Marina City

[Bob from Omaha]

I may be in the minority and by now it would be around 50 years old but Marina City would have added so much to the skyline, the population, and the soul of the downtown area. I honestly can't remember how it would have impacted jobbers canyon.

[Garrett]

I may be in the minority and by now it would be around 50 years old but Marina City would have added so much to the skyline, the population, and the soul of the downtown area. I honestly can't remember how it would have impacted jobbers canyon.

Jobbers Canyon would have been mostly preserved. I actually love the plan too. It’s architecture was a really nice expression of brutalism that could have aged well

[ita]

I may be in the minority and by now it would be around 50 years old but Marina City would have added so much to the skyline, the population, and the soul of the downtown area. I honestly can't remember how it would have impacted jobbers canyon.

https://omaha.com/news/hansen-architect ... 7c0d0.html

According to the mastermind, marina city would have kept most of jobbers canyon. In 1973, it had a pricetag of $65 million. That's the equivalent of a $450 million project today.

[nebport5]

[thenewguy]

I may be in the minority and by now it would be around 50 years old but Marina City would have added so much to the skyline, the population, and the soul of the downtown area. I honestly can't remember how it would have impacted jobbers canyon.

https://omaha.com/news/hansen-architect ... 7c0d0.html

According to the mastermind, marina city would have kept most of jobbers canyon. In 1973, it had a pricetag of $65 million. That's the equivalent of a $450 million project today.

it's pretty incredible what has happened in this area since that article was written 10 years ago. Obviously the mercantile, but the parks, the luminarium, and not far away is the capitol district. Marina City would have been awesome, but I'm glad we aren't looking back at that article and saying "I still wish someone would do something with these huge parts of downtown"

[halgy]

It is hard to tell for sure, but it looks like this plan would have demolished the historic building I live in. I'm sure it would have been a cool downtown and better than the Conagra campus, but I can almost guarantee that people would still have complained about it. There are always tradeoffs. I'm just glad that the redevelopment is happening now, and will continue or accelerate for the next decade.

[Garrett]

It is hard to tell for sure, but it looks like this plan would have demolished the historic building I live in. I'm sure it would have been a cool downtown and better than the Conagra campus, but I can almost guarantee that people would still have complained about it. There are always tradeoffs. I'm just glad that the redevelopment is happening now, and will continue or accelerate for the next decade.

It looks like the plan called for Marina city to be east of 8th street. Jobbers Canyon’s core was basically 8th to 10th street, which Conagra of course destroyed for their big lawn.

[ita]

I may be in the minority and by now it would be around 50 years old but Marina City would have added so much to the skyline, the population, and the soul of the downtown area. I honestly can't remember how it would have impacted jobbers canyon.

https://omaha.com/news/hansen-architect ... 7c0d0.html

According to the mastermind, marina city would have kept most of jobbers canyon. In 1973, it had a pricetag of $65 million. That's the equivalent of a $450 million project today.

it's pretty incredible what has happened in this area since that article was written 10 years ago. Obviously the mercantile, but the parks, the luminarium, and not far away is the capitol district. Marina City would have been awesome, but I'm glad we aren't looking back at that article and saying "I still wish someone would do something with these huge parts of downtown"

It would be neat to talk to the architect again, and other surviving participants, in 2023. It's now 50 years since that original Marina City/return to the river concept was dreamed up of. I know Cindy Gonzalez did a pretty good retrospective a couple years ago with folks like Marty, but with the parks finally completed and possible future development, it would be nice to see what they think about how downtown turned out.

I think the current Riverfront Parks and adjacent developments including the Mercantile and even the redevelopment of Breakers hearken back to the original concept. I think some aspects like more residential housing and getting retail back downtown are still in a work in progress, but there are a lot of strong amenities and infrastructure changes in place to set up the future of downtown for the better.

[Renovator2559]

Looking at the renders of the Marina City, I am glad the project did not move along. The brutalist architecture would have been an eyesore. I'm not a fan of the uglyness oppressive nature of Brutalist architecture, despite being flagged as honest and timeless.
I'm not a fan of Kanekoes "art" even if he's from Omaha. The post-modern art is ugly, unispiring and easily forgettable. The mantra "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" is another construct of dumbing down our standards in art. Sure there are eccentric people that like scribbles but the majority will always take pictures and adore art pieces from the classical era more than a post-modern scribble toddler shapes.

