Sunday's Big Question

[thenewguy]

I'm not much of a Fox42 aficionado, but i was watching tonight after i caught family guy and they had a good question: why do big projects always get built downtown? And there was a smaller 2nd part: with Omaha further expanding west, should there be more large developments out west? They interviewed a Creighton business professor and he said that in order to maintain a city's vitality (both urban and suburban), core downtown growth is essential. He cited Buffalo and their moving of Bill's stadium to the suburbs and the detriment it caused the city. I agreed with what he was saying, i think that they should plan such things like MofO nearer to downtown (obviously...that's where it is already), the downtown stadium, condos, museums, etc. There was a gentleman with an opposing view point that said (while being interviewed in the Old Market) they should plan more out west (i.e. new stadium) so that more Omahans could "get in on the action." What do you all think?

[thenewguy]

(...keeping in mind that i think i know how this will go...i'm just giving anyone the opportunity to play the devil's advocate in either direction )

[CapitalGuy]

First off Omaha (the city) doesn't plan most of these things with the exception of Qwest, new stadium, etc.
Secondly, what is considered west?

[thenewguy]

First off Omaha (the city) doesn't plan most of these things with the exception of Qwest, new stadium, etc.
Secondly, what is considered west?

Yeah, i know they don't plan most of that, but the anchor (his name escapes me and they don't have a link to the story on their site yet) left it kind of vague... :? Geographically speaking, i know that "central" Omaha is about where the Westroad's is, but for the poll's purpose, we can draw the boundaries the way the forum does. :)

[CapitalGuy]

Yes, they should. Anymore Omaha's core is anything withing the 680 loop in my opinion.

[thenewguy]

Although I will say that while watching it, i got the impression that they meant "west" in terms of 114th or further out... They did mention the Elkhorn area and the available land in the area (sorry, my internet lost connection and i forgot to add that in there earlier)

[DTO Luv]

It's been shown over and over and over again that suburban growth isn't sustainable. Why should it be encouraged anymore?

And why is it people out west feel that it's hassle to come to things down here? Here's a simple solution. Don't live out on |expletive| 2038th and Dodge.

[Brad]

There are "BIG" developments going out west all of the time... Village Point, Coventry, Legacy, and on and on and on. Look for another BIG Project not as far west VERY SOON! kind of a historic transformation.

[thenewguy]

One thing that fox42 didn't include in the story that i wished they would have was the reason things are high profile downtown. For one, there has been such a huge emphasis placed on downtown growth ($2 billion invested) that anytime something new comes up to add to that, it 1) helps further establish downtown Omaha's place among great cities and 2) it shows people really encouraging Omaha's core growth. Also, the very reason things become high profile is the scale of the project. The announcement of a 30+ story high rise is a big deal, because it just is. A high rise of this scale is just not going to happen on 168th & Dodge. In the office parks out there, buildings are just simply not as large. Tall always gets attention. Ballpark: NCAA wants it downtown, it's a new stadium, retains CWS and therefor is defaulted into high profile. If it was a downtown t-ball park...it'd probably still be highly talked about Missouri River Pedestrian bridge: well that just can't happen anywhere else but on the river to Council Bluffs. And it isn't just the size of the things being built, it's the price tag, what gains national attention, what becomes a tourist draw (the total package: hotels nearby, resturants nearby, what the nightlife is like, what the view is like, etc), and there isn't as much of that type of tourist p.o.v. in the suburbs. Suburbs are as essential to a city's growth as a vibrant downtown, but at the same time, many suburbanites don't want cranes and developments going up in their back yard due to noise, traffic, and so on (see any interview about a supertarget or walmart going in near any neighborhood..."we don't want this in our back yard"). In NO way am i trying to slight anyone in the suburbs (i live in them, too), but i think that the reason the question is being asked now is because downtown is in the limelight for these high profile builds, and they'd like to have a little bit of that going on out west. That's understandable, but if they built out west like they do downtown, the suburbs wouldn't be "suburbs" anymore.

[Ben]

First off, let me say that while I live DT, I'm for growth anywhere in this city... Its too small of a place not to be excited when a new development or high profile retail store is announced no matter the location.

I think the MAJOR difference is that DT growth receives more publicity than growth in other parts of this city. Its not that its not happening elsewhere, just not as widely covered in the media. Come on, do you think you'd ever see a news piece on an 8,000 sqft grocery market in West O? Patricks was the talk of the town in the press this weekend. While the Slowdown development is a great sign of things to come, in development $ context, its a relatively small investment when compared to some of the mega complexes built elsewhere. For as much as many of us rip on the OWH, they do a pretty decent job of covering these relatively small developments, and making them "big news".

I don't want this to be a laundry list, but there are TONs of west O projects currently in development, or have been developed over the last couple of years: 80 Dodge, Village Point, Shadow Lake, Westroads Mall restaurants/movie theaters, 204th st corridor, healthcare expansion in west O (Alegent, UNMC and Methodist all building or expanding facilities). Heck, this isn't even considering any of the sub-division developments out there, and any one of them probably are worth as much as anything going on DT.

For as much |expletive| as Fahey gets, I think he's doing a pretty good job of leading this city down the road of realistic, balanced growth. Too much investment DT, or out west would lead to excess capacity, and projects failing. With the exception of the Brandeis building, there have been few major disappointments in the development department over the last couple of years, which is amazing given the recent real estate woes around the country...

[thenewguy]

Very well said, Ben

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Big projects get built downtown because it's our city's most powerful, iconic image, as it should be.

Also, because of the nature of the suburbs (zoning, exclusivity of uses, low density) most big downtown projects would not be feasible or ideal in the suburbs.

And really, it's not a question of suburban verses urban development, it's a question of SUSTAINABLE development, and by nature urban development kicks suburban developments |expletive| in this area.

While I certainly want the ENTIRE METRO REGION to prosper, my personal opinion is |expletive| the suburbs. I won't try to hide my bitterness. I feel like suburban growth is what has caused the decline of our cities, and as we start to see the errors of our past ways and "return" to the cities, I think it's time for suburbia to wallow in anguish, despair, and isolation.

But, that's just me. 8)