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GreenSlate Development announced today that it will build a $45 million, 5-story building on the site of the former WOWT-TV building at 35th & Farnam Street along the future streetcar line. Plans call for a 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 project will necessitate the demolition of the old WOWT building. The television station left that building when it moved next door into the 15-story Blackstone Plaza building next door. “We are very excited to continue to build on the 10-plus-year momentum of the Blackstone District with this new project,” said GreenSlate principal Jay Lund. “Repopulating Omaha’s urban core with density is what creates walkability and placemaking that make our city unique and special. These projects also help us attract...

Sower Investment Partners, ACCESS Commercial and Burlington Capital announced this week that “The Arthur” is the name of their 329-unit, class-A apartment complex currently under construction on the southeast corner of 48th & Dodge Street. The name honors Dr. Arthur Pittman, Omaha’s first African-American veterinarian and a prominent civic leader. His single-story office building is being preserved and incorporated into the project. His practice operated there from 1948 until his passing in 1990. The Pittman building will serve as the front entrance to The Arthur. Designed in the Art Moderne architectural style by the renowned John Latenser and Sons, the Pittman building will house The Arthur’s leasing and management office. The 5-story building will be open for move-ins beginning Fall 2025, with pre-leasing beginning this summer. The building sits between the Dundee area and the Blackstone District. The University of Nebraska Medical Center campus is just to the southeast. The...

A hulking relic of Omaha’s ag-industrial past is about to undergo a massive change. Lite Development, a local developer, plans to transform the long-abandoned grain elevator silos on the north side of Interstate 80 near 35th Street into a multifamily development. Located between the I-480 interchange and the 42nd Street exit, the silos are a local landmark. The north side of the elevator property abuts Vinton Street. The Omaha Planning Board this week is reviewing an amendment to the city’s master plan to change the zoning from industrial to high-density residential, a preliminary plat and a planned unit redevelopment overlay district. Plans show a multifamily complex that utilizes the entire 4.88-acre parcel, including reusing some of the existing silos. There will be eight townhomes along 34th Street on the east side of the lot and a 144-unit apartment building on the southwest corner of 24th & Vinton. Several of the middle silos will be partially demolished. According to the...

Council Bluffs continues to move forward on a major development project on the northeast corner of Lake Manawa. The city has been working on subdividing and developing plans to create 500 to 600 new housing units. Last week, the city council approved an agreement with the Iowa Economic Development Authority for a $6.87 million award to help pay for infrastructure, construction of new homes, and to provide down payment assistance of up to $35,000 per buyer. In addition to the IEDA award, the project will be funded by a local match of nearly $9 million, which is sourced from Community Development Block Grant Entitlement funds, an Economic Development Initiative - Community Project Funding grant and the city’s own Housing Development Program. The major infrastructure project will be a connector between Mohawk Road to the west and East Manawa Drive to the east. Last Fall, the city approved plans for Phase 1 of the development from local developer Turn the Paige Homes to build 40...

An independent review of the City of Omaha’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program concluded that the city is compliant with state law. The review was completed by Forvis Mazars, an outside CPA and advisory firm. The City hired Forvis Mazars following State Auditor Mike Foley’s September 2024 letter to the Nebraska Legislature on the use of TIF in Nebraska, and the suggestion from then-Senator Mike McDonnell that the City of Omaha should pause its use of TIF. The report provided no justification for pausing TIF, an effective economic development tool. The city’s use of TIF has become an issue in the current mayoral race, which is now heating up. The primary is April 1st. The top two finishers will then compete in the general election on May 13th. McDonnell is one of several candidates challenging incumbent Jean Stothert. Despite the campaign rhetoric, all indications are that TIF is being used properly and is boosting the city’s economic growth and development. Forvis Mazars reviewed...

Noddle Companies, one of the region's most accomplished real estate developers, has announced a 31-acre, mixed-use project at Gretna Landing, northwest of Highway 370 and 192nd Street. The development will be anchored by a 130,000 sq. ft. office building and is expected to break ground in the third quarter of 2025. Additionally, it will include flexible space designed for services, as well as retail, food and beverage space, plus housing development suitable for the workforce that Gretna and the surrounding area are seeking to attract. “We are very excited to expand our services into the Gretna area,” said Jay Noddle, chairman of Noddle Companies. “Our track record of success with mixed-use developments provides a strong foundation for this project, as well as future projects that are possible as we work together with Gretna city leaders.” The office building is already substantially committed to tenants, with the balance of the space in advanced stages of leasing. “We’re thrilled...

