Civic Square (former Civic Auditorium)

[nebport5]

This site is huge particularly considering the other large available parcels downtown. There's room here for multiple projects (most likely in phases). I hope city leaders are smart here and don't hand it off to a developer who ends up creating more surface lots.

I'd really love to see a full service grocery store here. I know others have mentioned a desire to see something go in the ConAgra campus redevelopment but consider the traffic congestion on 10th St. The Civic site already has easy on and off 480 ramps. Also the proximity of Creighton's campus is an asset. It seems viable(hopefully someday soon) for a mid-rise mixed use project with integrated parking, office space, apartments and a grocery anchor. I'm imaging a scaled down version (at least in grocery) of Denver's flagship Whole Foods. That store is approx 56k sq. ft. and anchors a 13 story building with 579 aartments above. A grocery around the 20k-30K sq. ft. would be nice here.

Here's a link to that project...Union Denver

And still plenty of space for perhaps a future urban Target...and new transit center hub.

I know the argument against a store this size so I'll share what I think would work for a smaller store in the North Downtown thread. Meanwhile, I wonder how many DT people drive to the newer Hy-Vee on Broadway in C.B.

[Omaha Cowboy]

This site is huge particularly considering the other large available parcels downtown. There's room here for multiple projects (most likely in phases). I hope city leaders are smart here and don't hand it off to a developer who ends up creating more surface lots.

I'd really love to see a full service grocery store here. I know others have mentioned a desire to see something go in the ConAgra campus redevelopment but consider the traffic congestion on 10th St. The Civic site already has easy on and off 480 ramps. Also the proximity of Creighton's campus is an asset. It seems viable(hopefully someday soon) for a mid-rise mixed use project with integrated parking, office space, apartments and a grocery anchor. I'm imaging a scaled down version (at least in grocery) of Denver's flagship Whole Foods. That store is approx 56k sq. ft. and anchors a 13 story building with 579 aartments above. A grocery around the 20k-30K sq. ft. would be nice here.

Here's a link to that project...Union Denver

And still plenty of space for perhaps a future urban Target...and new transit center hub.

I know the argument against a store this size so I'll share what I think would work for a smaller store in the North Downtown thread. Meanwhile, I wonder how many DT people drive to the newer Hy-Vee on Broadway in C.B.

I like what you’re posting here neb..

I think a plan similar to the Union Denver one you’ve highlighted would be almost perfect at the Civic site..and the interstate access along with it’s proximity to the Creighton campus makes a mixed use development such as this relevant. I stated as much in a recent post I made in this thread about a month ago..

I believe if an urban style grocery store were to get built at this location, I think a Cubbies-like store would store would still be viable in North Downtown.. The goal is to continue to attract residents into the core. Currently, the Riverfront Development plan, along with what’s happening in North Downtown is (hopefully) sparking that attraction..This type of development would be yet another enhancer..

Not sure how badly these developments, if they were to happen, would effect the HyVee in Council Bluffs on Broadway..but I’d imagine it would to a degree. I’m certain currently, that store gets volume customers who live in the downtown Omaha core..

In the end, let’s hope we actually do get an announcement for this site development fairly soon (60-90 days from now or whenever, lol)...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Louie]

This site is huge particularly considering the other large available parcels downtown. There's room here for multiple projects (most likely in phases). I hope city leaders are smart here and don't hand it off to a developer who ends up creating more surface lots.

I'd really love to see a full service grocery store here. I know others have mentioned a desire to see something go in the ConAgra campus redevelopment but consider the traffic congestion on 10th St. The Civic site already has easy on and off 480 ramps. Also the proximity of Creighton's campus is an asset. It seems viable(hopefully someday soon) for a mid-rise mixed use project with integrated parking, office space, apartments and a grocery anchor. I'm imaging a scaled down version (at least in grocery) of Denver's flagship Whole Foods. That store is approx 56k sq. ft. and anchors a 13 story building with 579 aartments above. A grocery around the 20k-30K sq. ft. would be nice here.

Here's a link to that project...Union Denver

And still plenty of space for perhaps a future urban Target...and new transit center hub.

I know the argument against a store this size so I'll share what I think would work for a smaller store in the North Downtown thread. Meanwhile, I wonder how many DT people drive to the newer Hy-Vee on Broadway in C.B.

