Missouri River Commons (Riverfront Development)

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:31 am

ita wrote: Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:30 am Looks like the Earthcam link for the Riverfront Redevelopment projects are dead now. It's too bad, but with less than two months before the scheduled August 18th date, we don't have to wait too long before we see the final product.

It is still updating for me as of 11:30am today.

ita · Post by **ita** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 1:09 pm

skinzfan23 wrote: Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:31 am
ita wrote: Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:30 am Looks like the Earthcam link for the Riverfront Redevelopment projects are dead now. It's too bad, but with less than two months before the scheduled August 18th date, we don't have to wait too long before we see the final product.
It is still updating for me as of 11:30am today.

Hm, yeah, it's working for me now. False alarm. Maybe it was down for maintenance or something earlier. Glad it's back up.

ItsAllAboutMe · Post by **ItsAllAboutMe** » Wed Aug 09, 2023 9:21 am

This morning they are installing the large sculpture that previously was located at the Joslyn Museum. It is being installed near the bridge landing near the luminarium. Previously, I thought this is where the Chief Red Cloud sculpture would land, I believe it will be placed nearer the playground as there is sculpture base located there.

Post by **Brad** » Wed Aug 09, 2023 1:16 pm

ItsAllAboutMe wrote: Wed Aug 09, 2023 9:21 am This morning they are installing the large sculpture that previously was located at the Joslyn Museum. It is being installed near the bridge landing near the luminarium. Previously, I thought this is where the Chief Red Cloud sculpture would land, I believe it will be placed nearer the playground as there is sculpture base located there.

There will be two sculptures. The Joslyn sculpture is on Loan and the Big Elk sculpture will be placed on the west side of the road soon.

ita · Post by **ita** » Wed Aug 16, 2023 4:34 pm

Big Elk sculpture to be unveiled, dedicated at Omaha’s RiverFront

John Chapman
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The City of Omaha announced the details for a ceremony to unveil a special sculpture on Wednesday.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said in a release that the ceremony to dedicate the sculpture of Big Elk, an Omaha Tribal Chief, will take place at The RiverFront this Saturday, Aug. 19.

Artist Benjamin Victor has been working on the sculpture for a year. He unveiled the clay base to 6 News at KANEKO back in February.

Now, Chief Big Elk will be bronze coated, standing tall at the Lewis & Clark Landing for all to see.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Aug 16, 2023 6:31 pm

Check out this weekend's RiverFront events

The RiverFront is packed with events this weekend as two parks re-open this weekend.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Aug 17, 2023 6:46 am

Meet the minds behind Omaha's redesigned riverfront

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 12:38 pm

Omaha holds ceremony to celebrate grand re-opening of The Riverfront

It's official: the construction at The Riverfront is complete. The city of Omaha held a ceremony Friday morning to celebrate the grand re-opening.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 5:00 pm

'A treasure for years to come' Grand reopening of riverfront

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 7:54 pm

Omaha RiverFront: Heartland of America Park, Lewis and Clark Landing now open

After four years and 72 complete acres later, Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing are now open.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 7:57 pm

The RiverFront, Omaha

Aerial video of Omaha's RiverFront, August 2023

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 9:47 pm

I know it’s opening night but it’s crazy, literally thousands of people still down here at 10pm. What a great place!

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Fri Aug 18, 2023 10:17 pm

Went down tonight everything looked great. What is the lot with heavy equipment on it by The Mercantile going to be?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:26 am

The rest of ‘The RiverFront’ project now open in Omaha,
finally offering a ‘return to the river’

And in one of the more dramatic changes to Omaha’s riverfront, a newly built pier extended Farnam Street to overlook the Missouri River, allowing the public an up-close look at the Mighty Mo. Those and other final pieces of a roughly $400 million overhaul of downtown parks and amenities — collectively called “The RiverFront” — opened Friday amid fanfare and visitors. It was billed as a major state tourist attraction that should help recruit job talent.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:58 am

Linkin5 wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 10:17 pm Went down tonight everything looked great. What is the lot with heavy equipment on it by The Mercantile going to be?

