Downtown Soccer Stadium (11th & Millwork Ave)

[mrsticka]

Omaha has a better chance of getting an MLB team.

[ita]

This seems like a good spot for it. Been an empty field since the inception of the riverfront. Though it'd be cooler if it was a NFL stadium gotta take what we can get.

I'm actually hoping we have a path for it to be an MLS stadium someday.

But then again, I actually enjoy real football over American Hand Egg-ball.

Doubtful as the entrance fees into the MLS are a couple hundred million and an MLS facility and training center will cost about half a billion. I dont see Omaha having that kind of appetite.

Yeah I think the only way we get into MLS is if they merge with the USL and commit to promotion regulation. With how many MLS teams they have already beat I have no doubt Omaha could elevate to that level with their roster building and new academy. One thought I did have with this development is with the current roster having an international flavor to it would be the restaurants. It would nice if this district could have a European and South American flair and food offerings. I know their plan is to have most of the roster live in the apartments surrounding this.

I love the idea of having more ethnic food offerings in the district. I think that would also cater to the taste of fans. More Hispanic, European, African eats would be great.

[mrsticka]

I'll take good ol' American food any day. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, fries, nachos, peanuts and a soda. That's usually what I get when I go to a ballpark.

[Dusty]

I love how they are making it a mixed use development vs. a stadium all by itself. This will create an incredible energy to walk around even if you don't follow soccer.

As for parking, there is no need to go crazy if you run transit correctly. The whole Old Market to Soccer Stadium walk challenge...pretty amusing discussion. As I have mentioned a number of times, I'm pushing Metro to run a bus line along 10th Street. It would run from the Zoo to Cuming Street. It would turn around by cutting through Millwork or Builders District to repeat to line. The line also could be upgraded one day to a streetcar route.

If you are in the Old Market, jump on the 10th St line and jump off at 10th and Cuming (by the baseball stadium). From here you walk along Abbott Drive to the soccer stadium. It's a .5 mile walk. I feel this is reasonable for most people to walk. if this is too much, then rent a bike from B-cycle and ride it from stadium to stadium.

[Athomsfere]

Omaha has a better chance of getting an MLB team.

Why is that?

[mrsticka]

Omaha has a better chance of getting an MLB team.

Why is that?

It's got a big baseball culture. Especially with the College World Series.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Omaha has a better chance of getting an MLB team.

Why is that?

It's got a big baseball culture. Especially with the College World Series.

Omaha has ZERO chance of scoring a MLB team..

Let’s please stay on topic- Back to Soccer Stadium talk…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[omaha79]

This seems like a good spot for it. Been an empty field since the inception of the riverfront. Though it'd be cooler if it was a NFL stadium gotta take what we can get.

I'm actually hoping we have a path for it to be an MLS stadium someday.

But then again, I actually enjoy real football over American Hand Egg-ball.

Doubtful as the entrance fees into the MLS are a couple hundred million and an MLS facility and training center will cost about half a billion. I dont see Omaha having that kind of appetite.

Yeah I think the only way we get into MLS is if they merge with the USL and commit to promotion regulation. With how many MLS teams they have already beat I have no doubt Omaha could elevate to that level with their roster building and new academy. One thought I did have with this development is with the current roster having an international flavor to it would be the restaurants. It would nice if this district could have a European and South American flair and food offerings. I know their plan is to have most of the roster live in the apartments surrounding this.

There is no motivation for these MLS owners to commit to relegation though. These franchises were bought and paid for with high entrance fees and cities committed to huge $300-$500 million dollar stadium costs with the promise of a MLS team, not a MLS team for X number of years until relegation. Why would any MLS owner willingly doom their franchise to irrelevance in favor of a USL team that has a stadium a quarter of the cost and didn't pay the MLS league fees? They wouldn't.

Comparing MLS to what happened in leagues in other countries that have over a hundred years of backing and support is apples to oranges. The only people clamoring for relegation are fans of teams in USL cities that want any way possible to make a quick jump to MLS without the financial commitment, but the ownership has zero interest.

