Oxworth Apartments (SE 27th and Leavenworth)

[iamjacobm]

TIF request for 27Leavenworth. A 5 floor 134 unit affordable housing project that is also utilizing LIHTC funds. 90 1br 44 2br and only 100 total parking stalls. Renderings in the doc.

https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... ary/05.pdf

Looks like a nice addition to the Leavenworth corridor that is already seeing a lot of development from UNMC to 480.

[skinzfan23]

The rendering isn't amazing but great infill for a formerly vacant lot. Great to see.

Anyone know how long that site has been vacant? On street view, it is at least back to 2009.

[ita]

TIF request for 27Leavenworth. A 5 floor 134 unit affordable housing project that is also utilizing LIHTC funds. 90 1br 44 2br and only 100 total parking stalls. Renderings in the doc.

https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... ary/05.pdf

Looks like a nice addition to the Leavenworth corridor that is already seeing a lot of development from UNMC to 480.

I pulled this rendering for everyone's consumption:



Really like that it is income restricted housing. Good density for the area as well, near a few commercial buildings.

[skinzfan23]

Just adding this from the planning doc:

Starting construction: July 2021
Completion: November 2022

[Louie]

This is great. Connecting the Leavenworth strip to DT with infill is vital.

[Omaha Cowboy]

This is great. Connecting the Leavenworth strip to DT with infill is vital.

I agree completely..

Great looking development...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[ita]

$26 million midtown apartment project aims for affordability

Here's a better picture of the project from OWH:

[Busguy2010]

Now that is actually unbelievable... In a great way! $750 for a new one-bedroom apartment near the heart of downtown.

Over-priced apartments have been a big gripe of mine for a long time, and this one is an example of the way it should be done all over town.

[ita]

Now that is actually unbelievable... In a great way! $750 for a new one-bedroom apartment near the heart of downtown.

Over-priced apartments have been a big gripe of mine for a long time, and this one is an example of the way it should be done all over town.

I like it as well. I am glad there are a couple developers doing low income housing downtown/near downtown.

It got me thinking though about rent. If $750/month for a one bedroom is affordable does a that mean a newer apartment charging $900/month is unaffordable (I chose that, because Jones 13, one of the newer ones downtown has 1-beds for that price, as does the Nove in Little Italy)? Ultimately, the low income housing project knocks $150 a month for a renter. Per year that equates to $1800. For someone living month to month, that is a decent chunk of cash. However, f you are able to pay $750 per month for rent, and you're budgeting about 1/3 of your gross income to rent, you would have to be making at least $13/hr. That same person could 'afford', using a 1/3 ratio to measure affordability, a $900/month apartment if they were making $15.60/hr.

Developers are constantly griping that construction costs are going up, and exponentially so in the last couple years. I was thinking there is a better way to make new apartments affordable, that is to make it possible for better incomes. I think there are really good efforts to train people locally for good paying jobs through MCC and some unions. Higher education is generally affordable, which is a plus. However, what I have seen from comparative reports, is that Omaha generally pays less than even similar sized cities. I believe in rent controls and low income tax credits to help make new housing available to people of all socioeconomic statuses, but wage growth is something that could help in making housing more affordable. I don't know how you get private industry to increase wages, but there is something systemically wrong when wages have grown so slowly compared to housing costs.

[Big E]

Over-priced apartments have been a big gripe of mine for a long time, and this one is an example of the way it should be done all over town.

There’s no such thing as overpriced apartments. Just vacant and not vacant.

[PWL73316]

That's such lazy magical thinking, and the reality is that most of the time prices will never decrease whether the market will bear them or not. Developers would rather eat decades of losses on a building than lower prices anywhere. Just look at coastal hubs, Vancouver, Toronto, etc. Some cities have 20% of the properties vacant because prices are too high but owners won't lower them. That's why I strongly support vacancy and disuse taxes.

[ita]

That's such lazy magical thinking, and the reality is that most of the time prices will never decrease whether the market will bear them or not. Developers would rather eat decades of losses on a building than lower prices anywhere. Just look at coastal hubs, Vancouver, Toronto, etc. Some cities have 20% of the properties vacant because prices are too high but owners won't lower them. That's why I strongly support vacancy and disuse taxes.

