Grain elevators 35th & I80 to Vinton

[omaha79]

I'm shocked anyone cares about these silos. They have been unused, abandoned, and home to trespassers and homeless for decades. I'm shocked no one has died there...yet. As far back as the 90's, teens would go walking through them urban exploring. Someone is likely to fall. I've been told, have never been in them, that there are stairways to nowhere. The second anyone falls and dies, we are going to hear a collective call to action. "how has this been allowed to sit and rot. they are a nuisance and a danger! This was predictable and preventable!" Yet, we've had decades and no one has cared.

The land is probably filled with all sorts of cancer causing chemicals. That's my bigger concern, but I think they probably should be torn down. I see no real use for them outside of being aging decrepit silos that will eventually cause something bad to happen. I am all for preservation...when it makes sense. hand wringing about preservation here seems silly to me. There is NOTHING iconic about these.

[thenewguy]

There is nothing iconic about these, that is very funny.

Just drive to any small town in America and you can find plenty of grain silos, many that are in better condition than these.

Very weird to defend some unused concrete silos as an affront to abandoning the past.

Do you just want these empty silos to stay as is? Do they become more valuable cause a local artist put a mural on it?

are there not still grain elevators like a half mile away on F street? Aren't there some by Eppley? I know there are a few in CB...

Arguing that the demolition of these is removing our past is a stretch. I think the key to your statement is 'go to any small town...' whereas these are smack dab in the city, unused, and someone else is potentially willing to turn it into something that will generate tax revenue. if you want to see a grain elevator, go where these are, and turn your head to the south. They are right across the interstate

[halgy]

Was there ever a decent proposal for what to do with these (other than tear them down)? They aren't like old warehouses that can be (relevantly easily) turned into housing or offices. I'm all for preservation (I live in a converted warehouse) and for agricultural heritage (I grew up on a farm), but come on.

[Garrett]

Was there ever a decent proposal for what to do with these (other than tear them down)? They aren't like old warehouses that can be (relevantly easily) turned into housing or offices. I'm all for preservation (I live in a converted warehouse) and for agricultural heritage (I grew up on a farm), but come on.

Beyond the brief climbing idea, no. There was a grain silo converted to residential in Baltimore called Silo Point but I'm not sure how feasible that would be in something like this.

[Brad]

Was there ever a decent proposal for what to do with these (other than tear them down)? They aren't like old warehouses that can be (relevantly easily) turned into housing or offices. I'm all for preservation (I live in a converted warehouse) and for agricultural heritage (I grew up on a farm), but come on.

You would be surprised. Google "Grain Elevators converted in to Apartments"

Each "Tube" or silo is 25' wide (490 SQ FT) and solid concrete. You could do a lot, its just a matter of budget. That would be a lot of concrete sawing to convert them to anything.

[omahacacher]

Never in a million years would I have ever thought that these silos would be treated as the Jobbers Canyon of the 21st century.

[Renovator2559]

Exactly where I am. Calling these iconic, or historic seems a big stretch. I love riding past these and seeing the murals on the FCT. But I wouldn't miss them if it meant getting more homes in the area.

Initially I thought these silos were still being used, but now that I know that these have been abandoned.
Its time bring the wrecking ball and take down all of it! There is nothing iconic about grain silos, people prior to the 1950s would cringe at what we consider "iconic" these days! We need more density in this area for sure.

This proposed development looks interesting, but it will take commitment by the local developers.. Also, many homes in the area, as the article indicates; mentions that most of the homes are in disrepair.

I am curious as to how this area can be improved. Though its close proximity to the historic Vinton St corridor, would make both the proposed development and Vinton St, a success.


https://omaha.com/news/local/business/d ... c5b25.html

[OracleOfOmaha]

There is nothing iconic about these, that is very funny.

Just drive to any small town in America and you can find plenty of grain silos, many that are in better condition than these.

Very weird to defend some unused concrete silos as an affront to abandoning the past.

Do you just want these empty silos to stay as is? Do they become more valuable cause a local artist put a mural on it?

are there not still grain elevators like a half mile away on F street? Aren't there some by Eppley? I know there are a few in CB...

Arguing that the demolition of these is removing our past is a stretch. I think the key to your statement is 'go to any small town...' whereas these are smack dab in the city, unused, and someone else is potentially willing to turn it into something that will generate tax revenue. if you want to see a grain elevator, go where these are, and turn your head to the south. They are right across the interstate

Right, and it's pretty clear that these silos are either not structurally sound to convert to housing OR the cost/benefit analysis and demand to live in one, is not there.

Silly conversation. Glad they are keeping a couple of them, can be a neighborhood highlight, but to try and save this over some quality in-fill is silly

[BRoss]

One thing I'd like to point out - the ones closest to the interstate will likely come down with the next I-80 expansion currently slated for 2027.

[GenX]

One thing I'd like to point out - the ones closest to the interstate will likely come down with the next I-80 expansion currently slated for 2027.

They've previously lopped off part of it for I-80. If you look, you can see where it was cut.