Speaking as a downtown worker, a lot of people go to that CB Hy-Vee.

[Big E]

The infatuation with a downtown grocery store by people who don't live downtown is surreal.

We don't need one. We have Cubby's for the basics. We can get to Wohlner's in MTC, shop - and park under cover for free, about 40 feet from the checkouts, for that matter - and back home in 30 minutes. There's any number of great specialty shops nearby. Otherwise we can get in a car and drive 10-15 min to a HyVee or Baker's like everyone else in the city does.

And for the love of Jeff Bezos, almost everyone delivers in a matter of hours now, too. We do not need a full service grocer downtown becasue you can't rememebr to keep an extra couple rolls of TP in your closet.

Add: and dont get me wrong... I'd love it if downtown Omaha looked like downtown Denver. There's just neither the need nor demand here for it, and likely wont be for decades, if ever.

[jomaha9]

Agree to a certain extent.

As a resident of Little Italy and someone who works downtown, I usually hit the CB HyVee as my primary grocery option. Cubby's and DGX work for picking up essentials quickly.

If you ask me, the store that would make the most sense for downtown would be a Trader Joe's or Aldi's. Both are full service grocery stores that fill a niche that I think downtown residents would appreciate. They could fill the demand for organic food at reasonable prices in downtown.

[Busguy2010]

I most want Hy-Vee for downtown. Best mix of amenities and groceries. And If that doesn't happen, Walmart neighborhood market would be better than Trader Joes or Whole Foods because they have a pharmacy department, sell normal toiletries, sell normal beer, and everything else in the store is affordably priced as expected.

Hy-Vee first, Walmart Neighborhood Market second, Aldi third, Whole foods fourth and Trader Joe's fifth. In my book as far as what fits downtown. If it was my city, I would easily give away one measily square block for any of these grocers in that order I stated above, with no stipulations for height or parking well before I'd give away a block to some developer that wants to build a 35 story condo building and never delivers. Do whatever you can to secure Downtown a reliable and normal azz food source or keep yer dern grass lawns and continue scratching your heads as to why nobody wants to live there (talking to city leaders).

[Omaha Cowboy]

I believe the goal and trend of the long term vision dating back to the mid 1970’s.. is for the development of a livable, walkable, 24/7 downtown core..and obviously that means attracting more people to work, live and play downtown.. This transition (albeit slow and measured) has been and currently is happening, And with the Development of the Riverfront Plan, North Downtown, Capitol District, nice new and renovated housing in the neighborhoods south of the downtown core..then throwing in the potential of what “could be” for the Civic site/UP site..The future looks bright for continuing this trend..

One of the next steps, would be additions to livability..like a full service “urban style” grocery store. I think it’s inevitable it will happen..and likely within the next 1-3 years..

Now let’s hope for a Civic site announcement within the next 60-90 days ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Cermak]

Cubbies and Wohlners is probably enough for now and the CB HyVee isn’t far away from DT Omaha. Don’t really see a need for anything else right now.

[Busguy2010]

As much as I would like to see a major grocer locate IN Downtown Omaha, I'm surprised the old No-Frills and now current Supermercado Nuestra Familia gets no love. If someone who works at 16th and Farnam wants to do a little grocery shopping on their lunch break, the Supermercado (which is at 29th & Leavenworth) would be a lot closer than the Hy-Vee on 25th in CB . Heck, even the Supermercado at 20th & Vinton might be a more convenient drive/walk/bike ride/bus ride than the Hy-Vee in CB. Even the Family Fare on 24th Just north Of Vinton. And much to the misconception, you don't have to be Mexican or speak Espanol to shop there... They are basically Family Fare with a few more options and with the addition of Espanol labeling.

[Big E]

I was mentally throwing them in with the specialty category for the 'burbanites. But yes, perfectly viable options.

[ita]

I like Aldi's. Small format, usually has the stuff we need. Any specialty items we get from the Asian Market. I think it would fit well within the urban context and so does Aldi (at least in Australia):

Aldi eyes smaller stores, e-commerce as sales reach $10.5b

Aldi Australia plans to open smaller stores in urban locations and launch an e-commerce offer, possibly later this year, to underpin the next stage of growth as it nears its original 600-store target.

