Omaha Police and Omaha Fire Dept HQ (Crossroads)

[Dundeemaha]

No it isn't, this is just mediocre ai slop

Crossroads is not a dense urban design it is a suburban density lifestyle center with overbuilt parking.

The city can't leverage TIF, it doesn't pay property taxes.

The city is overcommitted to crossroads development succeeding with massively expensive parking structures and the new central library. It makes a ton of sense that it wants to further drive development in the area.

[Garrett]

The slop also assumes that the HQ is going to be home to day-to-day station for the PD or FD. It is not. It is strictly going to be an admin office building.

[nebport5]

The slop also assumes that the HQ is going to be home to day-to-day station for the PD or FD. It is not. It is strictly going to be an admin office building.

Which takes the response time element out of the equation except for maybe the drones?

It still begs the question why so expensive for an admin building at 200 mil and only 20 mil for the day to day police/fire station?

Of course one of the reasons the city wouldn't want to rebuild on existing facilities pertains to being in the streetcar corridor and selling the land for tax generating redevelopments.

[nebport5]

I am still hoping the combine HQ is moved to the DC correctional center campus. They are potentially adding mental health community and correctional center facilities there, might as well move the combined public safety HQ there as well. Put it at the corner of Jackson and 18th and call it done.

Just to bring this idea back now that it's clear the police/fire station will be separate from the admin building. And the community mental health center is also now off the table and instead at 41st and Center.

So could the rest of this DCCC campus be in play for the new precinct/fire station? It's time to move the eyesore bus station so either there or the northwest corner at 18th and Jackson could be rebuilt with underground/garage parking to accommodate lost surface lots.

[OmahaFan]

The Crossroads redevelopment is fundamentally designed as a high-density, mixed-use retail and residential hub—an environment that is largely incompatible with the high-security protocols, large-scale vehicle sally ports, and specialized infrastructure required for a joint Public Safety Headquarters.

Here is a little breakdown of why that site is unsuitable and where a more logical facility is likely to be placed.

The Incompatibility of the Crossroads Site

The theory that the headquarters would move to 72nd and Dodge (Crossroads) faces three primary obstacles:

Security Perimeter Needs: Modern public safety buildings require significant "standoff distance" (buffers from public traffic) to protect against threats. The dense retail/residential design of Crossroads leaves no room for such a perimeter.
Traffic Congestion:72nd and Dodge is the busiest intersection in Nebraska. Dispatching emergency vehicles into that bottleneck would severely compromise response times.

Operational Footprint: A joint HQ must accommodate hundreds of specialized vehicles, forensics labs, training facilities, and secure evidence storage. The Crossroads site has already committed its acreage to a new central library and commercial space.


Most Reasonable Locations for a Joint HQ

Given the City’s current 2024–2029 Capital Improvement Program and the design parameters set by firm Leo A Daly, the following locations are the most viable candidates:

1. The "Downtown-Adjacent" Corridor (Preferred)

The City has expressed a strong preference for keeping the HQ in the downtown/midtown area to remain near the courthouse and civic center.

The area between 16th and 20th Streets, south of the current Civic Center. Utilizing existing surface lots or underutilized industrial blocks in the South Downtown area would allow for a campus-style build with the necessary security buffers while maintaining the "urban core" presence.

2. The South 24th Street / I-80 Corridor

If the city decides that downtown is too cramped, moving slightly south toward the **I-80 and 24th Street** area is a strategic alternative.

This offers immediate interstate access for city-wide response and provides much larger tracts of land for the sprawling footprint a joint police/fire facility requires.

Near the New Nebraska State Patrol HQ (North 72nd)

3. While the *Crossroads* (72nd & Dodge) is unlikely, the North 72nd Street corridor (near I-680)remains a possibility.

The Nebraska State Patrol recently moved their Troop A HQ to this area. Placing the Omaha Joint HQ nearby could create a "Public Safety Hub," though this is less likely than a downtown-adjacent site due to the distance from the Douglas County Courthouse.

4. Expansion of the Existing Site

There is also the possibility of the city acquiring adjacent blocks to the current headquarters at 15th and Howard. By demolishing the outdated structures and building a vertical, integrated tower, they could maintain their central location while modernizing.

The most probable outcome is a new build in the southern or western edge of Downtown Omaha. This allows the city to leverage Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and urban renewal grants while ensuring the Police and Fire Chiefs remain within minutes of City Hall and the Douglas County Jail.

Chat GPT is surprisingly accurate here.

I did use ChatGpt but I agree with what it said. Took the words right out of my mouth.

[OmahaFan]

The slop also assumes that the HQ is going to be home to day-to-day station for the PD or FD. It is not. It is strictly going to be an admin office building.

