Grow Omaha
Projects

Exterior glass is now being installed on the east side of Eppley Airfield’s new terminal. Between the terminal modernization/expansion and the front drive canopy project, more than $1 billion in improvements are currently underway at what is the busiest airport in Nebraska and Iowa. The new terminal will have nearly double the square footage as the old one and will feature centralized security, more restaurants/shops and international arrivals capability.

The terminal expansion will increase building space by 72 percent from 375,000 sq. ft. to approximately 646,000 sq. ft. The new terminal will feature a centralized TSA security checkpoint, new restaurants and retailers after security, two gates capable of international flights and expanded restrooms.

Eppley served more than 5.2 million passengers in 2024. Seven airlines provide approximately 70 departures per day to 33 nonstop destinations from Omaha.

Photo credit: Omaha Airport Authority

Construction has reached the fifth floor on the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s first student residence hall near 39th & Dewey Avenue. Most of the work so far has been framing with some external wall structure installed. The $66 million, 200,000 sq. ft., 6-story building will accommodate 300 students. Occupancy is scheduled for August 2026.

Crews are now tearing down the former WOWT building at 35th & Farnam. The television station previously moved next door into the 15-story Blackstone Plaza building. Plans call for a $45 million, 5-story, multi-family building with 180 apartment units. Floor plans will include studio, one- and two-bedroom units with monthly rents ranging from $1,200 to $2,800 per month. Amenities will include a resort-style pool, grilling areas, fire pits, dog-wash station and a dog park.

The site is located along Omaha’s future streetcar line. GreenSlate is developing the building in collaboration with John Lund, founder of The Lund Company of Omaha. GreenSlate has been responsible for sparking the original redevelopment of the Blackstone District a decade ago. Completion of the new building is scheduled for spring of 2027.

Construction is in full swing along the RiverFront for the CHI Health Center expansion. Omaha voters last year approved a bond issue for a $146 million project to increase the number of meeting rooms at the 21-year-old convention center. The expansion will add 94,000 sq. ft. and 25 meeting rooms spread across the third and fourth floors. Additional common space and restrooms will also be added. The addition will help Omaha compete more effectively in the lucrative convention industry.

The east side of the building has long served as a behind-the-scenes area with loading docks and massive, emergency-exit, external stair towers. Crews are now removing those stair towers to make way for the new construction. When completed in 2027, the east face of the CHI Center will be a sprawling glass wall with panoramic views of the RiverFront.

The 72nd & L Street interchange is being rebuilt under a joint project between the Nebraska Department of Transportation and the City of Omaha. The intersection is a complex system with L Street being elevated over 72nd Street. On- and off-ramps connect the roadways. The project will convert the intersection to an at-grade interchange with dual left-turn and single right-turn lanes. As a result, the existing bridge and ramps will be demolished and not replaced. Additionally, 72nd Street will be upgraded to a 6-lane roadway north of L Street. – Isaiah Ang

The Omaha City Council has agreed to move forward on Creighton University’s pedestrian and bike way project. Under the agreement, the university will distribute $1.75 million to the city, while the city will complete the construction of the pathway. The university received funds from a federal Community Project Funding grant. The project will transform Burt Street from 20th to 27th streets into a pedestrian and bicycle pathway with new stormwater infrastructure and landscaping. Upon completion, the university will maintain the pathway. The project will cost $8.75 million and will begin in 2027. – Isaiah Ang

The Collective for Hope officially broke ground on its first-ever permanent home – a center intentionally designed with the grieving community in mind. Located at 8000 Chicago Street, the Family Grief Center will help community members, schools and organizations/businesses better understand the impact of grief on both an individual and community level. It will accommodate workshops, grief education symposiums, family sessions, spaces for specialized groups and will feature a kitchen and outdoor space for programming.

Since its start as a parent-organized camp for kids in grief in the late 1990s, The Collective for Hope has grown into the Omaha area’s only dedicated nonprofit providing free grief support and community education. It provides grief support for both adults and kids ages 3-18.

Construction is slated to be finished in late 2026. In the interim, programming will continue at the organization’s current location at 7811 Farnam Drive.

The Bay is planning an Omaha location in Benson. The Lincoln non-profit offers free or pay-as-you-can services for youth to participate in skateboarding, art, fashion, music, workforce training and career exploration. The Lincoln location is inside a 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse converted to an indoor skate park with community and office space.

The Omaha location would be an adaptive reuse of a 3-story, 34,110 sq. ft. warehouse at 6120 Military Avenue. The first floor will have an indoor skate park with street skating elements and a vert. The second and third floors will feature multiple classrooms, office space, a performance stage, fashion room, sound production studio and an esports room. The project site is currently under consideration for rezoning from general industrial to neighborhood business district.