Lincoln Convention Center

[Doctor Fate]

Another Journal Star article about 2023 development, including a convention center in or near downtown.

"The No. 1 thing we know we need to spend time on now is a convention center somewhere in the downtown area," he (Jason Ball) said.

The chamber, working with several other organizations, commissioned a study that recommended building a two-story, 129,600-square-foot convention center with an estimated cost of between $111 million and $120 million.

Lincoln-area senators are sponsoring a bill that would give the city a one-time $60 million grant of state funds to make that happen.

Ball said that a commitment from the Legislature would go a long way toward making a convention center happen, but there still is a lot of work to be done, including coming up with the rest of the money, mapping out a structure to govern and manage a center, and picking a location.

The study suggested five possible sites, all of them in or near downtown.

Many of the locations have hurdles that may be too significant to overcome. For example, one of the suggested locations is the city's main post office in the Haymarket, but 1st District Congressman Mike Flood said in December that he spoke to the U.S. Postal Service, which "communicated that right now it's not interested in moving."

For my money, the best site would be the former Journal Star production site sandwiched between Ninth and 10th streets. Not only is the building vacant, but the land north of Q Street already is owned by Drury Hotels. It also seems to be well located near the city's arena, the stadium and other large hotels.

Ball said he's "very bullish" on convention center plans taking a big step forward this year.

[ita]

Another Journal Star article about 2023 development, including a convention center in or near downtown.

"The No. 1 thing we know we need to spend time on now is a convention center somewhere in the downtown area," he (Jason Ball) said.

The chamber, working with several other organizations, commissioned a study that recommended building a two-story, 129,600-square-foot convention center with an estimated cost of between $111 million and $120 million.

Lincoln-area senators are sponsoring a bill that would give the city a one-time $60 million grant of state funds to make that happen.

Ball said that a commitment from the Legislature would go a long way toward making a convention center happen, but there still is a lot of work to be done, including coming up with the rest of the money, mapping out a structure to govern and manage a center, and picking a location.

The study suggested five possible sites, all of them in or near downtown.

Many of the locations have hurdles that may be too significant to overcome. For example, one of the suggested locations is the city's main post office in the Haymarket, but 1st District Congressman Mike Flood said in December that he spoke to the U.S. Postal Service, which "communicated that right now it's not interested in moving."

For my money, the best site would be the former Journal Star production site sandwiched between Ninth and 10th streets. Not only is the building vacant, but the land north of Q Street already is owned by Drury Hotels. It also seems to be well located near the city's arena, the stadium and other large hotels.

Ball said he's "very bullish" on convention center plans taking a big step forward this year.

I saw that project mentioned in that article you posted about the megasite. I thought conventions were dying? Seriously though, $60 million for this, $50 million for a soccer stadium, $100 million for a streetcar. The state can swing it with the state coffers at historic levels. I wonder if this ask for convention center money gets traction, seems like something the state would get behind.

[Bob from Omaha]

Meanwhile in Grand Island a private company is absolutely killing it. Younes. Hotels & now two convention centers. I have no idea if he asked for help from the state or the city. It doesn't matter. He raised the bar on how to run hospitality properties.

[Ryan j]

Younes is actually out of Kearney, I think he has a few GI properties too, but the big convention business is in Kearney.

[Bob from Omaha]

My bad. I knew he's out of Kearney.

[LNK11]

Potential sites have been announced:
LJS


*Gold’s Building: The site of the southern portion of the Gold’s Building bordered by 10th, 11th, O and N streets. REV Development, which is renovating the old department store into a hotel and restaurant, is proposing turning the southern half of the old building, which has been demolished, into a convention center and creating what they’re calling the Gold’s District.

*Oak Lake: The proposed site consists of four adjacent parcels, one along U.S Highway 6 and Sun Valley Boulevard and the other along Charleston St. and West Charleston St. The property is owned by Sandquist Construction.

