News Briefs
NU System Generates $6.4 Billion in Economic Impact
The University of Nebraska announced this week that it generates $6.4 billion annually and supports one in every 20 Nebraska jobs. NU produces 11,000 graduates annually, with one in seven working-age Nebraskans holding a degree from the university. NU alumni generate $3.5 billion in additional earnings each year. If you add UNMC’s clinical partner Nebraska Medicine, NU’s total economic impact rises to $11.9 billion.
Voters Approve Millard Public Schools Bond
Voters approved Millard Public Schools’ $158 million bond issue in yesterday’s mail-in election with approximately two-thirds of voters in favor. The bond is intended to improve security at all 35 schools in the district.
Gambino’s Pizza Opens in Gretna
Gambino’s Pizza opened this past weekend at 11717 Bryan Street in Gretna. The company also plans to open a location soon at 3018 South 32nd Avenue in Omaha. Gambino’s has locations in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. In addition to the new Gretna store, Gambino’s Nebraska locations are in Fremont, Kearney and North Bend.
Featured Project
Construction Goes Vertical at Liquor Store in Coventry
Crews have erected the steel skeleton for The Still Fine Wine & Spirits Superstore under construction near 204th & V Street in the Coventry development. The retailer’s existing location is in Lincoln at 6820 South 70th Street. The Still is...
Featured Stories
Omaha is a National Player in Office-to-Apartment Conversion Market
By Isaiah Ang & Jeff Beals Omaha’s office-to-residential conversion pipeline ranks among the top 20 of America’s largest real estate markets, according to apartment research website, RentCafe. A report on adaptive reuse of office space shows that Omaha’s gross number of office-to-apartment units in the 2025 pipeline ranks 16th at 1,294 units. The pipeline includes projects under construction, planned or prospective. Omaha’s pipeline is comprised mainly of projects spearheaded by NuStyle Development, which is converting the Central Park Plaza twin towers and the old FNBO main bank building into residential units. Nationally, the 2025 pipeline will be record-breaking and the highest ever with 70,000 apartment units created out of former office space. The New York metro leads the nation in future office-to-apartment conversions with 8,310 units in its pipeline. It’s followed by last year’s #1, Washington, D.C. (6,533 units), and then Los Angeles in third place (4,388 units). NuStyle...
Drama Heating Up at Gretna Good Life District
Just when you thought Gretna’s Good Life District could not get any more bewildering, we’ve got a message for you: “Hold my beer.” The sprawling, 2,000-acre district is generating a lot of drama, and Gretna City Council meetings are becoming must-see events. Rod Yates, the real estate developer who originally created the district, recently backed away from the project, but the latest alternative proposal is no less fantastical. The district stretches from Capehart Road on the north to just south of Platteview Road. It includes Nebraska Crossing and straddles both Interstate 80 and Highway 31. At this week’s Gretna City Council meeting, the owner of Omaha-based Woodsonia Real Estate revealed new plans to build a blockbuster project on just part of the overall district. Woodsonia would team up with a Kansas City-based developer that has ties to the Sporting KC Major League Soccer team. Their plan encompasses 700 acres within the district. The most imminent portion includes a $400...
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Greater Omaha
Chamber
Greater Omaha Chamber Releases New Economic Development Plan
The Greater Omaha Chamber has unveiled its ambitious vision for the future: transforming the region into a model of economic vitality by 2027. Based on research of where Greater Omaha ranks amongst its peers, the Chamber’s 2025-2027 economic development strategy seeks...
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Omaha
Omaha to Serve an Ace with Asics Presidents’ Day Classic
Omaha continues to elevate its game as a top volleyball destination. From Thursday, February 13 to Monday, February 17, Omaha will welcome the Asics Presidents’ Day Classic. It is the 21st year Omaha has hosted the event, one of the largest tournaments in the country...
Omaha
Transportation
Oklahoma City Streetcar in Focus
Oklahoma City StreetcarThe Oklahoma City Streetcar is another system I recently visited, and similar to the Washington DC streetcar that was featured in this column last year, offers some insights and lessons for Omaha. Of particular interest is the streetcar’s chosen...
New Restaurants
Coming Soon
Gambino’s Pizza
11717 Bryan Street, Gretna
Now open
Nékter Juice Bar
1405 South 204th Street
Coming soon
Dumpling Empire
15825 West Maple Road
Opening early May
La Michoacana Plus
5101 South 36th Street
Now open
New Retailers
Coming Soon
The Spice and Tea Exchange
Village Pointe
Opening early April
LaserAway
Village Pointe
Opening February 5th
Too Many Tanks
8445 West Center Road
Now open
Elevate Cycling & Fitness
Aksarben Village
Now open
Restaurants Closing
On the Border Mexican Cantina
8810 South 71st Plaza
Closed
Mio Italiano
3001 South 32nd Avenue
Closed
Amigos/Kings Classic
1855 S 216th Street, Gretna
Closed
Outback Steakhouse
7605 Cass Street
Closed
Retailers Closing
Family Fare
7402 North 30th Street
Closing soon
The Posh Peacock
12100 West Center Road
Closing January 25
Party City
Near 24th & I-80, Council Bluffs
Closing February 28
Party City
Montclair Near 132nd & West Center Road
Closing February 28
Grow Omaha Eats
‘Legacy Chophouse’ is a Modern Steakhouse Concept with Inspired Cocktails and Darn Good Steak
‘Legacy Chophouse’ started out as a concept drawn on a napkin by two friends. Six months later, they opened their doors in the former Jams location in the Shops of Legacy southwest of 168th & West Center Road. Opening a restaurant in a short time frame…
Fizzy’s Fountain & Liquors is a Nostalgic Time Capsule of Classic Comfort Food and Inspired Ice Cream Cocktails
When you step inside Fizzy’s, you find yourself standing in a nostalgic 1950s style diner. The lighting is dim and romantic, so much that you might want your phone light to see the menu, but not so much that…
‘Jaipur’ is an Omaha Staple of Fine Indian Food and Craft Beer
Jaipur is named after the capital of northern India’s Rajasthan state. It’s also Omaha’s oldest craft brewery, opening in 1992. The Rockbrook Village restaurant serves notably delicious Indian food. This is evident by the lines of awards on the wall that greet you as...
Grow Omaha Flicks
‘Love Hurts’ is a Nearly Unbearable, Painfully Awkward Action Film
★ ‘Love Hurts’ is a Valentine’s Day card to action movie fans. The problem is, it’s poorly written and offers little substance. The candy heart inside that says “be mine” leaves a chalky, bitter aftertaste. It’s supposed to be mindless, action-romance fun. In actuality, it’s clunky, annoying and kind of painful to watch…
‘Heart Eyes’ is the Romantic Comedy Horror Mash-Up that Could’ve Been
★ ★ ‘Heart Eyes’ is a movie about a serial killer, known as the Heart Eyes Killer, or HEK for short, who murders romantic couples on Valentine’s Day. He’s been moving from city to city for the past seven years, and at the start of this film, has found his way to Seattle. This movie opens…
‘Companion’ is a Slick, Near Perfect Sci-Fi Dark Comedy Thriller
★ ★ ★ ★ ‘Companion’ is a very well done dark comedy thriller involving a robot companion who thinks she’s a real woman in a real relationship. The film does such a convincing job of setting up her character – and those around her – that the twists and turns of the story feel very real and compelling…