Tom Mcleay, president of Clarity Development, has transformative plans for the historic Little Bohemia district, located around 13th & William Street just south of downtown.
Last week, Mcleay presented his vision for the district to the planning board as they considered and approved two Tax Increment Financing applications related to the project.
The first TIF application involves renovation and rehabilitation of four existing commercial buildings, including the former locations of Donut Stop at 1256 South 13th Street, and the Zlata Husa (“Golden Goose”) restaurant that was located in the corner building on the northwest corner of 13th & Williams Street.
Additionally, the developer will rehabilitate two buildings at 1316 and 1318 Williams Street. These buildings will boast renovated ground floor commercial space and significant outdoor patio areas for new restaurants and retail. The former Zlata Husa building and the Williams Street buildings will also have renovated second floor apartments. The total cost of this portion of the project is $6.2 million, and the TIF loan is $868,950.
The second TIF application involves new construction totaling $34 million and will add 153 market-rate apartment units. This portion of the project is largely bounded by 14th Street to the rear of the historic commercial buildings on 13th Street, and from Williams Street up to Omaha Dog Bar. The new construction consists of a 5-story, podium-style apartment building, a separate, 3-story apartment building, several townhouse apartments, and a 2-story, mixed-used building at the northeast corner of 14th & Williams Street.
The developer also plans to build a 10-unit apartment building at the northeast corner of 12th & Williams Street. The buildings will be interweaved with existing structures, maintaining the historic fabric of the neighborhood while increasing density exponentially.
While the TIF package was approved, the platting and plan for the 10-unit apartment building was been laid over a month due to concerns with certain details of the building including parking.
Construction of both the historic rehabilitations and new construction is anticipated to start in the fall.