Are vacancy and disuse taxes effective in a market like ours or are you thinking a preemptive measure? I have seen reports (https://www.investorsomaha.com/uncatego ... -report-2/) that even with the pandemic, residential vacancies are quite low in Omaha at 6.5%. So, yeah, I agree with you, prices aren't falling soon in Omaha, neither rent or for sale prices.

[ita]

Not to get too far off subject, here is a book review from a conservative journalist of a progressive author's book about housing affordability. Apparently, there are several policies to help promote affordable housing that could have bipartisan support. It's a good summation of some of those from the book. I will try to read it myself as this is a big problem Omaha and every other major metro is facing.

The City Planner’s Guide To Tragedies And Trade-Offs

Anthony M. Barr
The Ancient Greeks knew that tragedy was the art form most intimately connected with the realities of politics. In political life, we often run up against what Dr. Michael Shires, a professor of mine in graduate school, calls “competing good things.” The competing good things are those irreconcilable competing claims and terrible tradeoffs that cannot be avoided but must somehow be endured. At the heart of Shane Phillips’ new book The Affordable City is one such tragic reality: it is impossible to simultaneously expand affordable housing and affordable rent while also pushing for houses to be the primary means by which the middle class builds wealth. Phillips states the situation with bluntness: “either home values grow faster than inflation, thus making them increasingly unaffordable, or they grow slower than (or equal to) inflation, thus making housing more affordable but also a less attractive vehicle for investment.” Of these two outcomes, we are thus forced to choose one.

Thankfully not every tradeoff rises to the level of tragedy. And Phillips’ book is filled with concrete policy proposals that allow policymakers to balance what he calls the Three Ss of Housing: supply, stability, and subsidies. Supply is about dramatically increasing housing production, stability is about rent controls and ways of development that don’t price people out, and subsidies is about ensuring housing for low-income households that need assistance.

[Garrett]

Not to get too far off subject, here is a book review from a conservative journalist of a progressive author's book about housing affordability. Apparently, there are several policies to help promote affordable housing that could have bipartisan support. It's a good summation of some of those from the book. I will try to read it myself as this is a big problem Omaha and every other major metro is facing.

The City Planner’s Guide To Tragedies And Trade-Offs

Anthony M. Barr
The Ancient Greeks knew that tragedy was the art form most intimately connected with the realities of politics. In political life, we often run up against what Dr. Michael Shires, a professor of mine in graduate school, calls “competing good things.” The competing good things are those irreconcilable competing claims and terrible tradeoffs that cannot be avoided but must somehow be endured. At the heart of Shane Phillips’ new book The Affordable City is one such tragic reality: it is impossible to simultaneously expand affordable housing and affordable rent while also pushing for houses to be the primary means by which the middle class builds wealth. Phillips states the situation with bluntness: “either home values grow faster than inflation, thus making them increasingly unaffordable, or they grow slower than (or equal to) inflation, thus making housing more affordable but also a less attractive vehicle for investment.” Of these two outcomes, we are thus forced to choose one.

Thankfully not every tradeoff rises to the level of tragedy. And Phillips’ book is filled with concrete policy proposals that allow policymakers to balance what he calls the Three Ss of Housing: supply, stability, and subsidies. Supply is about dramatically increasing housing production, stability is about rent controls and ways of development that don’t price people out, and subsidies is about ensuring housing for low-income households that need assistance.

Unfortunately, as frequently expressed by members of this forum, you'd be hard pressed to get people to really agree on all 3 of these, even if they are desperately needed.

[ita]

Not to get too far off subject, here is a book review from a conservative journalist of a progressive author's book about housing affordability. Apparently, there are several policies to help promote affordable housing that could have bipartisan support. It's a good summation of some of those from the book. I will try to read it myself as this is a big problem Omaha and every other major metro is facing.