There's a reason why there is a new movement "revolt" brewing in Nordic countries of getting rid of ugly buildings being built, and a return to traditional architecture, which respects the value of the climate, customs and identity of the region.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features ... chitecture

Locals did not like the initial plans


Eventually this was built instead because citizens pushed back.

[Omahayngin]

Could someone post the renderings? Articles blocked, unless the map is all there is to it

[Garrett]

Here is the other main one.

[TreeKiid]

I always liked the building that was planned around the lake area. The renderings always reminded me of a longer version of Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Disney World.

[Omahayngin]

Here is the other main one.

Ohhh okay thanks, I hope the Conagra campus ends up making up for the loss of jobbers canyon and the future phases come into vision. Would be cool to see because that lake has so much potential outside of low laying suburban style buildings

[ita]

I always liked the building that was planned around the lake area. The renderings always reminded me of a longer version of Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Disney World.

I have seen that model before and thought it was an amphitheatre. But the article says the architect included residential mid rises that were terraced so inhabitants would have outdoor space to enjoy river views. Your example bears striking similarity to the model. The model reminds me of the Alterlaa social housing high rises in Vienna, at least the lower terraced version. I love the terraced look are what it does to create out balconies. Would be neat if a developer did something like that at the mercantile, lot a, or the Gallup land.

[Bob from Omaha]

It was never a proposal from a developer. It was a concept from an architectural firm. Much the same as Marty Shukert's concepts for Millard, North Downtown, the Crossroads area, etc. Yeah, it would have been interesting to see and in my opinion would have been much more interesting than the ConAgra campus but it never went anywhere. In the current day the mix of the new buildings and ConAgra buildings on the old ConAgra campus look horrible. In my opinion the entire ConAgra campus should have been leveled and completely redeveloped. But hey, nobody asked for my opinion. So, there it is, a big steaming pile of incongruous whatever.

[Garrett]

It was never a proposal from a developer. It was a concept from an architectural firm. Much the same as Marty Shukert's concepts for Millard, North Downtown, the Crossroads area, etc. Yeah, it would have been interesting to see and in my opinion would have been much more interesting than the ConAgra campus but it never went anywhere. In the current day the mix of the new buildings and ConAgra buildings on the old ConAgra campus look horrible. In my opinion the entire ConAgra campus should have been leveled and completely redeveloped. But hey, nobody asked for my opinion. So, there it is, a big steaming pile of incongruous whatever.

Perhaps by the time Hines is done with their work on the rest of the campus ConAgra will be ready for new offices and more can be redeveloped. There’s still quite a bit to go after all, including a rather large office building that could become a tempting home for ConAgra.

[Athomsfere]

In the current day the mix of the new buildings and ConAgra buildings on the old ConAgra campus look horrible. In my opinion the entire ConAgra campus should have been leveled and completely redeveloped. But hey, nobody asked for my opinion. So, there it is, a big steaming pile of incongruous whatever.

That uniformity makes areas more attractive is something I have found to be untrue. I think it's a North American NIMBYism that just isn't true. I used to kind of think it too, but some random examples:

Dundee. When it was platted as a city some of the requirements were houses were distinct. And Dundee is better now for it.

The Painted Ladies in SF. Their coloring would absolutely not fly in most suburbs or cities because of the various vivid and distinct colors from each other and the neighborhood. But they are beloved around the world.

In places like Amsterdam, seeing post modern buildings sprinkled among the centuries old buildings breaks up some of the monotony too, and is gorgeous.

Not that the Conagra complex isn't bad. I just think there is a lot more to it than just being incongruous.

[ita]

It was never a proposal from a developer. It was a concept from an architectural firm. Much the same as Marty Shukert's concepts for Millard, North Downtown, the Crossroads area, etc. Yeah, it would have been interesting to see and in my opinion would have been much more interesting than the ConAgra campus but it never went anywhere. In the current day the mix of the new buildings and ConAgra buildings on the old ConAgra campus look horrible. In my opinion the entire ConAgra campus should have been leveled and completely redeveloped. But hey, nobody asked for my opinion. So, there it is, a big steaming pile of incongruous whatever.

Perhaps by the time Hines is done with their work on the rest of the campus ConAgra will be ready for new offices and more can be redeveloped. There’s still quite a bit to go after all, including a rather large office building that could become a tempting home for ConAgra.