Twenty years after opening its first store, in Marrickville in January 2001, Aldi opened 24 stores in 2020 and plans to open 20 this year, taking its network to 590, just shy of the 600 stores the German based-discounter initially thought feasible.

Chief executive Tom Daunt said small-format stores in densely populated urban locations had outperformed larger stores during the pandemic and there was scope to move into new markets by opening stores that were smaller than Aldi’s existing format and curated to meet the needs of local customers.

In the US, Aldi has operated in dense urban areas. They recently opened a a 'big' store in Philly:

Aldi Readies Distinct Urban Site in Philly

Aldi U.S. next week will welcome the first shoppers of a distinct new store anchoring a mixed-use project near Center City Philadelphia.

While the German-owned discounter, with U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., has been opening new stores at a rapid pace for years now, the new unit at 1300 Fairmont Ave. in Philadelphia’s North Broad neighborhood is different than most in location and design. The facade is rendered in panels of orange that highlights its position as a ground-floor anchor of the newly built 14-story, 478-unit apartment building near the intersection of Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue. Its design includes large windows for increased natural lighting and locally inspired wall decals inside, including maps of historic downtown Philadelphia and some of the city’s famous monuments, such as the Liberty Bell, the company said. And at more than 15,000 square feet, it’s the largest of Aldi’s 11 Philadelphia locations.

[Busguy2010]

I was mentally throwing them in with the specialty category for the 'burbanites. But yes, perfectly viable options.

Hope I didn't seem like I was comin' for ya. I actually didn't see your post up above. I've just seen the CB Hy-Vee mentioned lots of times and don't ever hear much about the Supermercado. And I know there are plenty more people who prefer Hy-Vee and just don't like Family Fare. Just want to make sure people know we do basically have a Family Fare "in Downtown" as a Supermercado... But I do recognize that its a little bit out of the way. At the same time, both the one at 29th and Leavenworth and at 19th & Vinton are along major bus routes and those would only be about 8 minute rides. Still, I'd love to see a Hy-Vee built somewhere around here. I think the interstate access is also a major plus for this exact location. I say divide it into 4 blocks, the city should break down all the barriers to any grocer, let them build a plain old one use building, give them the parking garage and let the other lots get developed organically. Sure, have some requirements but take the site off the all or nothing list. That's what has held the civic site back IMO.

[nebport5]

The infatuation with a downtown grocery store by people who don't live downtown is surreal.

We don't need one. We have Cubby's for the basics. We can get to Wohlner's in MTC, shop - and park under cover for free, about 40 feet from the checkouts, for that matter - and back home in 30 minutes. There's any number of great specialty shops nearby. Otherwise we can get in a car and drive 10-15 min to a HyVee or Baker's like everyone else in the city does.

And for the love of Jeff Bezos, almost everyone delivers in a matter of hours now, too. We do not need a full service grocer downtown becasue you can't rememebr to keep an extra couple rolls of TP in your closet.

Add: and dont get me wrong... I'd love it if downtown Omaha looked like downtown Denver. There's just neither the need nor demand here for it, and likely wont be for decades, if ever.

Or yet another person who did live downtown and moved out of state...the lack of walkable urban amenities being a large factor. I do not believe most who are advocating for urban grocery do so for hygiene provisions but rather actual food. Rather, what was/is lacking(for me) is the quality and variety of food. While Patrick's was not a one stop shop for me I did enjoy walking there and it was certainly suitable(save their hours) well beyond Cubby's. The only food I ever bought at Cubby's beyond a Cliff bar was a post bar inspired Totino's(if that qualifies as food). Yes, Cubby's has a little meat, but I couldn't ever fathom buying produce or much else there. Do they carry any bread with three to four ingredients instead of a paragraph of b.s.? You know, actual bread. Sure, you can get one of Bezos's bee's to deliver but I prefer to pick out my own fresh foods. This is especially key if one lives alone and works a lot...expiration dates can make a big difference to me in making a purchase. As for Wohlner's, I haven't been in since the new ownership, but I always felt previously they missed the mark with demographics. Most of the time I went there, it invariably led to another stop because they typically were sold out of a number of items or did not carry many other foods I wanted.

I think you also have to consider "need" as relative to the individual and his or her eating habits. Call me a food snob, but clearly I'm not alone in the cause for better grocery downtown (however lost it may be in this era).