*Cornhusker Hotel area: The committee identified this as the “Garfield Public/Private” site, which spans two blocks known as Block 65 and Block 90. Block 65 is bordered by M, N, 13th and 14th streets; Block 90 is bordered by M, L, 13th and 14th streets. All the land on Block 65 is owned by the city except for the Sharp Building. Block 90 is owned by New Generation LLC, a Speedway Properties company; Agee Partners; and the R. H. Rogers Trust.

*Canopy site: WRK Real Estate is proposing a convention center site on the southwest corner of Canopy Street and Q Street in the Haymarket.

*The downtown post office, 700 R St., next to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Federal officials so far have not shown any interest in selling that site, though last year Rep. Mike Flood vowed to continue trying to convince them to do so.

*The Robert V. Denney federal building parking lot at 100 Centennial Mall South.

*The old police station at 233 S. 10th St., which city officials considered as a site for a multi-modal bus transfer station until federal officials nixed it.

*The City-County parking garage and surface lot for the public and employees north of the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th St.

*The employee parking lot to the south of the County-City Building, which also is being evaluated by city officials as the preferred site for a $32.2 million bus transfer station.

[Linkin5]

Thanks for posting that. The best location would be on the canopy site or post office by the arena (highly doubt this could be pulled off). However, this Gold’s proposal looks so good I hope that it gets chosen and brings some momentum back to the O street area.

[F0R_L1F3]

Agreed. Also a lot of the other sites seem like they'll have development already, an example being the old police station. There's intentions for an affordable housing block.

A lot of the other sites don't seem as efficient of a location like Oak Lake which is an odd place to consider. Cornhusker seems interesting but feels too far. Golds is right on the O Corridor and the bike way on N can take you straight to the new park. The new 11th can take you to some destinations as well.

[Coyote]

Plans for new Lincoln Convention Center inches along

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lincoln Convention Center team met with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday to dive further into the future of what it could potentially look like. The big question that still has not been answered is where will it be built? Assemble Lincoln is now looking at nine potential locations for the center and plans to have an update by the end of the year.

Before that comes, they will be comparing the sites to determine which would best serve the Lincoln community. This phase is called the project development stage, which includes coming up with a conceptual design and a preliminary budget. The teams says the convention center will focus on the customer experience and feature elements that encompass Lincoln’s culture.

“I think it feeds off other attractions, I think it compliments what’s there, I think what it does is fill gaps, that season from in the winter from November to march it’s that quote dead time, that’s when a convention center thrives,” said Michael Delano, Senior Vice President of Legends. The designs are still in their early stages as the team settles on a location. Their hope is to make it an environment that can cater to both current generations and the future demands.

“You can just tell there’s an energy in downtown and in Lincoln and to be honest that’s what convention centers are looking,” said Adam Paultisch, the Design Director. “They want to be able to walk to their restaurants, they want to go to a show, and maybe some live music and not necessarily be removed from what makes Lincoln vibrant.

[Coyote]

Plans for Downtown Lincoln Convention Center inches along



The Lincoln Convention Center team met with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday to dive further into the future of what it could potentially look like.

[Doctor Fate]

Proposed sites have been narrowed down to:
- Post Office near the Haymarket
- Gold’s Building Redevelopment
- 2 blocks near the Cornhusker

[Doctor Fate]

Here are the locations of the three final sites up for selection for the convention center:


Post Office: The Drury Plaza Hotel site is just two blocks east of here and was supposed to be 8 stories and 210 rooms. If the convention center goes here, maybe that gets taller? This would also be a boon to the Haymarket.

REV Development Site: This is the Gold's Building block. The Gold's Building is already becoming a 104 room Hampton Inn (REV is also the developer there) and it looks like the Aging Partners building and the one to the east would become a 20 story Hilton (or similar), with the convention center taking up the south part of the block.

Garfield Public/Private Site: This is the two blocks between N and L Streets and 13th and 14th Streets. The city owns most of the north block except the the Sharp Building and there was a proposal for a 15 story apartment tower next to it by Argent Group, which now seems dead. There is a good amount of space between these two blocks. If the convention center goes here, it could go on the south block (the privately owned part of this site) with a skywalk to the Cornhusker to the west and one tot he north where another hotel could be. And there could still be room for an apartment tower.