MLS doesn't even want to play USL teams anymore. They tried to back out of the US Open cup this year. So, this should tell you all you need to know about any partnership between USL and MLS. It's basically non-existent. The only reason the US Open Cup will continue with MLS teams (instead of them just throwing Next Pro in their place) is USA Soccer said they'd pull their league standing, which they can do, if MLS pulled out. So, it's an uneasy stalemate now.

And, Omaha elevating to MLS has less to do with roster building and academy, but willingness to pay a $200 millionish dollar entrance fee into the league along with building a 20k seat stadium, with training center and practice fields to the tune of $400 million dollars? Do you know anyone in Omaha that wants to spend that? Is Warren Buffett willing to chip in? Are companies like Mutual of Omaha and First National seeing this as a need? Until that happens, the answer is no on MLS for us probably forever.

[ita]

I'll take good ol' American food any day. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, fries, nachos, peanuts and a soda. That's usually what I get when I go to a ballpark.

You're talking about baseball right? This is soccer. I kid. Actually, looking at what some international fans eat at soccer matches, ie. sunflower seeds, different types of pretzels and sausages, American ballpark specialties are not too far off. I am sure the in stadium food options will be similar to or exactly like the standard Werner Park fare. However, I still think a more diverse assortment of food options outside the stadium would be nice since the target demographic of Union soccer crowd is culturally more diverse than the usual Werner Park crowd. I am concepts like Cumbia, that didn't last at 16th and Farnam, might work at this spot.

[nebport5]

I'll take good ol' American food any day. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, fries, nachos, peanuts and a soda. That's usually what I get when I go to a ballpark.

You're talking about baseball right? This is soccer. I kid. Actually, looking at what some international fans eat at soccer matches, ie. sunflower seeds, different types of pretzels and sausages, American ballpark specialties are not too far off. I am sure the in stadium food options will be similar to or exactly like the standard Werner Park fare. However, I still think a more diverse assortment of food options outside the stadium would be nice since the target demographic of Union soccer crowd is culturally more diverse than the usual Werner Park crowd. I am concepts like Cumbia, that didn't last at 16th and Farnam, might work at this spot.

I think the answer here would be food trucks. Outside of something maybe like Scooter's or Star-yucks, I don't have much faith in restaurants surviving here year round. Think Miller's Land and Rick's. The food quality I would expect to be much higher too.

[ita]

I'll take good ol' American food any day. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, fries, nachos, peanuts and a soda. That's usually what I get when I go to a ballpark.

You're talking about baseball right? This is soccer. I kid. Actually, looking at what some international fans eat at soccer matches, ie. sunflower seeds, different types of pretzels and sausages, American ballpark specialties are not too far off. I am sure the in stadium food options will be similar to or exactly like the standard Werner Park fare. However, I still think a more diverse assortment of food options outside the stadium would be nice since the target demographic of Union soccer crowd is culturally more diverse than the usual Werner Park crowd. I am concepts like Cumbia, that didn't last at 16th and Farnam, might work at this spot.

I think the answer here would be food trucks. Outside of something maybe like Scooter's or Star-yucks, I don't have much faith in restaurants surviving here year round. Think Miller's Land and Rick's. The food quality I would expect to be much higher too.

I was thinking the same thing about food trucks after thinking about it some more. I do think brick and mortar has a much better chance of surviving than Rick's. Lewis and Clark had very little going for it at the time and events were few and far between. Establishments that choose the Union Omaha campus will be able to feed off regular scheduled events and, possibly, visitors of the myriad public spaces on the Riverfront. That's the very optimistic view; the more conservative view is, brick and mortar will struggle here. Summary, food trucks are a very good idea.

[mrsticka]

I'll take good ol' American food any day. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, fries, nachos, peanuts and a soda. That's usually what I get when I go to a ballpark.