Agreed. The most recent master planning we've seen from Hines for the Mercantile are pretty old. They have largely not changed much from when they originally introduced their plans way back in, what late 2017 early 2018? Riverfront Parks was just conceptual, streetcar was a fantasy. Now you have the Parks done and bringing people downtown, who don't work there, on a daily basis like never before (at least since I've lived here the last 10 years), the streetcar, that will stop near the Mercantile, is becoming a reality, and MoO is making one of the biggest single investments into downtown and is about to go vertical. Hines at the CRE Summit was very hush hush about next phases at the Mercantile and they are generally in a wait and see mode due to market conditions. Their plans for the Mercantile's next phases, aside from T3 office space, are largely unknown. I agree with Garrett, let's just wait and see what Hines does.

[PotatoeEatsFish]

I’m starting to doubt they have a tower planned at all now

[Bob from Omaha]

In the current day the mix of the new buildings and ConAgra buildings on the old ConAgra campus look horrible. In my opinion the entire ConAgra campus should have been leveled and completely redeveloped. But hey, nobody asked for my opinion. So, there it is, a big steaming pile of incongruous whatever.

That uniformity makes areas more attractive is something I have found to be untrue. I think it's a North American NIMBYism that just isn't true. I used to kind of think it too, but some random examples:

Dundee. When it was platted as a city some of the requirements were houses were distinct. And Dundee is better now for it.

The Painted Ladies in SF. Their coloring would absolutely not fly in most suburbs or cities because of the various vivid and distinct colors from each other and the neighborhood. But they are beloved around the world.

In places like Amsterdam, seeing post modern buildings sprinkled among the centuries old buildings breaks up some of the monotony too, and is gorgeous.

Not that the Conagra complex isn't bad. I just think there is a lot more to it than just being incongruous.

I'm all about diversity in development but the new building and the conagra building are so different that they just don't go together. One is urban/downtown, the other is suburban.
When the conagra campus opened the entire area there changed overnight. The battery plant and other industrial property (NOT jobbers canyon. Closer to the river) were inaccessible. As I said, when the mall & conagra opened I was there at 10:30 at night. Families with strollers were walking around downtown. Prior to that and with the exception of the Old Market downtown closed down at 5. After dark pretty much the only people downtown were pimps, hookers, druggies, and other associated interesting people. I was in high school & college then so my friends & I were there for Satan's Pizza in the market, Skeets & Smoke Pit. We were at Smoke Pit so much we got to know the hookers & pimps who worked the 24th & Farnam area..
Anyway, my hope is that in time the conagra buildings will be replaced.

[ita]

I’m starting to doubt they have a tower planned at all now

I will be super disappointed if Hines does not build at least one building over 10 stories at the Mercantile. Not only because I want tall buildings downtown, but what it would signal as the appetite of developers and their investors for high rise development in downtown Omaha. If Hines can't get it done at the Mercantile right by the new parks and streetcar...

[Bob from Omaha]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

[ita]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

[Renovator2559]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

Highrises are not the end-all and be all to successful cities. Many European cities don't have them or want them, yet they have cities which are successful. Highrises are good, if they provide some form of public utility and or enhance the urban fabric; which old highrise projects tend not to.
I am more impressed at the bold urban vision projects of Omaha for the next 20 years in creating a strong urban fabric over a highrise.

Let's not forget how many almost vacant highrises there are in San Francisc, where the Sales Force tower sits mostly vacant; as many employers still have a large section of their workforce working from home, NYC is facing a similar problem at a lesser extent.

Also, out of all those cities you mentioned, Omaha has the most connected, walkable urban environment, without having eyesore highways everywhere in the downtown fracturing and disconnecting neighborhoods. Of course Lincoln is doing great too, at a smaller scale to Omaha; though do to the close distance of both cities, Omaha and Lincoln are complimentary and are considered of the same area.

[Athomsfere]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

The good news is: If the 30/30/20 plan comes to fruition, even mostly. We won't have much choice but to see things go more vertical. It might even feel like it happens over night with a high rise boom.

[ita]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

The good news is: If the 30/30/20 plan comes to fruition, even mostly. We won't have much choice but to see things go more vertical. It might even feel like it happens over night with a high rise boom.