I disagree with your viewpoint that the police and fire department headquarters will be strictly administrative. There are a lot of operations currently being run out of the Omaha police HQ, including criminal investigations, CSI work, evidence storage , shooting range, criminal statistics, etc. I don’t know exactly what happens in the fire HQ, but I would assume specialized units also work out of there along with a fully active fire station for downtown Omaha.

[OmahaFan]

I honestly think they will keep both Police and Fire in downtown Omaha as moving them out of Downtown would cause a political nightmare for Ewing. Also it’s better just to demolish the current Fire Dept and Police HQ they are too old to maintain and they are an eyesore. If you want a combine facility you also will need bays to store Fire Trucks , Ambulances , and the police Mobile Command center , CSI vehicles and paddy wagons.

[NEDodger]

I honestly think they will keep both Police and Fire in downtown Omaha as moving them out of Downtown would cause a political nightmare for Ewing. Also it’s better just to demolish the current Fire Dept and Police HQ they are too old to maintain and they are an eyesore. If you want a combine facility you also will need bays to store Fire Trucks , Ambulances , and the police Mobile Command center , CSI vehicles and paddy wagons.

If only we could move the Children’s Museum to the riverfront or the OWH Printing Press building, and have this combined HQ at the museum’s current spot…..

[nebport5]

I honestly think they will keep both Police and Fire in downtown Omaha as moving them out of Downtown would cause a political nightmare for Ewing. Also it’s better just to demolish the current Fire Dept and Police HQ they are too old to maintain and they are an eyesore. If you want a combine facility you also will need bays to store Fire Trucks , Ambulances , and the police Mobile Command center , CSI vehicles and paddy wagons.

It's already clear that the downtown fire station will combine with a "new police precinct" at a new $20 million facility and it will have 10 bays(the current fire station has 9). It will remain downtown.

Separately, there will be a Public Safety Headquarters that combines the police and fire administrations which is budgeted at $200 million. This building could also house mobile command, CSI, etc. It may not remain downtown.

[nebport5]

I honestly think they will keep both Police and Fire in downtown Omaha as moving them out of Downtown would cause a political nightmare for Ewing. Also it’s better just to demolish the current Fire Dept and Police HQ they are too old to maintain and they are an eyesore. If you want a combine facility you also will need bays to store Fire Trucks , Ambulances , and the police Mobile Command center , CSI vehicles and paddy wagons.

If only we could move the Children’s Museum to the riverfront or the OWH Printing Press building, and have this combined HQ at the museum’s current spot…..

Part of me wonders if the current museums spot was selected as the preferred site and TCM relocation hold has caused a ripple effect for this project moving forward as scheduled. The OWH PP site would inhibit response times.

I'd like to see the bus station relocated near Amtrak towards a future transit center. A fire station/police precinct replacing there perhaps even at 2 stories could help obscure the DCCC and make a better bookend to the southern end of 16th St.

The current CM site would have more space but I like the idea of covering up two eyesores while also keeping the adjacent benefits of Omaha Police next to DCCC.

[Brad]

Announcement at 2pm today.

[Garrett]

Welp, no sound on the WOWT feed but it looks nice from the half that I see

[Brad]

Welp, no sound on the WOWT feed but it looks nice from the half that I see

Yep, that sucks there's no sound. I'm fairly certain I can read "72nd Street" on that map.

[Busguy2010]

It looked central-y to me

[Garrett]

Welp, no sound on the WOWT feed but it looks nice from the half that I see

Yep, that sucks there's no sound. I'm fairly certain I can read "72nd Street" on that map.

Makes sense for the low slung design. I wonder if more and more city offices will continue to pop up there

[Brad]

Welp, no sound on the WOWT feed but it looks nice from the half that I see

Yep, that sucks there's no sound. I'm fairly certain I can read "72nd Street" on that map.

Makes sense for the low slung design. I wonder if more and more city offices will continue to pop up there

Wonder if its the mostly empty bank right behind the library?

[Brad]

Welp, no sound on the WOWT feed but it looks nice from the half that I see

Yep, that sucks there's no sound. I'm fairly certain I can read "72nd Street" on that map.

Makes sense for the low slung design. I wonder if more and more city offices will continue to pop up there

Wonder if its the mostly empty bank right behind the library?

Never mind. Just got a text from Jeff Beals/Grow Omaha that its going to the Crossroads, north of Gamesape.

[Garrett]

Welp, no sound on the WOWT feed but it looks nice from the half that I see

Yep, that sucks there's no sound. I'm fairly certain I can read "72nd Street" on that map.