You're talking about baseball right? This is soccer. I kid. Actually, looking at what some international fans eat at soccer matches, ie. sunflower seeds, different types of pretzels and sausages, American ballpark specialties are not too far off. I am sure the in stadium food options will be similar to or exactly like the standard Werner Park fare. However, I still think a more diverse assortment of food options outside the stadium would be nice since the target demographic of Union soccer crowd is culturally more diverse than the usual Werner Park crowd. I am concepts like Cumbia, that didn't last at 16th and Farnam, might work at this spot.

Yeah, I got the joke. No, I was talking about food. I guess it all comes down to one's own personal preferences. All those foods I mentioned, I'd say they're plenty diverse.

To be honest, I don't get all of that stuff when I go to a ballpark. I usually just get a hot dog, peanuts and a soda. But I have gotten burgers, chicken strips and fries before.

[Stargazer]

Saw a couple surveyors out on the property today.

[thenewguy]

I showed my kids the renderings and told them about where it'd be and stuff, and they were excited. They said "it's right by the luminarium and that big playground!"

I think this is a lot better spot than some folks are giving it credit for. I mean, honestly, when it's nice out, we go downtown a fair amount, and if there was a game, it'd be a no brainer to get their a little early, hit the museum and playground, then finish it off with a game. And there's some pizza joint down there (i have to search for it) that my wife has been buggin me to go to. I don't think it's going to be nearly as disconnected as it may seem.

[Dusty]

I showed my kids the renderings and told them about where it'd be and stuff, and they were excited. They said "it's right by the luminarium and that big playground!"

I think this is a lot better spot than some folks are giving it credit for. I mean, honestly, when it's nice out, we go downtown a fair amount, and if there was a game, it'd be a no brainer to get their a little early, hit the museum and playground, then finish it off with a game. And there's some pizza joint down there (i have to search for it) that my wife has been buggin me to go to. I don't think it's going to be nearly as disconnected as it may seem.

I agree! It's funny how people can go to Disney World and walk around for 10-12 miles for the day. When you ask them to walk .5 mile to a Soccer stadium and that's too far.

The pond next to the development is fun too. We walked around the trails in that area and my boys liked checking out all frogs and fish. Maybe someone can install some fish food dispensers so people can feed the fish.

[Garrett]

I showed my kids the renderings and told them about where it'd be and stuff, and they were excited. They said "it's right by the luminarium and that big playground!"

I think this is a lot better spot than some folks are giving it credit for. I mean, honestly, when it's nice out, we go downtown a fair amount, and if there was a game, it'd be a no brainer to get their a little early, hit the museum and playground, then finish it off with a game. And there's some pizza joint down there (i have to search for it) that my wife has been buggin me to go to. I don't think it's going to be nearly as disconnected as it may seem.

I agree! It's funny how people can go to Disney World and walk around for 10-12 miles for the day. When you ask them to walk .5 mile to a Soccer stadium and that's too far.

The pond next to the development is fun too. We walked around the trails in that area and my boys liked checking out all frogs and fish. Maybe someone can install some fish food dispensers so people can feed the fish.

The difference between Disney and this is that Disney doesn’t have cars in the middle and is filled with lots of good pedestrian level stuff to keep you interested. And I say this as someone whose feet are still sore from getting back from Disney last week haha. But, given time and more development, I think this site will improve

[Louie]

I showed my kids the renderings and told them about where it'd be and stuff, and they were excited. They said "it's right by the luminarium and that big playground!"

I think this is a lot better spot than some folks are giving it credit for. I mean, honestly, when it's nice out, we go downtown a fair amount, and if there was a game, it'd be a no brainer to get their a little early, hit the museum and playground, then finish it off with a game. And there's some pizza joint down there (i have to search for it) that my wife has been buggin me to go to. I don't think it's going to be nearly as disconnected as it may seem.

I agree! It's funny how people can go to Disney World and walk around for 10-12 miles for the day. When you ask them to walk .5 mile to a Soccer stadium and that's too far.

