Seventy-Five North Revitalization Corp. hosted a showcase and open house earlier this month, to mark the completion of a new home and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in the Highlander neighborhood of north Omaha. Building on a winning design first introduced to the public through an ADU demonstration at the Omaha Riverfront, the Highlander ADU brings that vision into use as permanent rental housing. The home and detached ADU will soon be available for rent, adding a flexible housing model to Seventy-Five North’s growing portfolio of affordable housing options. The event drew elected officials, community partners, funders and neighbors to celebrate a housing solution brought to life through three years of bold ideas, collaboration, and shared commitment to expanding housing choice. The project originated with AARP Nebraska’s ADU for You design competition in 2023, an “Omaha-focused effort to raise awareness of ADUs as age-friendly, family-friendly housing options and produce buildable...

The Omaha Planning Board earlier this week voted in agreement with a City of Omaha Planning Department recommendation to deny the Tax Increment Financing and Enhanced Employment Area applications for a Drury Plaza Hotel proposed for a long-vacant, grassy lot southeast of 10th & Harney Street downtown. The project site is south of the Brickline apartments and north of Embassy Suites. Drury purchased the land last year and plans to build a $55 million, 210-room hotel with 2,000 sq. ft. of conference space, a pool and onsite restaurant and bar. The 8-story building would be built over a two-level, 175-space parking garage. In 2018, the City of Omaha adopted a recommendation from a private consultancy firm that identified an oversaturation of hotels in the downtown market that were less than the luxury or upper-upscale levels as defined by the STR hotel chain rating system. The STR rating system is primarily based on average daily rates, meaning the higher the rates, the greater...