Local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony this week for a $45 million City of Omaha community and athletic complex in northeast Omaha.
Construction will begin next month on the Levi Carter Park Activity and Sports Complex inside Levi Carter Park along the north shore of Carter Lake. The site is just west of Eppley Airfield.
The 114,625 sq. ft. building will include the largest basketball facility in Omaha with 10 indoor courts that can be converted into 14 volleyball courts. The center will also have a computer lab, classroom for distance learning, medical exam and tele-health rooms, community meeting space, fitness facility and a wrestling room.
The outdoor space includes four artificial turf soccer fields, picnic shelters, a grand lawn and a designated food truck area.
“This is an investment in youth and families, offering access to services and programs, and creating new tourism and development opportunities surrounding Levi Carter Park,” said Mayor Jean Stothert.
The complex is completely grant-funded. In 2023, the city applied for and received a $35 million Capital Projects Grant funded by the U.S. Department of Treasury as well as $10 million from the State of Nebraska’s North and South Omaha Recovery Program. Both funds were created to support communities after the pandemic with investments in qualified census tracts.
More than 100 community organizations have been invited to participate in planning for programs to be offered at the complex when it opens in late 2026.
The complex will be the first tournament-style facility in northeast Omaha, creating opportunities for local youth organizations to host regional basketball, volleyball and soccer tournaments. It will expand Omaha’s network of competition-grade sports venues to accommodate the growing interest in Omaha as a youth sports destination.
Schemmer Architecture was selected as the designer. Hausmann Construction is the general contractor. The facility will be owned by the City of Omaha and managed by the Parks and Recreation department.
Levi Carter Park will remain open during construction.