The pond next to the development is fun too. We walked around the trails in that area and my boys liked checking out all frogs and fish. Maybe someone can install some fish food dispensers so people can feed the fish.

The difference between Disney and this is that Disney doesn’t have cars in the middle and is filled with lots of good pedestrian level stuff to keep you interested. And I say this as someone whose feet are still sore from getting back from Disney last week haha. But, given time and more development, I think this site will improve

Very true, people will walk further if the experience of walking is made pleasant for the pedestrian.

[Garrett]

As a supplement to my point, have a little Jan Gehl urban design text that's pretty easy to read

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/33c2mrv4 ... 7tphh&dl=0

[Dusty]

I'm not concerned. Give it some more time. With developments like Millwork Commons, Baby Bob, and Soccer Stadium it will create a need for better pedestrian access. Eventually Lot D will get developed and bring it all together like puzzle pieces clicking.

[Greg S]

I'm not concerned. Give it some more time. With developments like Millwork Commons, Baby Bob, and Soccer Stadium it will create a need for better pedestrian access. Eventually Lot D will get developed and bring it all together like puzzle pieces clicking.

Yeah the more the area develops aroud it the more chances we have for a lot to be developed at CHI. So is it Lot D that was targeted for eventual redevelopment or Lot B?

I thought Lot D was once looked at for the baseball stadium, but MECA said hard no to anything there because it was being saved for eventual expansion of the convention center?

Greg

[ita]

I'm not concerned. Give it some more time. With developments like Millwork Commons, Baby Bob, and Soccer Stadium it will create a need for better pedestrian access. Eventually Lot D will get developed and bring it all together like puzzle pieces clicking.

Yeah the more the area develops aroud it the more chances we have for a lot to be developed at CHI. So is it Lot D that was targeted for eventual redevelopment or Lot B?

I thought Lot D was once looked at for the baseball stadium, but MECA said hard no to anything there because it was being saved for eventual expansion of the convention center?

Greg

It was definitely Lot B. Here's our thread about it (scroll down this thread for some renderings):

viewtopic.php?t=17141&start=160

Lot B is screaming for redevelopment. Especially with the streetcar being a couple blocks away, this should be tops on the redevelopment list.

Eventually, something will be done with Lot D; more than likely parking structures. I would love the convention center expand to Lot D.

[Louie]

Building a convention center expansion to Lot D would need to be done carefully as the Baby Bob terminates right there.

[ita]

Building a convention center expansion to Lot D would need to be done carefully as the Baby Bob terminates right there.

That's right, I totally forgot about baby bob!

[Brad]

Building a convention center expansion to Lot D would need to be done carefully as the Baby Bob terminates right there.

That's right, I totally forgot about baby bob!

How much larger do you thing they would make the convention center? just extending the convention center to Fahey street adds 50,000 SF and extending it to the baby bob brings that up to 75,000 SF. The convention center is currently 194,000 SF so adding 75,000 SF is like a 40% increase to the current convention center. Not sure how much bigger they would go even if there was nothing but open field on the north side.

[OmahaRedWing]

Building a convention center expansion to Lot D would need to be done carefully as the Baby Bob terminates right there.

That's right, I totally forgot about baby bob!

How much larger do you thing they would make the convention center? just extending the convention center to Fahey street adds 50,000 SF and extending it to the baby bob brings that up to 75,000 SF. The convention center is currently 194,000 SF so adding 75,000 SF is like a 40% increase to the current convention center. Not sure how much bigger they would go even if there was nothing but open field on the north side.

Can't imagine they would want to go much more than 75,000 sq feet. I believe they probably had some input on the Baby Bob's location in regards to their possible/eventual expansion of the Convention Center.

[Dusty]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

[NEDodger]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

I have. The problem here is in St. Louis you have 81+ days a year of 40,000 people coming.

For Lot D, you’ll have about 12 days a year of ~35,000 people and 16 days a year of maybe 7,000.

