Facebook.

[omaha79]

I see that The Gaslight Anthem has announced they are playing La Vista, NE on 9/30. Has to be an indoor show at The Astro...

[Coyote]

The Astro Theater offers a sneak peek of the new venue before opening in August



La Vista's newest entertainment venue is in the works and 3 News Now got a tour of the new facility that is currently under construction. The Astro Theater in the city center includes indoor and outdoor spaces. The 52,000-square-foot indoor theater can seat 2,400 people and it connects to a grass amphitheater that can host 5,500 people. Elle Hansen, marketing and communications manager for Nine Zero Properties, expects it will bring a boost to the community.

“I love the variety that it brings to the city center. It brings a lot of different people in and then it allows the restaurants to benefit from that. The commercial spaces benefit from that, and really to get the word out about the city center. So I think it's going to bring a great variety of people and acts and entertainment and get the city center on the map,” said Hansen.

The venue is scheduled to open in late August and the first shows are scheduled on August 30.

[Habits76]

I rode my bike through this development last Saturday and the outdoor amphitheater is rather large in person, driving along 84th st doesnt really give you an idea of the scale. I should've took a picture but didn't want to be in there too long even though there were no workers on site. This should be another great option for live music in the omaha metro!

[nativeomahan]

I wish them success. They have a lot of concert venue competition. It’s too bad they are not opening in time to schedule concerts this entire summer. To me it seems like a blown opportunity.

[Coyote]

La Vista City Center - May 25, 2023



In this first drone flight of the summer you can see continued work on The Link, the second parking garage and The Astro. You can see the concrete base of the plaza in front of The Astro was well as the shape of the ramps leading from The Astro to the The Link. There's sure to be lots more change in the coming months before these facilities officially open to the public!

[ricko]

Beth Hart, Sept. 16—-she puts on a great show.

[Coyote]

June 30, 2023



We recorded this latest drone video on June 30, 2023 to help distinguish which developments in City Centre are City projects vs. private projects. The construction is progressing and crews will continue working hard to complete The Link and The Astro over the next two months.

[WBR_Tom]

Headline kinda says it all here. "I thought it would be done by now."

https://www.ketv.com/article/la-vistas- ... e/44822092

It's not clear to me how they expect to be able to have a concert at the theater in two weeks (not to mention a slate of shows in September and October). Looking in from the outside, it's obvious that it's very much still under construction. Scrambling and hoping for a last-minute occupancy permit, I guess!

[djc311]

Headline kinda says it all here. "I thought it would be done by now."

https://www.ketv.com/article/la-vistas- ... e/44822092

It's not clear to me how they expect to be able to have a concert at the theater in two weeks (not to mention a slate of shows in September and October). Looking in from the outside, it's obvious that it's very much still under construction. Scrambling and hoping for a last-minute occupancy permit, I guess!

Yeah, I don't see how they'd be able to host anyone inside for any type of event within the next 2-4 weeks. I'm certainly excited to see it come to fruition and I think it's great for the community. But you have to be realistic.

[Garrett]

Headline kinda says it all here. "I thought it would be done by now."

https://www.ketv.com/article/la-vistas- ... e/44822092

It's not clear to me how they expect to be able to have a concert at the theater in two weeks (not to mention a slate of shows in September and October). Looking in from the outside, it's obvious that it's very much still under construction. Scrambling and hoping for a last-minute occupancy permit, I guess!

Someone needs to be editing, lots of grammar mistakes in that article.

[Bob from Omaha]

Headline kinda says it all here. "I thought it would be done by now."

https://www.ketv.com/article/la-vistas- ... e/44822092

It's not clear to me how they expect to be able to have a concert at the theater in two weeks (not to mention a slate of shows in September and October). Looking in from the outside, it's obvious that it's very much still under construction. Scrambling and hoping for a last-minute occupancy permit, I guess!

Someone needs to be editing, lots of grammar mistakes in that article.

They got a deal on a bucket of commas. The video is a tribute to how much money a station owner can save by hiring those who have never entered a journalism classroom let alone graduated with a degree in journalism.

A few questions. What reason is there for not seeing an impact from Covid? Was there no one else but the woman on the bench nearby to interview? Is the Mayor a Mayberry transplant? How much did the developer pay the "reporter" to not ask, well, ANY questions?

Holy cow. What a trash heap Omaha's tv news has become.

Edit. It isn't just channel 7 that needs someone to check their copy. On the development web site is this gem:

"We’re looking for local and national businesses to join LVCC. Whether you need a few thousand square feet, or a complete headquarters buildout, we’re exciting to talk to you about our limited leasing opportunities!"

Exciting? Really?