I am optimistic about the city's vision right now for the urban core, but you still need developers and investors (money) that is willing to pour money into the core. We've had such good momentum with major projects, but the timing is bad with high interest rates and construction/labor costs. Hopefully rates will have flattened to a more reasonable amount where developers are comfortable again making big investments as the streetcar bears completion/when it's completed. If we don't see a residential high rise proposal by 2025, I will be concerned. For now I will try to stay optimistic.

[Garrett]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

The good news is: If the 30/30/20 plan comes to fruition, even mostly. We won't have much choice but to see things go more vertical. It might even feel like it happens over night with a high rise boom.

I am optimistic about the city's vision right now for the urban core, but you still need developers and investors (money) that is willing to pour money into the core. We've had such good momentum with major projects, but the timing is bad with high interest rates and construction/labor costs. Hopefully rates will have flattened to a more reasonable amount where developers are comfortable again making big investments as the streetcar bears completion/when it's completed. If we don't see a residential high rise proposal by 2025, I will be concerned. For now I will try to stay optimistic.

Agreed. Omaha is setting a lot of pieces in order to have an absolute urban renaissance in the next decade, it simply needs someone to pick them up.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

The good news is: If the 30/30/20 plan comes to fruition, even mostly. We won't have much choice but to see things go more vertical. It might even feel like it happens over night with a high rise boom.

I am optimistic about the city's vision right now for the urban core, but you still need developers and investors (money) that is willing to pour money into the core. We've had such good momentum with major projects, but the timing is bad with high interest rates and construction/labor costs. Hopefully rates will have flattened to a more reasonable amount where developers are comfortable again making big investments as the streetcar bears completion/when it's completed. If we don't see a residential high rise proposal by 2025, I will be concerned. For now I will try to stay optimistic.

Agreed. Omaha is setting a lot of pieces in order to have an absolute urban renaissance in the next decade, it simply needs someone to pick them up.

I’ll 3rd this sentiment; and add, it’s not a matter of “if highrise development” will happen in the downtown area, but WHEN.. And throw in a full service grocery story for good measure…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[PotatoeEatsFish]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

The good news is: If the 30/30/20 plan comes to fruition, even mostly. We won't have much choice but to see things go more vertical. It might even feel like it happens over night with a high rise boom.

I am optimistic about the city's vision right now for the urban core, but you still need developers and investors (money) that is willing to pour money into the core. We've had such good momentum with major projects, but the timing is bad with high interest rates and construction/labor costs. Hopefully rates will have flattened to a more reasonable amount where developers are comfortable again making big investments as the streetcar bears completion/when it's completed. If we don't see a residential high rise proposal by 2025, I will be concerned. For now I will try to stay optimistic.

Agreed. Omaha is setting a lot of pieces in order to have an absolute urban renaissance in the next decade, it simply needs someone to pick them up.

I’ll 3rd this sentiment; and add, it’s not a matter of “if highrise development” will happen in the downtown area, but WHEN.. And throw in a full service grocery story for good measure…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I know there’s talks but we’ve been hearing rumors of this since like 2018 and there’s still nothing. How hard is it for a business to build a grocery store? There’s a huge market downtown but they keep sitting with their hands up their |expletive| doing nothing. It’s annoying the city has to bend over backwards to get any major project built. Where are all these investors? Omaha has more millionaires per capita than most cities yet they just throw all their money at the suburban hellscape of west Omaha. I don’t know why anyone chooses to live in an area where you can’t just walk to a ton of stores and be around interesting buildings instead of copy paste homes from a farmhouse catalogue these developers seem to shop from.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Lincon-new highrises. Kansas City-new highrises. I could go on. Office, residential.
Omaha? Crickets. Yeah. I know. Mutual. And then?

There's been noise but projects have fallen through. Dream big, build small or don't build at all. Here's a couple recently that had potential, but were either downsized or abandoned. Justice Center was 10 stories (OK not a high rise by some standards, but still), got downsized to 8. Probably should of been 10 or more considering talk about lack of courthouse space. Central Park Plaza should have had a 3rd tower, but City Ventures couldn't follow through and, well, MoO decided to kill any views CPP/APEX would enjoy by planning a giant garage just as tall. UNMC Admin Tower (not downtown, but urban core-ish), originally shown to be 16 stories, rumored to have been cut down by more than half. Omaha's development history seems to repeat itself with high rises and big concepts like Marina City. That's not to take away the big and amazing stuff that does happen, but like other cities, there is a lot that don't turn out as expected or at all.