Makes sense for the low slung design. I wonder if more and more city offices will continue to pop up there

Wonder if its the mostly empty bank right behind the library?

Never mind. Just got a text from Jeff Beals/Grow Omaha that its going to the Crossroads, north of Gamesape.

Interesting, so the frontage will be on Cass?

[Brad]

I believe this to be the site:

Screenshot 2026-07-20 145248.jpg

[BuildTaller]

Is there a holding cell? That would make it mixed-use with it's residential component for baddies.

[nebport5]

[CBJason]

Man, what a disappointment…

[djc311]

AWESOME (sarcasm) - So huge redevelopment for Crossroads and a big chunk of it will be used for OPD?

[ita]

At least the folks living in the future senior living facility will feel safe. Being serious though, my reaction is "hmmm." At least, the downtown HQ will be redeveloped.

[nebport5]

At least the folks living in the future senior living facility will feel safe. Being serious though, my reaction is "hmmm." At least, the downtown HQ will be redeveloped.

Well clearly this isn't one of the rumored exciting potential tenants for Crossroads.

An RFP for the existing OPD Headquarters gives me cautious enthusiasm. If it ends up being L 14.5 that would be a big missed opportunity. I'm wondering what the hold up is for announcing the new downtown fire station/police precinct which is supposed to happen prior to the public safety headquarters.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

I think my biggest concern is that this moves more jobs out of downtown.

[nebport5]

I think my biggest concern is that this moves more jobs out of downtown.

But now Woodbury can secure a commitment from Shake Shack and the like...

or maybe we should take bets on who relocates to Crossroads first? Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme?


Seriously though, the job loss is a legit concern which is why whatever replaces the current headquarters should be a mixed-use anchor instead of just another notorious apartment community.

[Garrett]

I think my biggest concern is that this moves more jobs out of downtown.

Yeah I’m with you there, but it’s not the worst place it could be. The stray 30 story tower we saw a couple years ago was just a recycled rendering. This will sit on a developing mixed use corridor that could use the tenants, while the existing headquarters are on ripe redevelopment spots. Granted, these days there are a lot of those that aren’t going anywhere

[iamjacobm]

If I had my druthers this would be anchoring the Civic site redevelopment. I'd prefer these jobs stay DT and I do think having your civic services concentrated downtown would be for the best.

That said this is will be fine, but not going to get all riled up about this location.

We are approaching like what like a dozen full city blocks downtown that are "prime development sites" lots of potential but the demand needs to be there for anything with scale...

[Cermak]

Hopefully they make it big enough, and not too small like the youth corrections facility DT.

[F0R_L1F3]

Quite disappointing but meh, hope to see at least something stronger with it's redevelopment downtown then and hopefully with the new precinct.

[Dusty]

I'm not opposed to having the headquarters here. I just don't like the single use design. Looks like a building from Heartwood Preserve. lol

Is the design final or just a proposal? I would rather see 6-7 story headquarters mixed with other entertainment amenities. Based on the current design, it will become a dead zone for pedestrians.

[Ben]

Hopefully they make it big enough, and not too small like the youth corrections facility DT.

From later stories on the 10PM news, this appears to be central offices only for OPD/OFD. There will not be an actual police station here, so no worries about # of holding cells or anything like that.

[Brad]

Hopefully they make it big enough, and not too small like the youth corrections facility DT.

From later stories on the 10PM news, this appears to be central offices only for OPD/OFD. There will not be an actual police station here, so no worries about # of holding cells or anything like that.

This is also a City of Omaha project. The youth center is a Douglas County project.

[BIGO88]

I was told by an employee that when they they showed them this rendering a few weeks ago that they also showed them a rendering for a new Life Time Fitness opening next to this.

Also looks to be some updated renderings online now.

https://www.crexi.com/properties/2631197/Omaha-NE-68114

[BuildTaller]

I just wish it was taller and had parking built underneath it. It has to have some kind of parking for their forensic vehicles.

If we're all rubbing genie lamps, I wish the first two levels were retail (at least on the inner part) and put these offices above them, more like Aksarben.

[OmahaFan]

Disappointed by the move to 72nd but the design looks nice just wish they didn’t have all those windows and have more security features. Prime spot for protestors to break in and set the place ablaze. Imagine that embarrassment for the city.

[Greg S]

Disappointed. In a big way. All that time and incentives and we are putting a public building there? Really?

[thenewguy]

Disappointed by the move to 72nd but the design looks nice just wish they didn’t have all those windows and have more security features. Prime spot for protestors to break in and set the place ablaze. Imagine that embarrassment for the city.

[WiinterU]

"Why is our downtown so empty"

- City of Omaha