[nativeomahan]

It seems that the developers and the city of LaVista both bit off more than they knew how to chew.

[lpgforms]

So GF and I had tickets to the opening show next Wednesday Aug 30 - Rick Springfield, Hooters etc. At first the show was indoors, then it was moved to the outdoor amphitheater. I drove by the site on Saturday and could tell it was nowhere near ready to open.

Just got notified by Ticketmaster that the show is moving to the Ralston (Liberty First) Arena.

So much for meeting deadlines.

[WBR_Tom]

It's not just that first show. The first four shows have all been moved to alternative venues, and the two indoor shows for the end of September have been moved to the outdoor amphitheater.

https://www.ketv.com/article/la-vista-t ... d/44877847

[ChadJK]

Relax. Stop rushing them! They've only been working on this 2-3 year project for 6 years.

[windsor]

Relax. Stop rushing them! They've only been working on this 2-3 year project for 6 years.

It should be pointed out this is the same developer who has had COMING SOON signs for a rocket car was at 72 & Dodge for 3 years now. Same developer that has done nothing with their big plans at central park plaza.

[ita]

Relax. Stop rushing them! They've only been working on this 2-3 year project for 6 years.

It should be pointed out this is the same developer who has had COMING SOON signs for a rocket car was at 72 & Dodge for 3 years now. Same developer that has done nothing with their big plans at central park plaza.

Is City+Ventures the new White Lotus?

[Garrett]

Relax. Stop rushing them! They've only been working on this 2-3 year project for 6 years.

It should be pointed out this is the same developer who has had COMING SOON signs for a rocket car was at 72 & Dodge for 3 years now. Same developer that has done nothing with their big plans at central park plaza.

Is City+Ventures the new White Lotus?

Or Shamrock

[nativeomahan]

Channel 7 reported this evening on their newscast that the LaVista Center opening has been postponed to sometime after September 21.
I presume they refer to September 21, 2023. No clarification was given.
Possibly those outdoor concerts are now planned for January?

[ChadJK]

They can't seem to get La Vista City Center finished. Nearly all the restaurants they announced for all the now empty bays sit empty.

I feel like their restaurant/bar bays have horrible visibility. You can't even see them from 84th Street. According to the wait staff, one of the reasons it took Chili's forever to sell their old building is they refused to move into those low-visibility bays. It wasn't until they were offered a space in a new building where they could face 84th Street that they finally agreed to sell the old building. Perhaps the hope is that when events let out that all of those attendees will flood into those restaurants and bars? Maybe that plus the LVCC residents being regulars will keep them all afloat?

[omaha79]

They can't seem to get La Vista City Center finished. Nearly all the restaurants they announced for all the now empty bays sit empty.

I feel like their restaurant/bar bays have horrible visibility. You can't even see them from 84th Street. According to the wait staff, one of the reasons it took Chili's forever to sell their old building is they refused to move into those low-visibility bays. It wasn't until they were offered a space in a new building where they could face 84th Street that they finally agreed to sell the old building. Perhaps the hope is that when events let out that all of those attendees will flood into those restaurants and bars? Maybe that plus the LVCC residents being regulars will keep them all afloat?

Totally agree with this. I have been to Heights Draft Room a few times and I've tried to tell friends where it is and it's like, "huh, what? where? I'm lost."

Those bays are so invisible your only hope is word of mouth, creating a destination environment, and getting the residents to really take to it, both the apartments or neighborhoods around it. I can't see a suburban development creating that. We will see. Kind of reminds me of Shadow Lakes central corridor and all of the turnover that's had.

[ita]

I know we're all piling on this project right now, and I don't really want to keep on the piling, but this is more of a general critique of these types of projects in Omaha.

I know many of us, including myself, are height and density obsessed, particularly downtown. But I think that same obsession should be applied in these "town center" projects. They need significantly more density to create the type of "downtown" energy and feel they are imagining. 400 apartment units is not going to cut it. Cities like La Vista, Papillion, etc. are trying to build "urban" centers, but falling for developments that don't bring enough density to support businesses that these developments are housing. This is a 34 acre site and they add 500 people? Even if they added 2 people per unit, or about 800 people, that's a density of 1500/sq. mi. That's less than average suburban density!

I know a big part of this development is servicing music and other entertainment events at the Astro, but I think for these developments to really create a "downtown" for Omaha's suburban counterparts, especially when they lack historical city centers, and support a new space to grow businesses and retail, they need to go bigger with residential density.

Sorry for the rant, but I hope they finish the Astro soon.

[Garrett]

I know we're all piling on this project right now, and I don't really want to keep on the piling, but this is more of a general critique of these types of projects in Omaha.