The City Planner’s Guide To Tragedies And Trade-Offs

Anthony M. Barr
The Ancient Greeks knew that tragedy was the art form most intimately connected with the realities of politics. In political life, we often run up against what Dr. Michael Shires, a professor of mine in graduate school, calls “competing good things.” The competing good things are those irreconcilable competing claims and terrible tradeoffs that cannot be avoided but must somehow be endured. At the heart of Shane Phillips’ new book The Affordable City is one such tragic reality: it is impossible to simultaneously expand affordable housing and affordable rent while also pushing for houses to be the primary means by which the middle class builds wealth. Phillips states the situation with bluntness: “either home values grow faster than inflation, thus making them increasingly unaffordable, or they grow slower than (or equal to) inflation, thus making housing more affordable but also a less attractive vehicle for investment.” Of these two outcomes, we are thus forced to choose one.

Thankfully not every tradeoff rises to the level of tragedy. And Phillips’ book is filled with concrete policy proposals that allow policymakers to balance what he calls the Three Ss of Housing: supply, stability, and subsidies. Supply is about dramatically increasing housing production, stability is about rent controls and ways of development that don’t price people out, and subsidies is about ensuring housing for low-income households that need assistance.

Unfortunately, as frequently expressed by members of this forum, you'd be hard pressed to get people to really agree on all 3 of these, even if they are desperately needed.

I would agree with you if your looking at those issues generally. However, there are specific policies pointed out in the article that I think people on both political spectrums could or should agree on, like widespread upzoning, if we are just talking about general political beliefs. Of course, you would have NIMBY's on of any political philosophy that would fight something like upzoning (see Dundee's HOA fight against TOD upzoning as an example), but I think generally we could get a consensus despite the current political divide on some of these specific affordable housing policies.

[Garrett]

Not to get too far off subject, here is a book review from a conservative journalist of a progressive author's book about housing affordability. Apparently, there are several policies to help promote affordable housing that could have bipartisan support. It's a good summation of some of those from the book. I will try to read it myself as this is a big problem Omaha and every other major metro is facing.

The City Planner’s Guide To Tragedies And Trade-Offs

Anthony M. Barr
The Ancient Greeks knew that tragedy was the art form most intimately connected with the realities of politics. In political life, we often run up against what Dr. Michael Shires, a professor of mine in graduate school, calls “competing good things.” The competing good things are those irreconcilable competing claims and terrible tradeoffs that cannot be avoided but must somehow be endured. At the heart of Shane Phillips’ new book The Affordable City is one such tragic reality: it is impossible to simultaneously expand affordable housing and affordable rent while also pushing for houses to be the primary means by which the middle class builds wealth. Phillips states the situation with bluntness: “either home values grow faster than inflation, thus making them increasingly unaffordable, or they grow slower than (or equal to) inflation, thus making housing more affordable but also a less attractive vehicle for investment.” Of these two outcomes, we are thus forced to choose one.

Thankfully not every tradeoff rises to the level of tragedy. And Phillips’ book is filled with concrete policy proposals that allow policymakers to balance what he calls the Three Ss of Housing: supply, stability, and subsidies. Supply is about dramatically increasing housing production, stability is about rent controls and ways of development that don’t price people out, and subsidies is about ensuring housing for low-income households that need assistance.

Unfortunately, as frequently expressed by members of this forum, you'd be hard pressed to get people to really agree on all 3 of these, even if they are desperately needed.

I would agree with you if your looking at those issues generally. However, there are specific policies pointed out in the article that I think people on both political spectrums could or should agree on, like widespread upzoning, if we are just talking about general political beliefs. Of course, you would have NIMBY's on of any political philosophy that would fight something like upzoning (see Dundee's HOA fight against TOD upzoning as an example), but I think generally we could get a consensus despite the current political divide on some of these specific affordable housing policies.

Personally, I'd love to see a requirement that residential projects that take TIF are required to include a percentage of affordable housing.

[ita]

Not to get too far off subject, here is a book review from a conservative journalist of a progressive author's book about housing affordability. Apparently, there are several policies to help promote affordable housing that could have bipartisan support. It's a good summation of some of those from the book. I will try to read it myself as this is a big problem Omaha and every other major metro is facing.