More than 150 lane miles of Omaha streets will be resurfaced or replaced this year, as the city continues its wide-ranging road resurfacing and repair program. The 2025 program has a total of 41 projects including 21 major street resurfacing projects, 10 residential project areas comprised of numerous multi-block sections of road, eight reconstruction or concrete-repair projects and two brick-street repair projects. The total estimated cost of $28.6 million. The Omaha City Council will consider the bids starting in mid-March. Following voter approval of the $200 million bond issue in 2020, Omaha’s Street Preservation Fund was created specifically for street repair. Since then, more than 800 additional lane miles have been resurfaced or replaced. That’s the equivalent distance of driving from Omaha to Columbus, Ohio. In 2020, voters also approved a 3.5 percent levy increase to pay debt service on the bonds. However, Mayor Stothert’s administration has not needed to increase the levy,...

The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce focuses on economic development and member services plus public policy. Alec Gorynski, senior vice president of economic development said, “We are Omaha’s chief salespeople. chief marketers, cheerleaders – We will take that title as well.” He serves as head of The Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, made up of eight counties in Iowa and Nebraska including 25 collaborating professionals. “In 2024, we landed projects that generated $172 million in capital investment and over 500 jobs,” Gorynski said. “They reflected new-to-market jobs and expansions of new companies. That data includes $25 million in new annual payroll for the region, a substantial boon to the economy.” At the Chamber’s 2025 annual meeting, Mayor Jean Stothert said, “I love working with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. We have a good working relationship. The Chamber is focused on economic development and job growth. They want our existing businesses to grow and...

NAI NP Dodge and First Management, Inc. have merged to combine resources and provide their clients with a full range of commercial real estate brokerage and property management services under the NAI NP Dodge brand. NAI NP Dodge is the commercial real estate division of NP Dodge, Omaha’s largest full-service real estate company and the longest-running, family-owned real estate company in the United States. The company was founded in 1855. NAI NP Dodge focuses on the sales and leasing of office, retail, industrial, multi-family and investment properties, complemented by the professional property management services of NP Dodge Management Company. First Management is a full-service commercial real estate firm with a heavy emphasis on retail properties. The company traces its roots back nearly 60 years to legendary real estate leader John Weibe, who developed The Center Mall in 1955 and Westroads Mall in 1968. Located at 42nd & Center Street, The Center was America’s first anchored...

The next phase of Eppley Airfield construction begins this morning. The entire central portion of the terminal, including Level 2, will close, and the terminal will split in half to enable construction of the new central pavilion, a key component of the Build OMA Terminal Modernization Program. After the terminal split, Eppley will operate with two terminals – the north terminal and the south terminal. Each airline’s services including ticketing, gates and baggage claims are located within its respective terminal. It will be important for travelers to know which terminal their airline operates from before arriving to the airport. The north terminal will house Southwest, United and Allegiant airlines. The south will have American, Delta, Alaska and Frontier airlines. During this phase of construction, travelers who need to navigate between the south and north terminals will use the outdoor terminal drive walkways and ground level of the south garage. Wayfinding signs will help...

Grow Omaha and other local media toured the Behavioral Health & Wellness Center at Children’s Nebraska today. The future hospital is located at 8550 Indian Hills Drive on the west end of the Children’s campus. Construction on the $114 million project is coming along nicely. The project is on schedule, and the partially completed facilities look impressive. The 4-story, 107,250 sq. ft. building sits on seven acres. The main entrance, for both patients and staff, will be on building’s the east side. The building is on track for completion this October, but Children’s Nebraska will begin serving patients in a phased approach starting in January 2026. Groundbreaking for the project took place in August of 2023 with construction starting one month later. The topping-out ceremony (when the final piece of structural steel was installed) occurred on May 16th of last year. Children’s Nebraska is partnering with the Mental Health Innovation Foundation, a not-for-profit organization led by...

The Omaha Metropolitan Area Tourism Awards return for the ninth year, celebrating the attractions and businesses that make Omaha and Council Bluffs must-visit destinations. Public nominations are now open for four categories – Best Attraction, Best Hotel, Best Restaurant, and Best Retail Business – across Douglas and Pottawattamie counties. Nominations will be accepted at OMATourismAwards.com through March 7. Organized by Visit Omaha and the Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau, the awards recognize businesses that contribute to the region’s tourism industry and enhance the visits of the millions of people who travel here annually. Last year’s record-breaking public participation in the awards has set the stage for another highly anticipated competition. Following the nomination period, public voting for finalists runs from March 12 to April 2, with winners announced during National Travel & Tourism Week which begins May 4, 2025. Winners receive recognition through...