I will further Cowboy's point about a "livable", walkable urban core. It's more of an European aesthetic living downtown vs. West O where driving is always a necessity. Yes, urban Omaha is a far cry from an actual European city but I bet if you polled the people with the luxury to chose to live in the urban core over the burbs most of those people would share the same "need" for higher diversity/quality grocery foods in closer proximity. Had there been an urban Hy-Vee store when I lived downtown I would've settled for it most of the time. However, none of the other aforementioned "viable" options close to downtown kept me from the hour long round trip of foraging out west of 72nd St.

And for the growing number who support this "quixotic" cause, perhaps I'll commission a Dali-derived poster...

"The Persistence of Urban Grocery"

[Omaha Cowboy]

The infatuation with a downtown grocery store by people who don't live downtown is surreal.

We don't need one. We have Cubby's for the basics. We can get to Wohlner's in MTC, shop - and park under cover for free, about 40 feet from the checkouts, for that matter - and back home in 30 minutes. There's any number of great specialty shops nearby. Otherwise we can get in a car and drive 10-15 min to a HyVee or Baker's like everyone else in the city does.

And for the love of Jeff Bezos, almost everyone delivers in a matter of hours now, too. We do not need a full service grocer downtown becasue you can't rememebr to keep an extra couple rolls of TP in your closet.

Add: and dont get me wrong... I'd love it if downtown Omaha looked like downtown Denver. There's just neither the need nor demand here for it, and likely wont be for decades, if ever.

Or yet another person who did live downtown and moved out of state...the lack of walkable urban amenities being a large factor. I do not believe most who are advocating for urban grocery do so for hygiene provisions but rather actual food. Rather, what was/is lacking(for me) is the quality and variety of food. While Patrick's was not a one stop shop for me I did enjoy walking there and it was certainly suitable(save their hours) well beyond Cubby's. The only food I ever bought at Cubby's beyond a Cliff bar was a post bar inspired Totino's(if that qualifies as food). Yes, Cubby's has a little meat, but I couldn't ever fathom buying produce or much else there. Do they carry any bread with three to four ingredients instead of a paragraph of b.s.? You know, actual bread. Sure, you can get one of Bezos's bee's to deliver but I prefer to pick out my own fresh foods. This is especially key if one lives alone and works a lot...expiration dates can make a big difference to me in making a purchase. As for Wohlner's, I haven't been in since the new ownership, but I always felt previously they missed the mark with demographics. Most of the time I went there, it invariably led to another stop because they typically were sold out of a number of items or did not carry many other foods I wanted.

I think you also have to consider "need" as relative to the individual and his or her eating habits. Call me a food snob, but clearly I'm not alone in the cause for better grocery downtown (however lost it may be in this era).

I will further Cowboy's point about a "livable", walkable urban core. It's more of an European aesthetic living downtown vs. West O where driving is always a necessity. Yes, urban Omaha is a far cry from an actual European city but I bet if you polled the people with the luxury to chose to live in the urban core over the burbs most of those people would share the same "need" for higher diversity/quality grocery foods in closer proximity. Had there been an urban Hy-Vee store when I lived downtown I would've settled for it most of the time. However, none of the other aforementioned "viable" options close to downtown kept me from the hour long round trip of foraging out west of 72nd St.

And for the growing number who support this "quixotic" cause, perhaps I'll commission a Dali-derived poster...

"The Persistence of Urban Grocery"

Nailed it...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[PWL73316]

The infatuation with a downtown grocery store by people who don't live downtown is surreal.

We don't need one. We have Cubby's for the basics. We can get to Wohlner's in MTC, shop - and park under cover for free, about 40 feet from the checkouts, for that matter - and back home in 30 minutes. There's any number of great specialty shops nearby. Otherwise we can get in a car and drive 10-15 min to a HyVee or Baker's like everyone else in the city does.

And for the love of Jeff Bezos, almost everyone delivers in a matter of hours now, too. We do not need a full service grocer downtown becasue you can't rememebr to keep an extra couple rolls of TP in your closet.

Add: and dont get me wrong... I'd love it if downtown Omaha looked like downtown Denver. There's just neither the need nor demand here for it, and likely wont be for decades, if ever.