[omaha79]

The biggest question for the preservationists in this thread is: Are these, in their current form, safe? Is there a well above zero chance someone dies or is murdered in them? They do their best to secure them, but people have been urban exploring in these for decades. People go in the tower for the old Scoular elevators as well where they inexplicably left just the tower. Said there are litereally stairs that lead to a 100 ft drop with no safety. these are stories I've heard in the last 5 years. I've seen pictures and youtube videos inside the scoular one and 35th.

So, if these aren't safe, why would we want to maintain them if someone may well die or be murdered in there at some point? and,pie in the sky preservation ideas are cool. not realistic in any way , but cool

here is a quick example of what you can find. Tell me any of this is safe to be in our community?

[unlikelymusic]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

[omaha79]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

It's not ideal and the cleanup could make it cost prohibitive, but houses have existed bordering the interstate there for 60 years since the interstate was built. some would overlook the noise to be in the heart of omaha.

[S.O.Boy]

One thing I'd like to point out - the ones closest to the interstate will likely come down with the next I-80 expansion currently slated for 2027.

Hopefully the amount that will need to be removed could stated now, rather than the building sit in limbo for 4+ years.

[JDJase]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

[PotatoeEatsFish]

The biggest question for the preservationists in this thread is: Are these, in their current form, safe? Is there a well above zero chance someone dies or is murdered in them? They do their best to secure them, but people have been urban exploring in these for decades. People go in the tower for the old Scoular elevators as well where they inexplicably left just the tower. Said there are litereally stairs that lead to a 100 ft drop with no safety. these are stories I've heard in the last 5 years. I've seen pictures and youtube videos inside the scoular one and 35th.

So, if these aren't safe, why would we want to maintain them if someone may well die or be murdered in there at some point? and,pie in the sky preservation ideas are cool. not realistic in any way , but cool

here is a quick example of what you can find. Tell me any of this is safe to be in our community?

“People being murdered”
You clearly don’t live in the part of Omaha by these. I walk by these at night all the time and never feel unsafe. You probably |expletive| your pants when you see a single homeless person too. If people are dumb enough to climb up these and fall off that’s their choice.

[omaha79]

The biggest question for the preservationists in this thread is: Are these, in their current form, safe? Is there a well above zero chance someone dies or is murdered in them? They do their best to secure them, but people have been urban exploring in these for decades. People go in the tower for the old Scoular elevators as well where they inexplicably left just the tower. Said there are litereally stairs that lead to a 100 ft drop with no safety. these are stories I've heard in the last 5 years. I've seen pictures and youtube videos inside the scoular one and 35th.

So, if these aren't safe, why would we want to maintain them if someone may well die or be murdered in there at some point? and,pie in the sky preservation ideas are cool. not realistic in any way , but cool

here is a quick example of what you can find. Tell me any of this is safe to be in our community?

“People being murdered”
You clearly don’t live in the part of Omaha by these. I walk by these at night all the time and never feel unsafe. You probably |expletive| your pants when you see a single homeless person too. If people are dumb enough to climb up these and fall off that’s their choice.

I bike the South O Loop and Field club all the time. Yet, it's a giant unsecured facility. People can easily get hurt or die in there. Any type of nefarious thing could happen there. It's not a problem until it is. The bottom line, there is no point for these to continue to exist. I haven't seen any "preservationist" come up with a real rationale to keep them, let a competent plan to use them. Decaying giant silos don't justify their existence whatsoever.

[S.O.Boy]

Think of the entertainment.

[Elkhorn_Urbanist]

There were a few thoughts that I had about this one. First, I think that for most of the members of this forum, and Omaha in general, if there was a developer that had the ambition and the financing to redevelop these grain silos into something edgy, exciting, re-purposed we would all be on board. It would be truly awesome to see a development approximating the re-developed silos in Cape Town, or on the harbor in Baltimore. But it would be EXPENSIVE and no one has stepped up to put a plan forward. At the same time, this is a large amount of land in the middle of the city next to one of the most connected cycling trails in the metro, close to transit, close to the interstate in a neighborhood that has room to absorb new housing. Leaving these silos undeveloped to crumble seems like a waste. While there is something nostalgic about these structures as they are, I would much rather see the site put to use. In a perfect world the silos would be incorporated into any development, but in this world seeing high density housing that supports the city center, transit, the neighborhood, housing affordability and availability on this site in place of the silos is preferable to the current situation.

I also can't bear to see the graffiti from another presidential election cycle painted on these damned things so the ball needs to start swinging soon.

[TheSeventhBrat]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

You can still smell the packing plants there if the wind is right. There's actually a "To Report Odor" sign just east of the silos.

[Brad]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

You can still smell the packing plants there if the wind is right. There's actually a "To Report Odor" sign just east of the silos.

I always thought to smell came from the rendering plan by Offutt?

[TheSeventhBrat]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

You can still smell the packing plants there if the wind is right. There's actually a "To Report Odor" sign just east of the silos.

I always thought to smell came from the rendering plan by Offutt?

I doubt Darling's odors travel that far. I worked just north of Offutt for 5 years and never smelled it.

[omaha79]

the smell is from the packing plants a quarter mile South, not Bellevue.