The City Planner’s Guide To Tragedies And Trade-Offs

Anthony M. Barr
The Ancient Greeks knew that tragedy was the art form most intimately connected with the realities of politics. In political life, we often run up against what Dr. Michael Shires, a professor of mine in graduate school, calls “competing good things.” The competing good things are those irreconcilable competing claims and terrible tradeoffs that cannot be avoided but must somehow be endured. At the heart of Shane Phillips’ new book The Affordable City is one such tragic reality: it is impossible to simultaneously expand affordable housing and affordable rent while also pushing for houses to be the primary means by which the middle class builds wealth. Phillips states the situation with bluntness: “either home values grow faster than inflation, thus making them increasingly unaffordable, or they grow slower than (or equal to) inflation, thus making housing more affordable but also a less attractive vehicle for investment.” Of these two outcomes, we are thus forced to choose one.

Thankfully not every tradeoff rises to the level of tragedy. And Phillips’ book is filled with concrete policy proposals that allow policymakers to balance what he calls the Three Ss of Housing: supply, stability, and subsidies. Supply is about dramatically increasing housing production, stability is about rent controls and ways of development that don’t price people out, and subsidies is about ensuring housing for low-income households that need assistance.

Unfortunately, as frequently expressed by members of this forum, you'd be hard pressed to get people to really agree on all 3 of these, even if they are desperately needed.

I would agree with you if your looking at those issues generally. However, there are specific policies pointed out in the article that I think people on both political spectrums could or should agree on, like widespread upzoning, if we are just talking about general political beliefs. Of course, you would have NIMBY's on of any political philosophy that would fight something like upzoning (see Dundee's HOA fight against TOD upzoning as an example), but I think generally we could get a consensus despite the current political divide on some of these specific affordable housing policies.

Personally, I'd love to see a requirement that residential projects that take TIF are required to include a percentage of affordable housing.

Agreed, that should be simple enough to implement and I think is a fair trade off between the City and developer.

[Busguy2010]

I love that idea, and as it stands would focus on developers who use TIF. Sounds fair enough to me. If the tax payers help fund a project, the developer ought to stand to make slightly less money off of it. Or build in incentives into TIF use that state a developer only gets the current base amount of help if they include a specified amount of affordable units or only if a development doesn't exceed a certain value per unit.

[ricko]

Not to get too far off subject, here is a book review from a conservative journalist of a progressive author's book about housing affordability. Apparently, there are several policies to help promote affordable housing that could have bipartisan support. It's a good summation of some of those from the book. I will try to read it myself as this is a big problem Omaha and every other major metro is facing.

The City Planner’s Guide To Tragedies And Trade-Offs

Anthony M. Barr
The Ancient Greeks knew that tragedy was the art form most intimately connected with the realities of politics. In political life, we often run up against what Dr. Michael Shires, a professor of mine in graduate school, calls “competing good things.” The competing good things are those irreconcilable competing claims and terrible tradeoffs that cannot be avoided but must somehow be endured. At the heart of Shane Phillips’ new book The Affordable City is one such tragic reality: it is impossible to simultaneously expand affordable housing and affordable rent while also pushing for houses to be the primary means by which the middle class builds wealth. Phillips states the situation with bluntness: “either home values grow faster than inflation, thus making them increasingly unaffordable, or they grow slower than (or equal to) inflation, thus making housing more affordable but also a less attractive vehicle for investment.” Of these two outcomes, we are thus forced to choose one.

Thankfully not every tradeoff rises to the level of tragedy. And Phillips’ book is filled with concrete policy proposals that allow policymakers to balance what he calls the Three Ss of Housing: supply, stability, and subsidies. Supply is about dramatically increasing housing production, stability is about rent controls and ways of development that don’t price people out, and subsidies is about ensuring housing for low-income households that need assistance.

Unfortunately, as frequently expressed by members of this forum, you'd be hard pressed to get people to really agree on all 3 of these, even if they are desperately needed.

I would agree with you if your looking at those issues generally. However, there are specific policies pointed out in the article that I think people on both political spectrums could or should agree on, like widespread upzoning, if we are just talking about general political beliefs. Of course, you would have NIMBY's on of any political philosophy that would fight something like upzoning (see Dundee's HOA fight against TOD upzoning as an example), but I think generally we could get a consensus despite the current political divide on some of these specific affordable housing policies.