Couldn't disagree more. I lived downtown until 2019. The lack of a real grocery store is a huge pain in the neck. Wohlner's is not even a full size grocery and it's a huge pain to get to and out of. If you live downtown it's more of a pain to go anywhere than if you live in the suburbs, even if you are in the small minority of people who have an in-building parking spot, you still have to navigate in and out and then lug groceries much further than you would if you didn't live downtown. It's not why I moved out of downtown but pretending it's not a problem is silly, it's a big problem.

[Omaha Cowboy]

The infatuation with a downtown grocery store by people who don't live downtown is surreal.

We don't need one. We have Cubby's for the basics. We can get to Wohlner's in MTC, shop - and park under cover for free, about 40 feet from the checkouts, for that matter - and back home in 30 minutes. There's any number of great specialty shops nearby. Otherwise we can get in a car and drive 10-15 min to a HyVee or Baker's like everyone else in the city does.

And for the love of Jeff Bezos, almost everyone delivers in a matter of hours now, too. We do not need a full service grocer downtown becasue you can't rememebr to keep an extra couple rolls of TP in your closet.

Add: and dont get me wrong... I'd love it if downtown Omaha looked like downtown Denver. There's just neither the need nor demand here for it, and likely wont be for decades, if ever.

Couldn't disagree more. I lived downtown until 2019. The lack of a real grocery store is a huge pain in the neck. Wohlner's is not even a full size grocery and it's a huge pain to get to and out of. If you live downtown it's more of a pain to go anywhere than if you live in the suburbs, even if you are in the small minority of people who have an in-building parking spot, you still have to navigate in and out and then lug groceries much further than you would if you didn't live downtown. It's not why I moved out of downtown but pretending it's not a problem is silly, it's a big problem.

Good counter point..and I agree..

Like I’ve stated previously, I think the next inevitable step, is a full service “urban style” grocery store to be built somewhere within the downtown core..

And I believe we’ll see movement in this direction as soon as the next 6 to 24 months...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[nebport5]

Whatever ends up here(hopefully not just another indefinite field of grass) I hope Stohert's opponents hold here feet to the fire on the lack of planning/development here. It doesn't seem to be a priority for her. Maybe this discussion has veered off topic a bit. There may already be an urban grocery thread but it certainly seems relevant in many others beyond here including; "What's Omaha Missing", "The Brain Drain", and "The Builder's District". Meanwhile, maybe this thread should live under the "Projects Never Built" until we see earth movers at the site.

[GetUrban]

Regarding having a full-service grocery store downtown, There just hasn’t been a large enough mass of people living there to support one without also depending on attracting a large number of people coming in from the surrounding areas around downtown. That number of people coming in to shop would require quite a bit of non-reserved parking. If the number of people calling downtown home increases drastically, then you’ll see the bigger stores coming in when it’s more feasible. What I don’t want is to waste more downtown property just for parking....just my opinion.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Even though we have no “official” 2020 US Census data to support it, I believe it’s rather evident over the course of the last 15 years, the number of people living within the Downtown core (including North Downtown) has increased..and all signals are that this trend will continue..with increased residential (renovation and new) currently underway, the benefit of the Riverfront development plan inclusive of the ConAgra site, and what we could potentially have for development at this Civic Property..All indicators lead to increasing the day and night population in the downtown core..Which, as I continue to say, will lead to the next inevitable-

A full service “urban” style grocery store proposed and popping up within the core the next year or 2.. So I guess what I keep saying, is that yes, those numbers are increasing and the development trend over the next 3-5 years IS for those numbers to continue to increase..

And to nebport’s point- the city and development team do need to be held accountable and true to their word.. Stothert’s been stringing us along- that development is cooking on the Civic site..but is unable to divulge detail for TWO years now. Within the past month, she has, again, indicated the same thing..adding an announcement will be coming “soon”. The problem is, we don’t actually know when “soon” will be.. Next week? Month? Year? 60-90 days?.. Tough questions need to continue to be asked and answered..and don’t get me started on the Lanoha site.. We’ve already condemned that thread into the “Projects Never Built” forum until further notice..

I’d hate to see this thread suffer a similar fate...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Busguy2010]

I think even just one more Capitol district size apartment building could be enough reason to finally get a downtown grocer, and I do think it will be at this site or somewhere very near. I think the interstate being next door will also have a lot of influence where a grocer would go. Imagine all the apartments on 10th and if we were to add one more, even if its nothing we haven't seen before, there might be enough people living just on Capitol between 10th and 20th.