That is where that T3 mass timber office building is supposed to go if I have my bearings right.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Sat Aug 19, 2023 4:51 pm

iamjacobm wrote: Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:58 am
Linkin5 wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 10:17 pm Went down tonight everything looked great. What is the lot with heavy equipment on it by The Mercantile going to be?
That is where that T3 mass timber office building is supposed to go if I have my bearings right.

Thanks Jacob.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Sun Aug 20, 2023 12:11 am

We were down at the L&CL portion of the park. Lemme tell ya, it was freaaakin hot today. But tooons of people there. They didn't have the water features goin but they will be great for relief once they are.

The area was packed. People from all walks of life down there... my kids loved it, but naturally didn't last long. Once it cools back down, we will for sure make a day of it, I can't wait

402MusicMan · Post by **402MusicMan** » Sun Aug 20, 2023 1:00 pm

I'm down here today and it is wonderful. There are so many people even with the heat. Even some live music off in the distance.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sun Aug 20, 2023 4:30 pm

Made it down there today. What a grand slam home run this is for downtown Omaha and the Riverfront..

Just an amazing place

…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

ita · Post by **ita** » Mon Aug 21, 2023 9:31 am

For anyone that made it to Lewis and Clark, are there sport courts next to the sand volleyball courts? I've seen a couple articles mention them, but haven't seen any pictures nor any details. I thought they were omitted from the more recent renderings.

yman97 · Post by **yman97** » Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:24 am

I thought I had read that the pickleball courts weren't going to be finished until next year.

Post by **nebugeater** » Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:29 am

yman97 wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:24 am I thought I had read that the pickleball courts weren't going to be finished until next year.

The"pickling" process can take a while.

ita · Post by **ita** » Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:34 am

yman97 wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:24 am I thought I had read that the pickleball courts weren't going to be finished until next year.

OK, nice. I thought they were just dropped, but a recent map of L&C had that area labelled as "Sports Courts" even though it didn't look like anything was actually there.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:42 am

ita wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:34 am
yman97 wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:24 am I thought I had read that the pickleball courts weren't going to be finished until next year.
OK, nice. I thought they were just dropped, but a recent map of L&C had that area labelled as "Sports Courts" even though it didn't look like anything was actually there.

They are still building them. Going to be down on the north end of the Luminarium.

ita · Post by **ita** » Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:48 am

Brad wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:42 am
ita wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:34 am
yman97 wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:24 am I thought I had read that the pickleball courts weren't going to be finished until next year.
OK, nice. I thought they were just dropped, but a recent map of L&C had that area labelled as "Sports Courts" even though it didn't look like anything was actually there.
They are still building them. Going to be down on the north end of the Luminarium.

Thanks for confirming. My wife and her friends are going to love it. Can you tell how many courts they are building?

ita · Post by **ita** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:46 pm

So we made it to Lewis and Clark landing tonight and spent 45 mins in the playground. Wow, somehow this playground surpasses the GLM playground by a long shot. Also, the surrounding area including the boardwalk is really beautiful and functional. The luminarium is a presence but not overbearing. L&C is really something else now. And even on a Monday night it was bustling. Very interesting to was who was enjoying the park. I would say it that tonight's crowd was 70-80% some ethnicity other than Caucasian.
If someone was visiting Omaha and this was the only public spot they visited they might think Omaha is one of the most diverse American cities. Just really neat to see the diversity of who utilizes these parks.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:59 pm

I can't wait to check it out when I'm back in town in a couple weeks!

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:46 am

I took my two younger children to the park this past Saturday night. It was completely packed. My only complaint was there wasn't much parking. We got the last spot in the National Park HQ lot. I started thinking, once the baby bob is completed, that would give another option to easily access the area.