I still hope the REV development site gets chose and based on a couple people I spoke to with the city, it is the likely spot that this will go to.

[Doctor Fate]

City is hoping to announce a site by the end of the year but they are waiting on word from the federal government to see if they will sell the post office site. Pillen is involved in pushing for the sale.

REV Development, the owner of the Gold’s Building site, has put all of their parcels up for sale except the Hampton Inn site. They said they still hope to have the convention center there but were told a decision would be made by October and since that has long passed they wanted to make sure all their bases were covered. Their proposal also had another 20+ story hotel.

It seems that the city wants the post office site. And Gold’s is their second option. The LJS article did say that wherever the convention center goes, there will be at least one hotel built with it. And also that if the post office site doesn’t get the convention center, the city still wants the site so they can develop it.

[CDixon]

The 20-story hotel by Gold's is a good looking building, really looking forward to that being built.

[Doctor Fate]

The 20-story hotel by Gold's is a good looking building, really looking forward to that being built.

If the Gold’s site doesn’t get selected for the convention center, I don’t think the 20+ story hotel will get built. REV Development has put the parcel up for sale in case they don’t get selected and it seems like the city really wants the post office location.

[F0R_L1F3]

I really hope they go through with it. I just feel like it'll be a better location here because there's the availability to develop land all the way down to the South Haymarket Park where there's an entire masterplan to redo that area. The protected bike lane is also right off of it and when that park is developed, can be an easy path to go there. I just personally would prefer densifying this area up and it seems like it'd fill in pretty nice. Either way though, I'd be happy with a new hotel being developed with either site and just more development for the city.

[CDixon]

The 20-story hotel by Gold's is a good looking building, really looking forward to that being built.

If the Gold’s site doesn’t get selected for the convention center, I don’t think the 20+ story hotel will get built. REV Development has put the parcel up for sale in case they don’t get selected and it seems like the city really wants the post office location.

Yup, it really doesn't look good for the Gold's site. Sucks that Lincoln lost 9 Lincoln Park, and now it might lose Gold's Tower, too.

[F0R_L1F3]

The 20-story hotel by Gold's is a good looking building, really looking forward to that being built.

If the Gold’s site doesn’t get selected for the convention center, I don’t think the 20+ story hotel will get built. REV Development has put the parcel up for sale in case they don’t get selected and it seems like the city really wants the post office location.

Yup, it really doesn't look good for the Gold's site. Sucks that Lincoln lost 9 Lincoln Park, and now it might lose Gold's Tower, too.

Agreed but I think 9 Lincoln Park might be on track. https://www.1011now.com/2024/08/21/linc ... xt-spring/ Hopefully though.

[Doctor Fate]

I can understand why the city wants the post office site. It's right next to the arena, three parking garages, the Railyard and Haymarket, and just outside the CBD. There's also a lot more space there and a number of newer hotels near by (not including the soon-to-be-built Drury).

But I would love to see the convention center at the Gold's site too, mainly for the tower and the density it will add to the core.

[Linkin5]

The 20-story hotel by Gold's is a good looking building, really looking forward to that being built.

If the Gold’s site doesn’t get selected for the convention center, I don’t think the 20+ story hotel will get built. REV Development has put the parcel up for sale in case they don’t get selected and it seems like the city really wants the post office location.

Yup, it really doesn't look good for the Gold's site. Sucks that Lincoln lost 9 Lincoln Park, and now it might lose Gold's Tower, too.

Agreed but I think 9 Lincoln Park might be on track. https://www.1011now.com/2024/08/21/linc ... xt-spring/ Hopefully though.

I would say it’s more likely 9 Lincoln Park doesn’t get built than it does.

The Gold convention center proposal looks incredible and I hope it gets built but the Post Office site is better situated for a convention center site.

