midsize city development

[ABQdweller]

Greetings everyone,

As a nearby Cyclone alumn, I've watched several midsize cities begin and further their redevelopment efforts. To this day I haven't been as impressed with any city as I am with Omaha. The development that has taken place plus the plans along the Missouri River are phenominal. I've been interested watching three cities, in particular, and the path each of them has taken to jumpstart development. In Omaha, it seems like large, expensive projects has been used as the catalyst. In Albuquerque, retail, entertainment, and housing has been the formula. In Des Moines, they seem to be following the Omaha path. Now, in Hartford, CT, they are attempting to do it by putting almost $800 million all at once to do everything in a relatively small area to catch up and get their downtown going.
The midsize cities really interest me because of their size. A half a billion dollars makes a huge difference in a midsize city, whereas in large cities, it's often makes just a small ripple. The same goes for Tucson, the Quad Cities, Oklahoma City, etc. These cities are all just beginning to make a statement about who they are with their projects and I'm intrigued to see how it goes and what characteristics develop in each city as a result.

[ABQdweller]

To add to what I was saying and to try and get some responses, I just want to know what Omaha is going to do in the future in and around downtown. All the lofts that I know about seem pretty upscale. The riverfront development is very upscale. Already, many of the shops, restaurants, and businesses in and around Old Market are national chains. Is there any effort by the city or leading developers to change that to be sure there is a "Omaha" feeling to the place or is it a free for all in which local retailers and businesses get priced out as well as young singles and couples.

[eomaha]

There's a pretty wide variety of residential options downtown... most of the lofts remain rentals. The Drake Court apartments specifically cater to 'moderate means' families and are priced as such. That the area is expensive compared to the rest of the metro is more a reflection of its high demand, than it being out of the reach in terms of style/amenities (99% occupancy rate).

And there are actually very few chains downtown ... the Old Market in particular is still heavily dominated by locally owned establishments. I do however see the opening up of a second district in the North Downtown area, as possibly being more conducive to 'mainstream' retail/restaurants. It's good to have both... there are certainly, it would seem, alot of people out there ... who desire the chains. Local restaurants still thrive in the suburbs as well.

Young singles and couples today comprise the vast majority of downtown residents. I see some of the newer developments bringing in an older/family demographic. That is a good thing as well.

Not sure if that answers your question.

[ABQdweller]

yea, it does....thanks.
I guess that wasn't the feeling I got when i visited. When I visited on a weekend, the people walking around were obviously not downtown dwellers and it was very quiet. And aside from the two or so blocks of Old Market, there was nothing that really jumped out at me that let me know that I was in OMAHA. I saw similarities between Omaha and Des Moines...a large amount of office space, the riverfront, new arenas, vacant old brick buildings, etc....but a very small vibe. Maybe I was in the wrong area or I should have waiting till later in the evening. What other areas of Omaha have a vibe or catchy feel to them??

[eomaha]

Well... perhaps this does go back to your initial post then. This is a phenomena of smaller midwestern cities in general. That is what we strive to improve upon. Although depending on the time of year/weather/etc... you'll find all sorts of people milling around the Gene Leahy Mall/Heartland of America park... which are certainly uniquely Omaha, along with the Old Market district itself. Omaha is at the slightly more vibrant end of this spectrum. My parents live in Phoenix, I visit frequently... and was astonished to find the downtown of this metro of over 3 million even more dead than downtown Omaha. Still other smaller cities benefit from, say, a college presence. Madison, Lincoln, etc... are seemingly much more vibrant in general than downtown Omaha on a weekend. Creighton's new master plan/expansion will tie in more with North Downtown. With all the ongoing rehabs/new residential construction... Omaha will continue to get there. It is afterall... revitalization... fixing the toll of decades of 'white flight'. The attention is being placed on other areas of the metro as well. Dundee ( http://www.eomaha.com/gallery/districts/5/ ) is an example of an urban district which hasn't missed a beat since it was established. The South Omaha CBD is always alive with activity, and is very ethnically diverse as well (fortunately, the city of Omaha is putting some efforts towards bringing the streetscape up to par with the activity as well... http://www.eomaha.com/gallery/develop/59/ ). And on the suburban front... Millard Town Center promises to bring some more vibrancy in the form of Omaha's first new urbanist development ( http://www.eomaha.com/gallery/develop/49/ ). The interest in promoting vibrancy throughout the metro has never been higher with the recent efforts of LivelyOmaha and OmahaByDesign (case in point... Destination Midtown ( http://www.omahachamber.com/destinationmidtown ).

[StreetsOfOmaha]

It's great to have you here, ABQdweller!!

I actually have family in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque and visit quite often. I'm actually going to be down there for about a week in early July.

As soon as I became interested in cities and urban development, I became aware of and fascinated by the similarities between Omaha and Abq. The city and metro populations have consistently been nearly identical for the past 5 to 10 years. Although, Omaha was slightly more well endowed by the recent restructuring of the metro area and the adding of 3 more counties. So I totally understand what you're saying about midsized cities, especially when it comes to Omaha and Abq.

I would definitely add the Benson Neighborhood to Jeff's list of urban districts in Omaha that have their own "vibe". One of the coolest, most original, urban restaurants in Omaha now resides there (Espana) along with a number of other locally owned restaurants and shops. I would go so far as to say, that if the Old Market does one day get overrun by chain operations, Benson would step up and become even more of the local flavor/boutique restaurant district than it already is.

[ABQdweller]

thanks "Streets"!

Yea, that is also why I've kept up with Omaha development so much...it has grown similar to ABQ. Currently, both cities are leading their regions in job growth and revitalizations. I have actually been watching to see when ABQ would overtake Omaha...then news came out about Omaha adding more counties...guess we'll be waiting a few more years. I'm not sure how often you make it down here but be sure to check out downtown when you're here. It's finally starting to get a fun feel to it.

I'm heading that way in August, I'll for sure stop by and check out those places everyone here recommended. Thanks for the tips.

My biggest concern rigt now for all these midsize cities is how they intend to pay for all these developments. In Des Moines, i don't see how their population can even support the arena they are building. The museums, the arenas, even the parks...unless our cities are pulling in good revenues, they'll all be assuming some major dept in attempting to achieve what is a large unknown: whether or not these project can attract people and corporations. Right now, all three cities are doing well, but how long will it last??

I"m actually very optimistic, however. I think each city has a lot going for it. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the economy really picks up and companies begin expanding again. Will they go to the larger cities or continue to invest in smaller cities where there is less fluctuation in local economies. In many magazines and elsewhere, each city has shown up quite a lot as great places to live and for businesses, adding to the optimism for everyone. Can't wait to see what happens!

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I will definitely hit up downtown while I'm down there, and maybe even take some photos. It's been quite a few years since the last time I was in downtown ABQ, and it was quite dead at that time. I know that the city has been doing great things in it's downtown, so I'm looking forward to seeing that.

You mentioned funding of large public institutions, etc.

Well, Omaha is somewhat unique among midsized cities, in that it has a very large number of rich old bastards who like to support local arts, culture, education, etc. Which is actually really awesome, because the city has lots of world class offerings.....that many people probably take for granted.