[ita]

I know we have been on a tear in this thread concerning an urban grocer, but with the rumors being floated by the mayor and OWH that an announcement is imminent, if we get something similar to Tetrad's plan, will you, like me, be disappointed?

Tetrad had proposed to erect four buildings: a 14-story office tower; two residential buildings with 200 units above retail office space, and a four-story “civic building,” such as a library or museum.

Taken from Tetrad pulls out of Civic Auditorium site, but Stothert says she's confident another will step in

It just seems like with four city blocks we could get more out of that spot, particularly on the residential side of things. I do not think the City should be hunting for a tall office tower at this point, as I have said before. What was the consensus when the Tetrad plan was still in play? Yay or nay?

[Busguy2010]

I say divide it into four blocks and let it happen organically. The pure scale of the site is probably a limiting factor and why we fail to see an achievable plan. City divides it in four and I bet the more reasonable plans start coming in.

[ita]

I say divide it into four blocks and let it happen organically. The pure scale of the site is probably a limiting factor and why we fail to see an achievable plan. City divides it in four and I bet the more reasonable plans start coming in.

That's a good idea. The City could get it site ready by building up the grid through it.

[Busguy2010]

That's a good idea. The City could get it site ready by building up the grid through it.

I guess I would put 18th back in from Capitol to Chicago, and do Davenport from 17th to 18th. The existing parking garage would prevent Davenport from going all the way through the site as a straight street. But that would still be better than a giant grassland.

[ita]

That's a good idea. The City could get it site ready by building up the grid through it.

I guess I would put 18th back in from Capitol to Chicago, and do Davenport from 17th to 18th. The existing parking garage would prevent Davenport from going all the way through the site as a straight street. But that would still be better than a giant grassland.

Ah, the parking garage. I forgot that it prohibits a straight through East-West road that would be Davenport. I really want to see them relocate the 480 exit/on-ramp and free up those two city lots.

[Omaha Cowboy]

I say divide it into four blocks and let it happen organically. The pure scale of the site is probably a limiting factor and why we fail to see an achievable plan. City divides it in four and I bet the more reasonable plans start coming in.

That's a good idea. The City could get it site ready by building up the grid through it.

I like the thinking here guys..

Good stuff ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[GetUrban]

I say divide it into four blocks and let it happen organically. The pure scale of the site is probably a limiting factor and why we fail to see an achievable plan. City divides it in four and I bet the more reasonable plans start coming in.

That's a good idea. The City could get it site ready by building up the grid through it.

I like the thinking here guys..

Good stuff ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

I agree wholeheartedly. Restore the grid! I’m pro-grid all the way and have derided the city every time they let developments close-off streets. Super blocks have their place, but Downtown O has enough already. I hope we continue to see an increasing residential growth. It would be interesting to compare what size population downtown would justify each size of urban or full scale grocery to make it work.

[Busguy2010]

It's such a simple thing to do that I wonder why it hasn't happened yet. I mean this lot has been vacant for how long? Getting back to the basics seems like it would be beneficial at this location. Aksarben to me is our city's best example of doing it right. Big property, divided it up and let the puzzle put itself together.

[nebport5]

Regarding having a full-service grocery store downtown, There just hasn’t been a large enough mass of people living there to support one without also depending on attracting a large number of people coming in from the surrounding areas around downtown. That number of people coming in to shop would require quite a bit of non-reserved parking. If the number of people calling downtown home increases drastically, then you’ll see the bigger stores coming in when it’s more feasible. What I don’t want is to waste more downtown property just for parking....just my opinion.

Call it the 'Field of Dreams' scenario. If you build it, they will come. Don't you think one of the deciding factors in choosing a neighborhood includes local amenities? I'd bet more people who live in West O(as well as other areas of the city and likely many people across the river) would even move downtown if there were full service grocery. As for parking what I was proposing includes an integrated parking garage not a big darn surface parking lot. Although, there's already plenty of those downtown. Imagine a mixed use mid-rise tower with a parking garage taking up the first 3 floors(or even underground parking). There's no reason a larger DT store has to have a giant Costco-like sea of asphalt.