I know many of us, including myself, are height and density obsessed, particularly downtown. But I think that same obsession should be applied in these "town center" projects. They need significantly more density to create the type of "downtown" energy and feel they are imagining. 400 apartment units is not going to cut it. Cities like La Vista, Papillion, etc. are trying to build "urban" centers, but falling for developments that don't bring enough density to support businesses that these developments are housing. This is a 34 acre site and they add 500 people? Even if they added 2 people per unit, or about 800 people, that's a density of 1500/sq. mi. That's less than average suburban density!

I know a big part of this development is servicing music and other entertainment events at the Astro, but I think for these developments to really create a "downtown" for Omaha's suburban counterparts, especially when they lack historical city centers, and support a new space to grow businesses and retail, they need to go bigger with residential density.

Sorry for the rant, but I hope they finish the Astro soon.

I’m with you there! I’d love the suburbs to have a lot more town center esque developments that are walkable with apartments and the like. I was once incredibly excited for Heartwood Preserve when it was first announced because of that reason. There needs to be pockets of walkability and density all across the metro, not just in limited parts of the city east of 72nd street.

[nativeomahan]

I guess we can all tune in around the first day of autumn to see if the place is finally completed.
I know where my money is on that.

[TreeKiid]

Just wanting to clear up some information. This development is 0.05sq mi. If we estimate each unit @ 1.5 people over 400 units or 600 new residents total. That density is 12,000 people/mi²

[TransitOriented]

Thanks TreeKiid

[nativeomahan]

The plan for the City Center was/is ambitious by local standards. And please recall what was here before….an empty old Walmart building and a few adjacent businesses in a small strip mall (anyone recall the Chinese buffet?). It was an eyesore from the very first day it was built. So, with that in mind, I do applaud the developers behind the current project for thinking outside the box. The project simply might not have achieved the critical mass of residents along with street visibility to succeed. I hope that I am wrong in that regard.

[omaha79]

I hope it works, but it won't be great if you replace an empty strip mall with empty strips in the new development. Will be in the same spot in 20 years if that happens.

[omaha79]

Looks like some OT going on with this site. Saw work going on during weekends of late and, this morning, there were already workers on site at 6am. Hadn't seen them there that early before.

[nativeomahan]

OT = ? Occupational Therapy?

[TransitOriented]

OT = ? Occupational Therapy?

OT is overtime. omaha79 is saying that they see workers working beyond the hours they have normally been working. This would seem to indicate there is a push to get this done sooner rather than later.

[omaha79]

OT = ? Occupational Therapy?

OT is overtime. omaha79 is saying that they see workers working beyond the hours they have normally been working. This would seem to indicate there is a push to get this done sooner rather than later.

Yep. That's what I was saying. Overtime is costly in construction. Guessing they are getting pressure. Seeing them work in pitch black at 6 AM with work lights on.

[WBR_Tom]

The city of La Vista is advertising a big "Fall Festival" that they're hosting there in mid-October. Maybe they applied a little pressure to the developer to get this thing done already?

[nativeomahan]

Okay I drove past this construction site today and I noticed that a small bit of permanent landscaping has been installed, and grading appears completed. Let’s see if they can hit their new late September target for opening.
Of course completing a building usually is followed by weeks or even months of hiring and training adequate staff. An operation of this size must need scores of employees.

[omaha79]

Okay I drove past this construction site today and I noticed that a small bit of permanent landscaping has been installed, and grading appears completed. Let’s see if they can hit their new late September target for opening.
Of course completing a building usually is followed by weeks or even months of hiring and training adequate staff. An operation of this size must need scores of employees.

I'm still not confident this will open on in roughly 2 weeks. and, if it does, expect a few shows that sound like absolute trash. Yes, I've seen the workers working on mornings, evenings, and weekends, but most of what I'm seeing is still basic structural. I once worked in an arena setting not long after it was built. I have no idea of the status of data, audio cabling, and electrical. This could be a giant mess if they can't sell drinks, etc.

The first couple shows could be really interesting if they try to go forward with shows in 2 weeks.

[nativeomahan]

I’m guessing that, like the Steelhouse, they will host a public Open House. I wonder when that might occur.

[iamjacobm]

The outside stage is ready to go apparently. A show there tonight.

[ita]

The outside stage is ready to go apparently. A show there tonight.

That's great news! I drove through the district last week. It was a weekday mind you, but it was completely dead. Not a soul walking or outside, even at the part. This was about 6:30 PM, so not crazy late. The Astro should help, but they really need to fill those retail bays.

[ChadJK]

There's lit signs up on northbound and southbound 84th street in La Vista saying "Caution Event Traffic 4PM - 11PM Friday & Saturday."