[nebugeater]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

You can still smell the packing plants there if the wind is right. There's actually a "To Report Odor" sign just east of the silos.

I always thought to smell came from the rendering plan by Offutt?

I doubt Darling's odors travel that far. I worked just north of Offutt for 5 years and never smelled it.

Those report order signs are because of the waste treatment plant IMO

[Renovator2559]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

You can still smell the packing plants there if the wind is right. There's actually a "To Report Odor" sign just east of the silos.

I always thought to smell came from the rendering plan by Offutt?

A few years I used to drive through 75S often and turn into 370 towards Papillion. Since just driving through was unpleasant; one day I decided to take a detour and do an odor location test and the odors came from the west side of 75 in the cluster of adjacent nasty emitting odor plants. Which include the plants "Progressive Proteins" for the recycling of undesirable meat into feed, as well as both the human and canine crematoriums.

[thenewguy]

I think something being overlooked here is that this is not a good place for a bunch of housing. It is very loud from the highway and smells terrible quite often from the packing plants just under the highway from the location. It is not a location to subsidize building.

Pretty much the entire interstate through Omaha is lined by housing...including this area already. There's a small cooking oil recycling plant on the south side of the interstate from here, which isn't very smelly; aside from that, the packing plants and other industrial are quite a ways away from here.

You can still smell the packing plants there if the wind is right. There's actually a "To Report Odor" sign just east of the silos.

I always thought to smell came from the rendering plan by Offutt?

A few years I used to drive through 75S often and turn into 370 towards Papillion. Since just driving through was unpleasant; one day I decided to take a detour and do an odor location test and the odors came from the west side of 75 in the cluster of adjacent nasty emitting odor plants. Which include the plants "Progressive Proteins" for the recycling of undesirable meat into feed, as well as both the human and canine crematoriums.

the crematoriums don't emit odors. Maybe in the past they may have, but modern crematoriums do not. Speaking from experience (my aunt is co-owner of Omaha Wilbert Vault, to which you are referring), there isn't odor. The odor you smell is from packing and rendering plants nearby. There are signs up and down L street next to them that say "To report odor, call..." and lists a number. Not enforced, though.

[Renovator2559]

Thanks for the bit of information, didn't know this, I'm glad they've improved crematorium burning technology to be odorless.

[thenewguy]

Thanks for the bit of information, didn't know this, I'm glad they've improved crematorium burning technology to be odorless.

not a problem, it's all good

[Coyote]

South central Omaha silos visible from interstate could be replaced by housing



Unused silos could be replaced by apartments in south central Omaha.

Patrick Mason, part of the development team, says full plans wouldn't be created until the city gives the go-ahead: Including designating an area including the silos as extremely blighted and a Community Redevelopment Area, and providing TIF funding.

Video shows how some in the neighborhood feel about the possibility.

Down the road, land directly north of the silos could also become apartments, Mason said.

[S.O.Boy]

First responders rescue 2 children stuck inside vacant south Omaha grain elevator


https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-firs ... r/60834446

One fell about 20 feet and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

[Coyote]

First responders rescue 2 children stuck inside vacant south Omaha grain elevator
https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-firs ... r/60834446

One fell about 20 feet and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

[Coyote]

Girl who fell at South Omaha grain silos to be released from hospital



The 13-year-old girl who fell about 20 feet inside a grain silo is expected to be released from the hospital Monday night, according to her family. Her mother said she suffered a fractured pelvic bone. A GoFundMe page is online. The mother said she is "blessed" that the injuries weren't worse. Crews with an excavator and other equipment hauled into the 34th and Vinton area Monday. The owner of the South Omaha grain silos ordered entryways into the towers to be welded shut. Over the years, the crumbling towers have been an attractive nuisance, entered by people who scale old ladders and sometimes spray graffiti visible from the interstate.

[BRoss]

Something interesting from that story - they are hoping to start demolition towards the end of this year or beginning of next year.

[skinzfan23]

Something interesting from that story - they are hoping to start demolition towards the end of this year or beginning of next year.

If I remember correctly that is only for a portion of the grain elevator not the complete structure.

[Brad]

Something interesting from that story - they are hoping to start demolition towards the end of this year or beginning of next year.

If I remember correctly that is only for a portion of the grain elevator not the complete structure.

They are just leaving the empty silos on the south end. I would assume removing the main "elevator" part in the middle will eliminate all the problems, the remining silos will just be big empty tubes.

[Coyote]

Patrick Mason said that he is making that an apartment building in that area…

[S.O.Boy]

Patrick Mason said that he is making that an apartment building in that area…

I think that is at 28th & Vinton.

[omaha79]

I just think its funny the people who were legitimately stupid enough in this thread to think these silos pose no risk and are perfectly acceptable in their deteriorating state are quiet after an actual accident almost took lives. Just because some think they are "cool"or "iconic" doesn't mean they serve an actual purpose and should remain. The lack of thought and intelligence I saw in this thread was mind blowing and I just feel a need to dunk on idiocy at this moment.

https://www.wowt.com/2024/05/21/develop ... ain-silos/

[Garrett]

Ok go off?

[PotatoeEatsFish]

My signature looks bad right now