Grow Omaha
News Briefs

Habitat for Humanity is planning a 7-unit townhome development on a .6-acre site near downtown Council Bluffs. The property is located in the north half of the block bounded by 1st and Willow avenues and South 7th and 8th streets. Each 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom townhome will have a private garage with access from a public alley. - Isaiah Ang

Izzy’s Pizza has officially retired its mobile pizza bus, which launched in Las Vegas in 2019 and moved to Omaha in 2022. The Detroit-style pizzeria will now focus solely on its brick-and-mortar location at 522 South 24th Street, open Wednesday through Saturday. - Nicole Buntgen

Southwest Airlines announced that it will add nonstop flight service from Omaha’s Eppley Airfield to New York City LaGuardia and Miami International Airport. The New York service begins March 5, 2026, while the Miami route starts March 7. American and Delta already offer nonstops between Omaha and New York. American currently offers seasonal nonstops to Miami. Southwest is Eppley’s biggest carrier and currently offers nonstops to Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

The Omaha Housing Authority is planning major renovations to Pine Tower Apartments at 1500 Pine Street. Built in 1965, the 13-story apartment building has 144 units. According to a building permit, studio units will be converted to 1-bedroom apartments. Additionally, kitchens, bathrooms, finishes and common areas will be updated. Some mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades are planned. The project will cost $8.6 million. - Isaiah Ang

Fifth House, a local vegan restaurant, plans to open soon in the former Get Real Sandwiches space at 3901 Farnam Street in the Blackstone District. The restaurant’s tagline is “the vegan joint of your dreams.”

ARCO National Construction, a St. Louis-based, design-build, general contractor, has opened an Omaha office at 11717 Nicholas Street, Suite 110. ARCO has built several buildings in Nebraska over the years, including distribution, cold storage, manufacturing, self-storage and entertainment projects. Most recently, ARCO completed a cold storage expansion project for Performance Food Group in Omaha.

The Redfield Building at 1901 Howard Street has started a weekly coffee shop pop-up series in its lobby, formerly home to Kochava Coffee. Cedar Creek Coffee & Art is this week’s vendor through August 15 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Future vendors will be announced soon. - Nicole Buntgen

Fareway Meat & Grocery plans to build a store in Iron Bluff, a mixed-use development southwest of 204th & F Street. Iron Bluff will also be home to a future Omaha Public Library branch, Elkhorn Public Schools’ middle and elementary schools, an assisted living facility, an apartment complex and space for other commercial businesses. Boone, Iowa-based Fareway has six existing Omaha-area stores.

Dumpling Empire has opened at 15825 West Maple Road in the former Dickey’s Barbecue Pit space. The Chinese restaurant also operates at 5413 South 72nd Street. Hours are Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (closed Tuesdays) and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. - Nicole Buntgen

Tipico Helado opened an Old Market store a couple days ago in the former Niche space at 1209 Howard Street. Tipico Helado has existing locations at 15623 West Dodge Road, 5210 South 21st Street and 453 North Main Street in Fremont. The Mexican ice cream shop offers more than 50 flavors and also operates throughout the metro through mobile trailers. – Nicole Buntgen

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is now projected to open in September at 3430 North 167th Street southeast of 168th & West Maple Road. The project, contracted by Perkins-Critser Construction, has been somewhat delayed due to revisions requested by Popeyes’ corporate office. Omaha-based Eat Out Now is the owner.

The former Johnny Sortino’s Pizza building at 7880 L Street is now home to Metro Motors Auto Sales, a locally owned used car dealership with an existing location at 7802 Military Avenue. Sortino’s permanently closed back on May 31st after 60 years in business.

The Tenant, a rooftop bar that opened in August 2024 at 6201 Maple Street in Benson, has rebranded as Little Riot. According to its website, the business is now a pizzeria and rooftop bar offering pizza, wings, ribs, salads and ribeye. The Tenant had operated as an Asian-inspired smokehouse known for its craft cocktails and Rooftop Rosé Garden. – Nicole Buntgen

The Durham Museum has announced a new coffee table book, entitled Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, which captures more than a century of Ak-Sar-Ben’s influence on Nebraska through parades, pageantry, philanthropy and progress. Produced in partnership with the Aksarben Foundation and the museum’s On Track Guild, the book is a visual and narrative journey featuring hundreds of rarely seen photographs and newly uncovered stories, all made possible by The Durham’s commitment to preserving Nebraska’s rich cultural heritage. – Joe Champion

The City Pub closed July 31 at 7861 Main Street in La Vista City Centre. The gastrobar, which opened in late 2023, was known for casual fare and a rooftop patio. Let It Fly, an upscale sports bar, plans to open in the space later this month. Let If Fly has existing locations in The Capitol District downtown and at 1311 South 203rd Street in west Omaha. – Nicole Buntgen

West Development, the developer of the recently opened Parallel Apartments project – part of the MH Landing – old CoCo Key Redevelopment site northeast of 72nd & Grover Street – presented a plan to the Omaha Planning Board to build a $30 million assisted living and memory care facility. The proposed 3-story building would be south of the Parallel Apartments and have 100 units, with 20 units for memory care residents. The developers requested approval of $3.3 million in Tax Increment Financing. – Isaiah Ang

The North Omaha Visitor’s Center, a nonprofit organization and venue aiming to cultivate tourism and promote the rich history, culture and economic vibrancy of north Omaha, held a soft opening on August 1 near 24th & Burdette Street. The hub for both tourists and locals will feature a gallery, tours and events, as well as a coffee shop and gift shop when it opens to the public in September. – Mark Champion

Lanoha Development plans to preserve and repurpose the existing Mutual of Omaha building after the insurance giant moves downtown in 2026, according to Jason Lanoha, CEO. Mutual’s 285-foot-tall current building is at 33rd & Dodge Street. Lanoha is developing the new 44-story headquarters at 14th Farnam Street and will redevelop the current/old campus. There had been some concern that the iconic Midtown tower would have to come down, but Lanoha announced on today’s Grow Omaha show that the current tower will be incorporated into redevelopment plans.

The recently opened Kids Indoor Play Park at 14445 West Center Road is already planning to expand. The Omaha Planning Board approved KIPP’s application for an amendment to a conditional use permit that originally allowed an indoor recreation area. The amendment will allow for an 8,700 sq. ft. outdoor play area that will be built on the southeast side of the building. The outdoor space may include a refreshments bar selling food and drinks. - Isaiah Ang

Hy-Vee plans to offer one-hour online delivery 24 hours a day in the Omaha area. Hy-Vee plans to fulfill and distribute online orders from its warehouse at 5710 South 144th Street, a former Super Saver grocery store. Online orders will be sorted and bagged at the warehouse then delivered to individual stores for customer pickup. Hy-Vee is partnering with a currently unnamed third-party vendor to provide this service. The Omaha Planning Board approved an amendment to a conditional use permit to allow for distribution from this property. - Isaiah Ang