The good news is: If the 30/30/20 plan comes to fruition, even mostly. We won't have much choice but to see things go more vertical. It might even feel like it happens over night with a high rise boom.

I am optimistic about the city's vision right now for the urban core, but you still need developers and investors (money) that is willing to pour money into the core. We've had such good momentum with major projects, but the timing is bad with high interest rates and construction/labor costs. Hopefully rates will have flattened to a more reasonable amount where developers are comfortable again making big investments as the streetcar bears completion/when it's completed. If we don't see a residential high rise proposal by 2025, I will be concerned. For now I will try to stay optimistic.

Agreed. Omaha is setting a lot of pieces in order to have an absolute urban renaissance in the next decade, it simply needs someone to pick them up.

I’ll 3rd this sentiment; and add, it’s not a matter of “if highrise development” will happen in the downtown area, but WHEN.. And throw in a full service grocery story for good measure…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I know there’s talks but we’ve been hearing rumors of this since like 2018 and there’s still nothing. How hard is it for a business to build a grocery store? There’s a huge market downtown but they keep sitting with their hands up their |expletive| doing nothing. It’s annoying the city has to bend over backwards to get any major project built. Where are all these investors? Omaha has more millionaires per capita than most cities yet they just throw all their money at the suburban hellscape of west Omaha. I don’t know why anyone chooses to live in an area where you can’t just walk to a ton of stores and be around interesting buildings instead of copy paste homes from a farmhouse catalogue these developers seem to shop from.

I understand the impatient sentiment.. But let’s face out, the 3 phased Riverfront Redevlopment plan just opened up completely less than a month ago..and more than most downtown cores in Omaha’s 1 to 1.5 million population range, Omaha’s downtown is much more vibrant with folks visiting and also choosing to live there..

Developments like a downtown grocery store and additional high rise developments will happen..

They take time, money and patience. I believe by 2030, in additional to our Mutual Tower, the Omaha downtown core will also have a full service grocer, along with about 2 or 3 additional highrise developments…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[mcarch]

[/quote]

I know there’s talks but we’ve been hearing rumors of this since like 2018 and there’s still nothing. How hard is it for a business to build a grocery store? There’s a huge market downtown but they keep sitting with their hands up their |expletive| doing nothing. It’s annoying the city has to bend over backwards to get any major project built. Where are all these investors? Omaha has more millionaires per capita than most cities yet they just throw all their money at the suburban hellscape of west Omaha. I don’t know why anyone chooses to live in an area where you can’t just walk to a ton of stores and be around interesting buildings instead of copy paste homes from a farmhouse catalogue these developers seem to shop from.
[/quote]

That is because out of all of our wealth in this city, including our investors, etc., they do not speak to each other to come up with a combined idea. They each come up with their own ideas, that cannot be changed. It's their way or the deal cannot be done - so the city settles to just get what it can get. In the end, it either gets the completed project or it fails.

This doesn't have to be just ideas. This can be companies as well. Company "Y" has to have their own building. Company "Z" has to have their own building. Hotel "P" has to have their own building. Investor "T" has his idea for a lowrise building. The City has several city square blocks - even one city block (that could potentially be split into 2, 3, or 4 different parcels instead of one giant parcel).

I've taken the example of The Wallstreet Tower. What companies came AFTER it failed (Several Hotels, Apartments, and a 3-4 Story Gavilon Building). It was poised as an all Condo Tower. Then it was moved to Partial Condos and possibly a Hotel. Why did it stop there?

Lets Start at the Bottom Floors:
- Floor 1 - Retail / Restaurants
- Floor 2-3/5 Office
- Floor 5-10/15 Hotel
- Floors 10/15-20 - Apartments & Condos
- Roof top (either on top of Parking Garage or Roof), Dog Run/Grass Roof for Dogs; Pool Area.

This is a TRUE Mixed-Use Development. One of the corners of my proposed building above, could house a multi-floor grocery store - NOT at the Civic Site as the Residential Core is not located there. It is more East & South (roughly, Central Park Plaza).

