Grow Omaha
Stories

A major new investment aimed at addressing Omaha’s housing shortage in the urban core is beginning to move from concept to construction. Front Porch Investments, a nonprofit focused on expanding affordable housing, is now advancing projects tied to a $40 million urban core housing fund backed in part by a streetcar-related bond purchase from the Lozier Foundation. The effort is designed to help deliver up to 1,900 new affordable housing units. Executive Director Jody Holston said the organization has spent the past few months building the framework needed to move projects forward. “We officially launched that fund in January,” Holston said. “In that time, we’ve been focused on moving it into implementation.” That work has included coordinating with the City of Omaha to establish how projects are reviewed and approved, while also working directly with developers to build a pipeline of potential developments. According to Holston, they’re getting close to dollars actually hitting...

The City of Omaha has opened the We Make Omaha Future Lab, a civic engagement “experience” inviting input to shape the development of an updated Future Land Use Map. We Make Omaha is the public engagement effort for the City of Omaha’s new comprehensive plan, a plan for Omaha’s growth and development over the next 20 years. The plan, expected to be complete at the end of 2026, will replace Omaha’s current Master Plan, which was adopted in 1997. The process has already engaged more than 7,000 people in planning for Omaha’s future. Joining City Planning staff, project partners, and community members, Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. visited the Future Lab in Aksarben Village last week to kick off a month-long opportunity for everyone to weigh in on possible development scenarios. At the Future Lab, participants explore four scenario narratives, each representing different possible futures of growth in Omaha. They learn about each scenario, ask questions, weigh tradeoffs and record their...

The Greater Omaha Chamber today expressed strong support for the proposed merger between Omaha-based Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, as the companies prepare to refile their application with the Surface Transportation Board on April 30. The Chamber emphasized the proposal’s potential to expand competition, strengthen the national freight network and deliver meaningful economic benefits for businesses across the country. The proposed merger would create a seamless, coast-to-coast rail network, improving efficiency, reliability and service for American businesses. By eliminating costly handoffs between carriers, the combined system would enable faster freight movement and unlock new opportunities for growth across the supply chain. “This is about whether the United States is serious about competing in a global economy where speed, reliability and scale matter,” said Heath Mello, president & CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. “Since the beginning, Union Pacific and Omaha have...

Bed Bath & Beyond will once again have a brick-and-mortar retail presence in Omaha by combining with The Container Store at Westroads Mall. The Container Store, which has been a junior anchor at Westroads for nine years, is clearing out 30 percent of its existing inventory to make room for Bed Bath & Beyond merchandise, which is expected to arrive in the store early this summer. To liquidate existing merchandise, The Container Store is advertising a “STORE CHANGING” sale, offering discounts and declaring that “almost” everything must go. Bed, Bath & Beyond filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 and closed all its brick-and-mortar stores, including local stores at Village Pointe and at The Shoppes of Aksarben southeast of 72nd & Pacific Street. The retailer was known for selling home goods especially kitchenware and bedding. Though Bed Bath & Beyond closed its physical locations, the brand never truly went away. Its intellectual property was purchased by...

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents yesterday approved next steps for constructing an Infectious Diseases Air Transport Training (IDAT) facility on the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Omaha campus, expanding university’s role in national defense preparedness. The board approved intermediate design review for the free-standing, $17.4 million facility that will extend programs offered by the United States Air Force Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS) Omaha Unit stationed at UNMC. The facility also will house air transport modules and an aircraft fuselage for training military health personnel on transporting highly infectious patients from overseas. “The IDAT facility will fill a critical national gap and extend UNMC’s record of partnering with the U.S. Department of War and other federal agencies,” said UNMC interim chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD. “Currently, there is no training facility for biocontainment air transport of infectious...

A major infrastructure project planned for northwest Omaha is designed to bring a decades-old interchange in line with rapid growth in the area, but not without some short-term disruptions for drivers. The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is preparing for a significant reconstruction of the Interstate 680 corridor between Fort Street and the Blair High Road interchange. According to NDOT District 2 project delivery engineer Damion Stern, the goal is to transform what was once a rural-style highway into a modern, urbanized roadway built to handle today’s traffic demands. “The majority of this project is going to compress the area between Fort Street and Blair High Road,” Stern said. “Right now, it’s a four-lane divided highway and we’re going to more or less reconstruct it and urbanize it.” Plans call for adding a lane in both directions, installing a median barrier, upgrading storm sewer systems and redesigning portions of the interchange. New loop ramps, that are...