Edit: Appreciating Creighton, but that’s not as “walk around and do stuff” season like Ballpark Village is, and it’s still relatively easy to get into places around Capitol District before a Creighton game.

[Dusty]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

I have. The problem here is in St. Louis you have 81+ days a year of 40,000 people coming.

For Lot D, you’ll have about 12 days a year of ~35,000 people and 16 days a year of maybe 7,000.

Edit: Appreciating Creighton, but that’s not as “walk around and do stuff” season like Ballpark Village is, and it’s still relatively easy to get into places around Capitol District before a Creighton game.

Good point! It will be interesting the direction MECA takes for Lot D. You want something that will compliment the two stadiums but can operate successfully when games are not in play.

[omaha79]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

The Ballpark Village development model is a bit overplayed at this point. I think Cordish is the developer on those and about half the towns in major sports have them. They are basically the mall brands of sports entertainment. They throw the same bars and restaurants in most every one from KC, Atlanta, Philly, STL. Things like Howl at the Moon, PBR Bar, and then they throw in a home team bar like Cardinals Nation to make it seem less mall like. The idea is solid, but lacks creativity and diversity.

[Greg S]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

The Ballpark Village development model is a bit overplayed at this point. I think Cordish is the developer on those and about half the towns in major sports have them. They are basically the mall brands of sports entertainment. They throw the same bars and restaurants in most every one from KC, Atlanta, Philly, STL. Things like Howl at the Moon, PBR Bar, and then they throw in a home team bar like Cardinals Nation to make it seem less mall like. The idea is solid, but lacks creativity and diversity.

We've gone to the one in St Louis. It really really helped the area. When the new Busch first opened, Ballpark Village kept getting delayed. It was supposed to open in conjunction with the ballpark. We've discussed downtown St Louis and its decline in another forum here, and it was apparent then. There just isn't a lot of good places to eat and drink after games in StL. Before Ballpark Village opened we'd leave downtown and go elsewhere. Once they finally got Ballpark Village open you at least had a solid place to go. Even though we were there to see the Royals play the Cards, we normally hit the Cardinals themed bar.

I coach hockey and when I have taken teams to play in St Louis, we try and hit the Blues while in town. There really isn't anything good to go around the Blues arena (though the arena itself has been remodeled and has improved and larger spaces to gather in it) so we also head to Ballpark Village before and after Blues games.

Greg

[Dusty]

All great points everyone! From your descriptions, Ballpark Village sounds like the Capital District. No need to have 2 of the same in the area.

I noticed in the pictures one end is open. Is that so they can add more seats later?

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

The Ballpark Village development model is a bit overplayed at this point. I think Cordish is the developer on those and about half the towns in major sports have them. They are basically the mall brands of sports entertainment. They throw the same bars and restaurants in most every one from KC, Atlanta, Philly, STL. Things like Howl at the Moon, PBR Bar, and then they throw in a home team bar like Cardinals Nation to make it seem less mall like. The idea is solid, but lacks creativity and diversity.

Living about four miles away from Ballpark Village, I'll say it appeals largely to tourists and exurbanites and will second that the idea is fairly played out right now. Really if you added a Creighton themed bar to the Capitol District you would have, in essence, Ballpark Village.

I coach hockey and when I have taken teams to play in St Louis, we try and hit the Blues while in town. There really isn't anything good to go around the Blues arena (though the arena itself has been remodeled and has improved and larger spaces to gather in it) so we also head to Ballpark Village before and after Blues games.

Greg

This is very true. Not to get too far off topic, but if you walk a couple blocks west to Union Station, they did an extensive rehab a handful of years ago with some pretty decent restaurants and activities. My favorite is The Pitch. It's soccer themed, nicely decorated, great for big groups, and the food is good.