[Greg S]

I always have thought Marina City would have been really really cool for Omaha. One thing that it did so well was connect Omaha the best to the Missouri River. For the most part, the Missouri has been hidden. Obviously the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long ways to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously that are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

[Louie]

I always have thought Marina City would have been really really cool for Omaha. One thing that it did so well was connect Omaha the best to the Missouri River. For the most part, the Missouri has been hidden. Obviously the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long ways to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously that are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

True. On a separate note, its funny that we are a river city, but have practically no port on it whatsoever.

[buildomaha]

I always have thought Marina City would have been really really cool for Omaha. One thing that it did so well was connect Omaha the best to the Missouri River. For the most part, the Missouri has been hidden. Obviously the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long ways to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously that are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

True. On a separate note, its funny that we are a river city, but have practically no port on it whatsoever.

Omaha has always been a rail city, and growth of the city only started when the rails focused energy here. I think we should own it, even Lincoln owns being a rail city better than Omaha!

[Renovator2559]

Obviously, the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long way to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously, there are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

There are already plenty of trails at the Riverfront, which extend up to Abbot Drive and Council Bluffs is connecting their bikeways from Bob Kerry bridge all the way to central CB. Also along the Riverfront, there are plenty of housing developments planned after Brickline; then there is also the expansion of River's edge, which will also create a pedestrian loop through the streetcar bridge. Dodge Golf course will sprout an entire new neighborhood along the river as well.

[Garrett]

I always have thought Marina City would have been really really cool for Omaha. One thing that it did so well was connect Omaha the best to the Missouri River. For the most part, the Missouri has been hidden. Obviously the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long ways to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously that are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

True. On a separate note, its funny that we are a river city, but have practically no port on it whatsoever.

Omaha has always been a rail city, and growth of the city only started when the rails focused energy here. I think we should own it, even Lincoln owns being a rail city better than Omaha!

Omaha does call itself River City though, as good as your point is.

[Greg S]

Obviously, the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long way to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously, there are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

There are already plenty of trails at the Riverfront, which extend up to Abbot Drive and Council Bluffs is connecting their bikeways from Bob Kerry bridge all the way to central CB. Also along the Riverfront, there are plenty of housing developments planned after Brickline; then there is also the expansion of River's edge, which will also create a pedestrian loop through the streetcar bridge. Dodge Golf course will sprout an entire new neighborhood along the river as well.

I know about them but compared to other cities still minimal in usage and availability. If you are in large parts of downtown and such, and not from here, you'd never know it was there or you'd have to look for it. Again we are making strides but have a long ways to go to really take advantage of it.

The pedestrian loop through the Streetcar bridge is just a proposal right? Or has it moved forward? Same on the proposed housing developments. Would love to see those move forward, but as we have seen, many proposals over the years don't make the finish line. I am all for more housing downtown and on the edges, especially if it opens up to the river.

[ita]

I always have thought Marina City would have been really really cool for Omaha. One thing that it did so well was connect Omaha the best to the Missouri River. For the most part, the Missouri has been hidden. Obviously the updated Heartland Park and Lewis and Clark Landing have improved access and view but we still have a long ways to go. I would love to see more access and trails around it and all along it. Obviously that are some big manmade barriers and such that would need to be overcome. For being a 'river city" we haven't really taken advantage of it like we should.

Greg

True. On a separate note, its funny that we are a river city, but have practically no port on it whatsoever.

Omaha has always been a rail city, and growth of the city only started when the rails focused energy here. I think we should own it, even Lincoln owns being a rail city better than Omaha!

That's an interesting thought; how could Omaha embrace being a rail city better?

[ita]

Omaha didn't get a fully realized Marina City, but can Council Bluffs? They are working hard on the multimodal bridge and streetcar extension to develop NP Dodge Golf Course. If they get it developed, they could have create a Marina City-lite. Prior redevelopment plans on the CB side used to have a large marina at certain points. Could be possible that they get big marina with NP Dodge Golf Course developed into dense residential/mixed use district (rumor is their goal is 10k residents). Anyway, I just thought it CB has a chance to do something like Marina City, dense residential, pedestrian oriented, with access and amenities to the river and marina, if the pieces fall into place.

[Renovator2559]

I know about them but compared to other cities still minimal in usage and availability. If you are in large parts of downtown and such, and not from here, you'd never know it was there or you'd have to look for it. Again we are making strides but have a long ways to go to really take advantage of it.

Which other peer cities? Cities of similar or smaller to Omaha? Or are your comparisons of Omaha to larger metros?