Omaha’s Central Library opens to the public today on the southwest corner of 72nd & Dodge Street. Mayor John Ewing will cut the ribbon at 12:30 p.m. The $158 million library marks the largest private investment in a public library system in the United States in many years. It is the first public library in the country to have an “Automated Storage and Retrieval System,” a 3-story, secured, climate-controlled system can store more than 600,000 materials, allowing the library system to grow its collection without being limited by shelf space in branches. The library combines traditional library services with state-of-the-art amenities, including the integration of the former Do Space into the Omaha Public Library system (with 3D printers, sewing and quilting machines, a video studio, podcast studio and more). The genealogy and local history sections are on the 3rd floor, offering a large space for anyone researching their family or community’s history. Counting a mezzanine level...

Omaha has been ranked the second-best large city in America for recent college graduates looking to start their careers. Glassdoor and Redfin published a report Tuesday ranking the nation’s largest cities for recent college graduates based on 13 indicators across three categories: housing affordability, career opportunity and quality of life, according to CNBC. The data came from an analysis of Glassdoor’s job postings, employer reviews and salary data for early-career workers as well as Redfin’s property sales from last year. Washington, D.C. was the only city to rank higher than Omaha.   Regarding Omaha, Chris Martin, senior economist at Glassdoor, said, “One of Omaha's main draws is its "really diverse labor market. In addition to being a major health-care hub for new grads, it's also home to Fortune 500 companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Union Pacific. Beyond its range of job opportunities, early-career workers enjoy a high quality of life in Omaha.” The Glassdoor and Redfin...

The MidAmerican Energy Adventure Tower and the Charles E. Lakin Pier are on schedule for completion this June along the Council Bluffs Riverfront. Grow Omaha toured the two structures this week along with Pete Tulipana, president and CEO of Southwest Iowa Nonprofit for Collective Impact (SINC), which is developing the projects, and representatives from Lueder Construction, the general contractor. Omaha-based HDR designed both projects. Construction first began in November 2024. The tower is 138 feet tall and located just north of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The pier is under construction between Interstate 480 and Harrah’s Casino. The MidAmerican Energy Adventure tower is nestled among Missouri River cottonwood trees on the wet side of the levee. The tower is accessible from the Bob Kerrey bridge via an elevated walkway known as the Treetop Walk. The tower is being built above the flood zone, at the levee system’s elevation, to allow opportunities for use when the Missouri...

NAI NP Dodge today announced the appointment of Kristi Andersen as president, effective April 20. NAI NP Dodge is the commercial brokerage division of NP Dodge, Omaha’s largest full-service real estate company. Andersen brings a diverse background to NAI NP Dodge, having served as a top-producing commercial real estate agent, communications consultant and active community leader. She succeeds Deb Graeve-Morrison, who is retiring after 16 years with NP Dodge. Prior to joining NAI NP Dodge, Andersen served as a vice president at both CBRE and Colliers in Omaha. She focuses on leasing and selling office, industrial and retail properties for landlords and tenants. She has represented a wide variety of clients, from small business owners to Fortune 500 companies, and has led millions of dollars in successful real estate transactions. She has also been named a CoStar Power Broker. She will continue to actively represent commercial real estate clients in her role as president. In this role,...

The Omaha City Council unanimously supported the Union Omaha stadium and mixed-use development redevelopment plan in this week’s meeting. After agreeing to delay the vote to approve the Tax Increment Financing application last week, the city council voted 7-0 to approve the plan. Some concerns voiced last week including potential environmental remediation and the city’s purchase of the land before the State of Nebraska’s approval of the turnback tax package were reiterated, but all members have indicated that they fully support the project and believe the economic and community benefits once completed. The developers’, which include Union Omaha’s ownership and Hines, a Houston-based real estate development company, are on a tight timeline for approvals. They are wanting to start construction on the $125 million, 6,500-seat stadium in the fall with an anticipated opening for the 2028 season that spring. While the project hinges on the state’s approval of the $25 million turnback tax...

NAI NP Dodge, the commercial real estate division of N.P. Dodge, produces a report on Omaha’s commercial real estate market each quarter. Below are some highlights from the first quarter of 2026.  Office The 48.5 million sq. ft. Omaha office market ended the 1st quarter of 2026 with a vacancy rate of 7.7 percent, which was up from last quarter. Absorption over the past 12 months was 79,00 sq. ft. Rental rates were down slightly to $25.76. Approximately 1.8 million sq. ft. of office space is under construction at this time, more than last quarter. Retail Approximately 65.3 million sq. ft. of retail space was considered for this report, which is based on CoStar data. At this time, 480,000 sq. ft. of retail space is under construction, which is about the same as last quarter. Vacancy went up to 4.6 percent. Rental rates were $18.72 per square foot. The 12-month net absorption was -66,800 sq. ft. at the end of the quarter, down from the previous period. Industrial Omaha’s industrial...