HDR was having a corporate picnic on the backside of the Luminarium. They had at least 8-10 food trucks in there and probably about 1,000 people. They were able to barricade it off and there was still plenty of space for everyone to get through to the park.

Agree, the park is very diverse....which is a good thing. Everyone we encountered was so nice and understanding of other people's kids too, which isn't always the case.

ita · Post by **ita** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 11:21 am

Garrett wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:59 pm I can't wait to check it out when I'm back in town in a couple weeks!

I can't wait to read your thoughts on the reopened parks!

skinzfan23 wrote: Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:46 am I took my two younger children to the park this past Saturday night. It was completely packed. My only complaint was there wasn't much parking. We got the last spot in the National Park HQ lot. I started thinking, once the baby bob is completed, that would give another option to easily access the area.

HDR was having a corporate picnic on the backside of the Luminarium. They had at least 8-10 food trucks in there and probably about 1,000 people. They were able to barricade it off and there was still plenty of space for everyone to get through to the park.

Agree, the park is very diverse....which is a good thing. Everyone we encountered was so nice and understanding of other people's kids too, which isn't always the case.

Regarding parking, is Lot A, just west of the park, open to the public on regular days? There is a pedestrian bridge from the CHI parking garage to the park, but it's not a direct shot. The other thing is that parking lot that was under I-480 is currently closed; if they reopen that, it will create another parking option.

I don't think I've had one bad interaction with anyone at the parks, and we've been to GLM over a dozen times. I am sure it happens, but we've haven't experienced yet. From what I can tell, people there want to be there, are enjoying themselves, and are impressed with the new parks. I think there is something psychological happening that people are in a generally better mood there. I see parents yell at kids or whatever, but 95% of the time, people I've observed there are in happy moods and, I think as a result, interactions are cordial if not pleasant.

I think it goes back to how well executed these parks are from a design standpoint. There's shade, sufficient seating, lots of tress and greenery (even the fake stuff). There's wildlife like the birds and ducks to watch. There's calming features like a burbling pond, fountain, river, sculptures. Bright colors of many of the installations and fun lighting at night. Everything just promotes positive vibes.

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 12:06 pm

I don't believe Lot A is open to the public.

I also wonder if the lot under the interstate is going to return. Is that where the streetcar maintenance facility is going?

Agree on the positive vibes. So great to see people from all economic backgrounds come together and just enjoy life na the parks. Like you mentioned, the color, trees, shade, natural wildlife all add to the mood. I have never been to a city with a nicer park (or collection of parks) Usually you would have to go to a big city, and with that there are so many tourists that it makes it unbearable at times. I really hope they can keep the parks looking fresh. Every time I have gone, there is always someone picking up trash.

JDJase · Post by **JDJase** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 4:31 pm

Agreed with everything everyone else has said. I think my only real disappointment is that the south half of the lake is still Conagra's gated "private property". Hopefully they will be much more consistent in the hours the gates are open than they were with the old park, as a lot of times back then it would be just luck of the draw whether the gates were open or not.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 5:44 pm

JDJase wrote: Tue Aug 29, 2023 4:31 pm Agreed with everything everyone else has said. I think my only real disappointment is that the south half of the lake is still Conagra's gated "private property". Hopefully they will be much more consistent in the hours the gates are open than they were with the old park, as a lot of times back then it would be just luck of the draw whether the gates were open or not.

They had regular hours, it was like 6a to 10p or something and even if the gate was closed, I never found it locked during those times.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 6:18 pm

It’s fantastic to hear that these downtown parks are living up to the aspirations of their designers and of the city. It will be interesting to see how the parks transition away from summertime activities into fall and winter events. Like most Omaha parks usage will decrease, but I suspect they will continue to draw crowds on calmer, milder winter days. I know I enjoyed visiting the Leahy Mall to see it decorated for the holidays. I have no idea what sort of decorations are slated for Heartland Park and L&CL.