[nativeomahan]

I guess I’m prone to making analogies. I’m old enough to have seen the general downtown riverfront area go from an industrial lead smelter and scrap metal facility, with a general “odd” smell permeating the entire area, to the original Lewis and Clark Landing, to what we have now and the announced plans for the immediate future. Think of a newly constructed house with tiny trees and grass plugs in the yard. It takes a bit of imagination to visualize how it will all come together in 10 or 15 more years. But with good planning, patience and nurturing it WILL all come together. I’m very excited to see this stadium/housing/retail proposal, together with the Baby Bob, the Streetcar line and the ongoing build-out of the Mercantile and Makerhood districts. You know that more projects are percolating as well. By 2030 downtown/the riverfront won’t just be attracting Omahans, but people from throughout the Midwest region and beyond to explore and enjoy what our city has to offer.
Many posters on here have offered great suggestions as to how to further enhance this emerging entertainment zone (extending the streetcar, more international themed restaurants). I’m confident this will happen.

[Greg S]

Has anyone been to this Ballpark Village in St Louis? Seems like an interesting idea as a mixed-use entertainment district that is sports themed. This could be a great way to develop Lot D and pull the two stadiums together.

https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/

The Ballpark Village development model is a bit overplayed at this point. I think Cordish is the developer on those and about half the towns in major sports have them. They are basically the mall brands of sports entertainment. They throw the same bars and restaurants in most every one from KC, Atlanta, Philly, STL. Things like Howl at the Moon, PBR Bar, and then they throw in a home team bar like Cardinals Nation to make it seem less mall like. The idea is solid, but lacks creativity and diversity.

Living about four miles away from Ballpark Village, I'll say it appeals largely to tourists and exurbanites and will second that the idea is fairly played out right now. Really if you added a Creighton themed bar to the Capitol District you would have, in essence, Ballpark Village.

I coach hockey and when I have taken teams to play in St Louis, we try and hit the Blues while in town. There really isn't anything good to go around the Blues arena (though the arena itself has been remodeled and has improved and larger spaces to gather in it) so we also head to Ballpark Village before and after Blues games.

Greg

This is very true. Not to get too far off topic, but if you walk a couple blocks west to Union Station, they did an extensive rehab a handful of years ago with some pretty decent restaurants and activities. My favorite is The Pitch. It's soccer themed, nicely decorated, great for big groups, and the food is good.

Interesting, may need to check out Union Station again. When the Enterprise Center first opened I would go down for NHL games in the 90's. Union Station was awesome then as a mall, with restaurants and bars. Was a really really cool and hopping place. We'd also hit Laclede's Landing back then. I remember there was a large Harpo's there that was fun. Hated to see both places decline. Glad to hear Union Station might be on the upswing.

Greg

[nativeomahan]

I haven’t been to St. Louis in close to 20 years. Back then it was a fun weekend getaway, but after about 3 days you saw pretty much everything you wanted to see. It has some obvious similarities to Omaha (a downtown riverfront) but is a much older and larger metro area, with deeper problems and also more resources.
Just possibly all the time Mayor Stothert apparently spends in St. Louis has given her a much better perspective to help guide Omaha forward, while avoiding some of the missteps that have occurred in that city as it seeks to reinvent itself.

[omaha79]

Living about four miles away from Ballpark Village, I'll say it appeals largely to tourists and exurbanites and will second that the idea is fairly played out right now. Really if you added a Creighton themed bar to the Capitol District you would have, in essence, Ballpark Village.

Isn't that basically Let It Fly at this point? I was under the assumption it's a Creighton themed sports bar.

[skinzfan23]

Yes, it is a Creighton themed bar. They even do the post game and other shows from the in-house studio on the 2nd level.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Oh! With the way you guys describe Let It Fly it sounds like the Capitol District is exactly what Ballpark Village is then.

[Dusty]

Is there a reason they left one end of the stadium open? Is this for future expansion of seats?

[Louie]

Is there a reason they left one end of the stadium open? Is this for future expansion of seats?

It's not necessarily open. The sky-view diagram and renderings from street view really don't match up at all, so it's safe to say nothing is really in stone yet.