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 concepts suited to local neighborhoods.”
Accessory dwelling units, often called ADUs, are smaller independent homes typically located on the same property as a primary residence.
“Imagine my delight when we had over 20 designs submitted,” said Todd Stubbendieck, AARP Nebraska state director.
After reviewing the submissions, a community panel selected the winning design by Daniel Conway of Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture.
With seed funding from AARP and support from Front Porch Investments’ Innovation Fund, the winning design was first introduced to the community through a demonstration installation at the Omaha Riverfront in 2025. Following the demonstration, Seventy-Five North worked with partners to bring the concept to Highlander as permanent, rentable housing. The completed ADU carries forward the design vision, footprint and layout first introduced at the Riverfront.
Additional partners who helped bring the demonstration project to life include Blair Freeman, Omaha by Design, Pella, Leo A Daly and Noddle Companies.
In the Highlander neighborhood, the ADU offered a practical solution to a real development challenge. Seventy-Five North was working to redevelop a lot large enough to invite more creative use, but not well suited for two separate homes. By pairing a new single-family home with an accessory dwelling unit on the same property, the organization was able to make better use of the site, increase housing supply, and create a flexible rental option that may better meet the needs of future residents.
“Housing innovation is more than doing something different for the sake of being different,” said Jody Holston, executive director of Front Porch Investments. “It is about finding practical solutions that help people access safe, quality housing.”