JDJase · Post by **JDJase** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 9:13 pm

Brad wrote: Tue Aug 29, 2023 5:44 pm
JDJase wrote: Tue Aug 29, 2023 4:31 pm Agreed with everything everyone else has said. I think my only real disappointment is that the south half of the lake is still Conagra's gated "private property". Hopefully they will be much more consistent in the hours the gates are open than they were with the old park, as a lot of times back then it would be just luck of the draw whether the gates were open or not.
They had regular hours, it was like 6a to 10p or something and even if the gate was closed, I never found it locked during those times.

Prior to closure for construction, every single day for about 10 years I did my morning runs (year round) and my evening walks (usually not winter tho) down there. Sometimes the gates were open early, sometimes they were still locked come 8:30. Same in the evenings - sometimes they would still be open come dusk, other times ConAgra security would come in while it was still light and begin their sweep to clear everyone out and lock up. Was ‘swept’ out myself dozens of times over the years. And yes they’d lock them.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Aug 31, 2023 9:20 pm

Cool one from yesterday. That park is so big it makes that train look tiny

881A4776.jpg

Renovator2559 · Post by **Renovator2559** » Thu Aug 31, 2023 11:39 pm

Thanks Brad! What a perfect shot capturing the train at the right time. The train serves as our reminder of Omaha's railroad roots, not only that this train track is owned by BNSF (Berkshire Hathaway owned) but with a Union Pacific train, even more rare to see in this track, the train has alternating contrasting 4 white, 4 black railway carts; what a minor yet nice detail.

I also like how the path curves of HoA and LCL, echo those of i480, wrapping around downtown. One cohesive design; which curves around the Missouri.
Beautiful fill in from above! I can only imagine the overhead shots during events and when the grass next to the i480 ramp grows green.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Fri Sep 01, 2023 7:19 am

Brad wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 9:20 pm Cool one from yesterday. That park is so big it makes that train look tiny

881A4776.jpg

dude, you ain't lyin... Collectively, the parks look massive. that's a ton of space.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 5:51 pm

I believe this area is where the Pickleball Courts are going to be located. Also, that's the old Joslyn Museum sculpture at the top of the screen.

1.

881A4738.jpg

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 1:35 pm

When we were down there the first weekend, the water features were not yet activated. This weekend, they were. What a difference it makes to help cool the kids down (even though it was much more comfortable this time). This playground is freaking amazing. As I said in the HoAP thread, we were down there a while and didn't feel like we had enough time. I really think you could easily spend 3 or 4 hours at the parks and not be bored or see the same thing twice. I love the firepits, the selection of mature trees, the luminarium, the water features, the views, the breeze/flow, etc etc etc. If I were visiting Omaha and needed and easy day to fill in some time between the zoo or work or CWS, these parks would be absolutely perfect. It's free, there is plenty to do, still very clean, plenty of bathrooms, plenty of places to sit, etc etc.

Omaha is sittin on a gold mine here

ita · Post by **ita** » Thu Nov 16, 2023 9:16 am

Preparation for Holiday Lights Festival begins at Omaha's RiverFront parks

Molly Ashford
In a surefire sign that the holiday season has arrived in Omaha, workers throughout the three RiverFront parks began decking trees with twinkling white lights Wednesday in preparation for the upcoming Holiday Lights Festival.

With the 24th annual Holiday Lights Festival coming up on Nov. 25, preparation for the event is in full swing. The festival celebrates the beginning of the holiday season with a lighting ceremony that will illuminate the park with more than 150,000 individual lights wrapped around 200 trees.

This year is special, said Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority spokeswoman Kristyna Engdahl, because the three RiverFront parks — Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing — will all be illuminated. At last year’s event, only the Gene Leahy Mall had opened.
...
This year, the festival will also have a new guest: A 70-foot-tall Christmas tree near the entrance to Heartland of America Park. Last year’s Christmas tree was about half that size, Engdahl said.