[CDixon]

The 20-story hotel by Gold's is a good looking building, really looking forward to that being built.

If the Gold’s site doesn’t get selected for the convention center, I don’t think the 20+ story hotel will get built. REV Development has put the parcel up for sale in case they don’t get selected and it seems like the city really wants the post office location.

Yup, it really doesn't look good for the Gold's site. Sucks that Lincoln lost 9 Lincoln Park, and now it might lose Gold's Tower, too.

Agreed but I think 9 Lincoln Park might be on track. https://www.1011now.com/2024/08/21/linc ... xt-spring/ Hopefully though.

Never read that article... looks like the project hasn't been downscaled so far. Regardless, I hope something goes up. I'll give it a 50/50.

[F0R_L1F3]

Well, the site didn't get selected or at least as it's top choice. The one near the Cornhusker Hotel was which is very disappointing. A convention center is going to be nice for Lincoln regardless but it's going to take a lot longer to develop the surrounding sites. Development seems to take too long to get off the ground with the developers of large scale projects across Lincoln and I just can't see much happening outside of a new hotel or two. I felt it would've been better at Gold's with the downtown streetscape project as well. You have a main street that'll take you straight to the facility, the N street bike lane that would take you as far down as to the new South Haymarket Park but also the new bike lane that would've been on 11th.

But, I know they really did want to push for at least another 250 rooms nearby in their Phase 1 plan though. But again, I just don't see a lot of development at least for stuff like more restaurants being done until way later on. The downtown corridors is going to be prioritized first and it'll be "isolated" to an extent from the core of downtown.

[Doctor Fate]

Well, the site didn't get selected or at least as it's top choice. The one near the Cornhusker Hotel was which is very disappointing. A convention center is going to be nice for Lincoln regardless but it's going to take a lot longer to develop the surrounding sites. Development seems to take too long to get off the ground with the developers of large scale projects across Lincoln and I just can't see much happening outside of a new hotel or two. I felt it would've been better at Gold's with the downtown streetscape project as well. You have a main street that'll take you straight to the facility, the N street bike lane that would take you as far down as to the new South Haymarket Park but also the new bike lane that would've been on 11th.

But, I know they really did want to push for at least another 250 rooms nearby in their Phase 1 plan though. But again, I just don't see a lot of development at least for stuff like more restaurants being done until way later on. The downtown corridors is going to be prioritized first and it'll be "isolated" to an extent from the core of downtown.

Yeah not thrilled that this is the site they went with. Easily the worst of the three. I get that it has more space than the Gold's Building site but like you said, there is nothing around there and few spots for future development. This spot is further away from the Haymarket and Railyard, and in kind of a dull area.

Maybe Block 65 turns into a high rise hotel? It was poised to become a 15 story apartment building but never materialized and the city owns it.

Pretty disappointing that the Gold's site was not chosen. This still has one more approval hurdle to get through though right?

[F0R_L1F3]

Well, the site didn't get selected or at least as it's top choice. The one near the Cornhusker Hotel was which is very disappointing. A convention center is going to be nice for Lincoln regardless but it's going to take a lot longer to develop the surrounding sites. Development seems to take too long to get off the ground with the developers of large scale projects across Lincoln and I just can't see much happening outside of a new hotel or two. I felt it would've been better at Gold's with the downtown streetscape project as well. You have a main street that'll take you straight to the facility, the N street bike lane that would take you as far down as to the new South Haymarket Park but also the new bike lane that would've been on 11th.

But, I know they really did want to push for at least another 250 rooms nearby in their Phase 1 plan though. But again, I just don't see a lot of development at least for stuff like more restaurants being done until way later on. The downtown corridors is going to be prioritized first and it'll be "isolated" to an extent from the core of downtown.

Yeah not thrilled that this is the site they went with. Easily the worst of the three. I get that it has more space than the Gold's Building site but like you said, there is nothing around there and few spots for future development. This spot is further away from the Haymarket and Railyard, and in kind of a dull area.