Personally, I'd love to see a requirement that residential projects that take TIF are required to include a percentage of affordable housing.

Yes. Agreed. I've mentioned this before, but this has been done where I live like, forever, but without the TIF incentive, although dangling TIF in front of a developer would be an incentive for them to include affordable units into the mix.

[Cermak]

A nice development for that part of downtown. A good infill project that will help with density. And offer an opportunity for more modest rentals in the city.

[iamjacobm]

Renderings here look different than previous ones.

https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... ril/23.pdf

[Taco]

Renderings here look different than previous ones.

https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... ril/23.pdf

And not an improvement, imo. That red will not age well.

[Louie]

Agreed, red will look out of place soon.

[Brad]

Just adding this from the planning doc:

Starting construction: July 2021
Completion: November 2022

Update from this past Saturday's Grow Omaha show. Wrapping up design soon, Construction should begin in the September-October time frame.

[ita]

Planning board submission had an updated exterior rendering. Very slight differences from the last submission. The biggest things is instead of metal cladding for the red portions, it will be terra cotta brick veneer.

[Athomsfere]

Planning board submission had an updated exterior rendering. Very slight differences from the last submission. The biggest things is instead of metal cladding for the red portions, it will be terra cotta brick veneer.

Splash of brightness feels like a good move to me.

[Omahaca]

Is this still happening?

[iamjacobm]

Is this still happening?

I don't know Nebraska's LIHTC program at all, but by a quick look it seems they make financing reservations in late June. Will make a mental note to check back into NIFA's website at the end of the month to see if they awarded the tax credits for this one. Lots of states have only one or two award cycles a year so it can be a slow process.

[Omahaca]

This was proposed approximately 2 years ago and still nothing has happened. I see that 30th and Leavenworth now has a proposal. Is this site still planned to happen?

[Brad]

This was proposed approximately 2 years ago and still nothing has happened. I see that 30th and Leavenworth now has a proposal. Is this site still planned to happen?

Its hard to tell when a project dies. Usually only 3 real ways to get an "official notice" its dead.

1. The property is put back up for sale.
2. A new proposal shows up.
3. The city pulls its TIF.

I heard some second or third hand information last fall this the 27th & Leavenworth project is still on. The 30th street project has its own thread Here with a couple new posts yesterday.

[iamjacobm]

This was proposed approximately 2 years ago and still nothing has happened. I see that 30th and Leavenworth now has a proposal. Is this site still planned to happen?

Its hard to tell when a project dies. Usually only 3 real ways to get an "official notice" its dead.

1. The property is put back up for sale.
2. A new proposal shows up.
3. The city pulls its TIF.

I heard some second or third hand information last fall this the 27th & Leavenworth project is still on. The 30th street project has its own thread Here with a couple new posts yesterday.

Pulling the TIF it is https://cityclerk.cityofomaha.org/wp-co ... -43780.pdf

[PotatoeEatsFish]

I don’t mind this 5 story box as much as the others. I like the metal detailing and the white paneling matches the Twin Tower in Midtown.

[NEDodger]

I don’t mind this 5 story box as much as the others. I like the metal detailing and the white paneling matches the Twin Tower in Midtown.

It's not happening....

[Omahaca]

Yeah this is still just a parking lot for the church and trucks. They trimmed some trees that’s about it.

[Nosebot]

https://planning.cityofomaha.org/images ... 68_All.pdf

[Athomsfere]

Huh. Feels like the Texas doughnut is slowly invading Omaha.

[Garrett]

Huh. Feels like the Texas doughnut is slowly invading Omaha.

194 units with 156 parking spaces vs 271 required without TOD ain’t bad though

[nativeomahan]

Such a fresh new design!
Not.

[skinzfan23]

I like it better than the "white" renderings above.

Looking at streetview, that lot has been vacant since at least 2009, so this would be better than that.

[thenewguy]

I like it better than the "white" renderings above.

Looking at streetview, that lot has been vacant since at least 2009, so this would be better than that.

I don't know. I mean, some of each look ok, but it's still so similar in appearance to so many other projects.