[nebport5]

I say divide it into four blocks and let it happen organically. The pure scale of the site is probably a limiting factor and why we fail to see an achievable plan. City divides it in four and I bet the more reasonable plans start coming in.

That's a good idea. The City could get it site ready by building up the grid through it.

I like the idea of dividing the property for multiple projects. As I said earlier in this thread, this is a huge property. Check out google maps bird's eye view compared to other open lots downtown. However, it would be a waste of money for the city to prematurely develop without any planned projects. Rather, let each project organically fit the space. The city just needs to not let one small development take up the whole space which likely would include a suburban parking lot.

[Busguy2010]

I'd bet more people who live in West O(as well as other areas of the city and likely many people across the river) would even move downtown if there were full service grocery.

Another reason why I think it has to be Hy-Vee or bust is because they are much more than a grocery store. They are also a pharmacy, creighton clinic, bank, Starbucks, restaurant, post office, dry cleaner, caterer, butcher, etc. I bet there's even other things they do that I don't even know of.

[buildomaha]

I'd bet more people who live in West O(as well as other areas of the city and likely many people across the river) would even move downtown if there were full service grocery.

Another reason why I think it has to be Hy-Vee or bust is because they are much more than a grocery store. They are also a pharmacy, creighton clinic, bank, Starbucks, restaurant, post office, dry cleaner, caterer, butcher, etc. I bet there's even other things they do that I don't even know of.

You would be surprised how many small amenities you can find in urban areas of cities of any sizes of you live in the area. In living in Iowa City and Lincoln, I have found small grocery stores in downtown of both cities that aren’t advertised or talked about much. It just takes getting on your feet and on the sidewalk to discover these things.

[Brad]

The Mayor put out a press release today:

-Developer = "Civic Corner" lead by White Lotus Group
-Mixed Use (Residential, Retail, Office, Parking and Public Space)
-Phase 1 = 388 Apartments (268 Market Rate and 120 Mixed Income)

2023 Deadline for obtaining building permits.

[Garrett]

The mixed income is encouraging. I’m trying to remember other White Lotus projects.

[bldgengineer2015]

The Mayor put out a press release today:

-Developer = "Civic Corner" lead by White Lotus Group
-Mixed Use (Residential, Retail, Office, Parking and Public Space)
-Phase 1 = 388 Apartments (268 Market Rate and 120 Mixed Income)

2023 Deadline for obtaining building permits.

Do you know where this was released? The Mayor's website doesn't have anything up yet.

[Athomsfere]

The Mayor put out a press release today:

-Developer = "Civic Corner" lead by White Lotus Group
-Mixed Use (Residential, Retail, Office, Parking and Public Space)
-Phase 1 = 388 Apartments (268 Market Rate and 120 Mixed Income)

2023 Deadline for obtaining building permits.

Hey, this could finally be a nice mid-rise on par with the Wire / The Highline unit-wise to fill in that lot!

[Brad]

Do you know where this was released? The Mayor's website doesn't have anything up yet.

It was in an email.

[Athomsfere]

Do you know where this was released? The Mayor's website doesn't have anything up yet.

It was in an email.

It is indexed from KETV at least too
https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-mayo ... n/36332146

[ita]

The mixed income is encouraging. I’m trying to remember other White Lotus projects.

They have several others, but they also landed Lincoln's Pershing Center redevelopment project.

[ita]

The Mayor put out a press release today:

-Developer = "Civic Corner" lead by White Lotus Group
-Mixed Use (Residential, Retail, Office, Parking and Public Space)
-Phase 1 = 388 Apartments (268 Market Rate and 120 Mixed Income)

2023 Deadline for obtaining building permits.

Hey, this could finally be a nice mid-rise on par with the Wire / The Highline unit-wise to fill in that lot!

We shall see. The Mercantile, which is what, two city blocks worth of property. That's about 375 units. There is more than enough space to get a similar size (and height) building on the Civic Site. I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything about 5 stories for this project. If it's taller than that, that's great. Otherwise, I am expecting a 5-story and below residential structure, hopefully with some mixed use elements. I am glad there will be mixed income units though. White Lotus is involved in several low income housing projects in the Metro, so they are a decent pick to get this done.

For this Phase 1 residential project, where is the best spot to locate it? Do you think they will spread it out throughout the lot?