Maybe Block 65 turns into a high rise hotel? It was poised to become a 15 story apartment building but never materialized and the city owns it.

Pretty disappointing that the Gold's site was not chosen. This still has one more approval hurdle to get through though right?

I would only believe so. There is also a lot of alignment in the convention's center plan to jumpstart development whenever the city ever decides to rebuild the parking garage nearby.

[Doctor Fate]

I would only believe so. There is also a lot of alignment in the convention's center plan to jumpstart development whenever the city ever decides to rebuild the parking garage nearby.

What garage is that? 1318 M? And I'm guessing that the development they want is hotel/food/retail....where is there space for that outside of Block 65? NEBCO and Centre Terrace own the empty lots south and west of there.

[F0R_L1F3]

I would only believe so. There is also a lot of alignment in the convention's center plan to jumpstart development whenever the city ever decides to rebuild the parking garage nearby.

What garage is that? 1318 M? And I'm guessing that the development they want is hotel/food/retail....where is there space for that outside of Block 65? NEBCO and Centre Terrace own the empty lots south and west of there.

Yeah, that garage. It was in their Block 65 agreement. Though as you mentioned, that space is very rare as well. I don't know where they could do it. At most, I could see maybe the downtown library in the next few years if they decide to actually move to the Pershing Square lot as intended. I saw on the library board a few months ago they restarted the planning phase for a new downtown library so. There might be the state office building if they start building new facilities because I do remember that there were plans to build a new complex near 18th and L/K. I do not know if they still are going through with it though.

[Doctor Fate]

I would only believe so. There is also a lot of alignment in the convention's center plan to jumpstart development whenever the city ever decides to rebuild the parking garage nearby.

What garage is that? 1318 M? And I'm guessing that the development they want is hotel/food/retail....where is there space for that outside of Block 65? NEBCO and Centre Terrace own the empty lots south and west of there.

Yeah, that garage. It was in their Block 65 agreement. Though as you mentioned, that space is very rare as well. I don't know where they could do it. At most, I could see maybe the downtown library in the next few years if they decide to actually move to the Pershing Square lot as intended. I saw on the library board a few months ago they restarted the planning phase for a new downtown library so. There might be the state office building if they start building new facilities because I do remember that there were plans to build a new complex near 18th and L/K. I do not know if they still are going through with it though.

Ah ok. That could really reinvigorate that area if those things do happen. Developing the library and state office building site would free up some nice space but that would be several years before ground is even broke right?

[F0R_L1F3]

I would only believe so. There is also a lot of alignment in the convention's center plan to jumpstart development whenever the city ever decides to rebuild the parking garage nearby.

What garage is that? 1318 M? And I'm guessing that the development they want is hotel/food/retail....where is there space for that outside of Block 65? NEBCO and Centre Terrace own the empty lots south and west of there.

Yeah, that garage. It was in their Block 65 agreement. Though as you mentioned, that space is very rare as well. I don't know where they could do it. At most, I could see maybe the downtown library in the next few years if they decide to actually move to the Pershing Square lot as intended. I saw on the library board a few months ago they restarted the planning phase for a new downtown library so. There might be the state office building if they start building new facilities because I do remember that there were plans to build a new complex near 18th and L/K. I do not know if they still are going through with it though.

Ah ok. That could really reinvigorate that area if those things do happen. Developing the library and state office building site would free up some nice space but that would be several years before ground is even broke right?

Definitely.

[Bob from Omaha]

This is just me but east of the PBA is a post office, right? I know it won't happen but I think it could be a good fit.

[Doctor Fate]

This is just me but east of the PBA is a post office, right? I know it won't happen but I think it could be a good fit.

That seems to be the site they wanted and the reason they waited 4 months after their self-stated deadline to announce a site. The city was expecting to get a timeline from the post office for the sale of the site but I guess decided they were taking too long.

[LNK]

The application includes a number of possible investments spurred by the decision to build the convention center on Block 90. Among them:

* Marriott updating the Cornhusker and exploring the possibility of a skywalk between the convention center and hotel

* A commitment by Nelnet to renovate the former Miller and Paine building at 121 S. 13th St. and bring 1,000 employees back to those offices.

* New tenants for the Atrium at 12th and N streets, a portion of the former McGee’s at 11th and O streets and the western portion of “The Stables” at 301 S. 12th St.

* Plans for a law firm to relocate to the Sharp Building on Block 65.

* Possible development of a portion of the block at 13th and L streets now being used as a staging area for the new League of Municipalities building into a specialty hotel, restaurants, bars, retail or mixed-use space. The land is owned by NEBCO, Inc.

*A planned city parking garage with 700-900 stalls on a portion of Block 65.

[Linkin5]

I really hope we can see some private development on Block 65 spurred by this parking garage. As a reminder there was a previous 15 story residential building proposed at this site, and it was also studied to be the new Lincoln library location.

[Doctor Fate]

The application includes a number of possible investments spurred by the decision to build the convention center on Block 90. Among them:

* Marriott updating the Cornhusker and exploring the possibility of a skywalk between the convention center and hotel

* A commitment by Nelnet to renovate the former Miller and Paine building at 121 S. 13th St. and bring 1,000 employees back to those offices.

* New tenants for the Atrium at 12th and N streets, a portion of the former McGee’s at 11th and O streets and the western portion of “The Stables” at 301 S. 12th St.

* Plans for a law firm to relocate to the Sharp Building on Block 65.

* Possible development of a portion of the block at 13th and L streets now being used as a staging area for the new League of Municipalities building into a specialty hotel, restaurants, bars, retail or mixed-use space. The land is owned by NEBCO, Inc.

*A planned city parking garage with 700-900 stalls on a portion of Block 65.

These would all be nice for the CBD, if they happen. Nelnet bringing 1,000 employees back would be big, and the possible development on the NEBCO land could be decent. The only thing that would make me agree that this location was better than the Gold's site is if Block 65 gets something significant, at least the height of the previous apartment proposal.

[F0R_L1F3]

I really hope we can see some private development on Block 65 spurred by this parking garage. As a reminder there was a previous 15 story residential building proposed at this site, and it was also studied to be the new Lincoln library location.

I do have hopes that a plan like this will happen still. It happened in 2022 and was delayed with the whole pandemic but I can see it happening again with the development of the convention center. But for sure something at least decent will happen here. It won't be a parking lot for long if there's a new parking garage being made because that was the first step to redevelopment.

[iamjacobm]

Wonder if this proposal is late to the game. UNL throwing their hat in the Lincoln Convention Center ring. The proposal is a convention center, hotel and condos with a direct connection to the stadium.

https://journalstar.com/news/state-regi ... fe927.html

At a meeting in June, Athletic Director Troy Dannen and Deputy Athletic Director Kortne Gosha pitched the idea to Pillen and others to locate a convention center on the ground floor of a condo/hotel tower with a connecting walkway to the stadium.

Pillen said he may be open to the idea, but no formal plans for the site just west of Memorial Stadium, which is home to the Champions Club and a parking lot, have been publicly announced.

[LNK]

The convention center is dependent on Pillen approving the turnback tax application. With how he has been handling those if he wants it at the stadium that's where it will get moved.

[nebugeater]

I am Husker supporter in many ways but this is NOT the location for a convention center. Reasonable walking distance to anything else is not good.

[Linkin5]

Why in the world would they wait until June to propose this, Lincoln literally just acquired the land by the Cornhusker Hotel for the new convention center. On top of that there was a committee that took YEARS picking this location after an initial RFP. As nebugeater said this would not be a good location for the city of Lincoln.

[CrankyOldDude]

Just curious. How many hotel rooms are there in the downtown Lincoln area?

[GenX]

The convention center is dependent on Pillen approving the turnback tax application. With how he has been handling those if he wants it at the stadium that's where it will get moved.

They have since taken that power away from Pillen.