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 million retail center anchored by Look’s Marketplace and a Wally’s gas station on an undeveloped parcel northwest of Interstate 80 & Highway 31.
To the north of Nebraska Crossing, Woodsonia’s plan shows a $125 million, 15,000-seat outdoor amphitheater (something akin to a Live Nation venue), a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, a huge multisport facility known as The St. James and a JW Marriott Hotel.
Look’s Marketplace is a large-scale restaurant and store from Sioux Falls, S.D. It was once featured on the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives television show. Wally’s is a massive gas station and convenience store very similar to Buc-ee’s, the popular Texas-based chain. Wally’s is a relatively new concept with locations in Pontiac, Ill. and Fenton, Mo. The St. James is a comprehensive sports and recreation complex with two locations in the Washington, D.C. area. JW Marriott is a more upscale version of a full-service Marriott Hotel.
Woodsonia’s plans will be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development along with Gretna’s study to prove the viability of the Good Life District. Because Yates, the original applicant, claimed the district is “no longer financially viable,” Gretna needs to prove otherwise if it wants to keep the district alive.
The purpose of Good Life Districts is to create transformative projects that provide new entertainment and retail options while attracting a large number of out-of-state visitors.
Meanwhile, Yates told Nebraska Examiner that he is transitioning his project to a much smaller development than originally proposed. He now needs only 1,000 acres. Yates said previously that he would build a $5 billion, 4,500-acre project called “Collegiate Crossing” that would include a National Hockey League arena, U.S. Olympic Volleyball headquarters, a youth sports complex and multiple office, retail, hotel, entertainment and residential buildings.
Yates wants to build his latest version of the project under the Destination Nebraska Act, not the Good Life District. The Destination Nebraska Act is a bill currently in the Unicameral submitted by State Senator Beau Ballard that includes modifications to the Good Life District Act. It would remove city involvement in the development and financing of projects within district boundaries.
To make matters even more intriguing, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen wants to remove the Good Life Districts from his proposed state budget. In addition to Gretna, there are approved districts in Bellevue, west Omaha and Grand Island. Those districts are already moving forward. If the program were to end, it is unknown what would happen to those districts and all the money that has so far been invested in them.
Are you confused yet? If so, you’re probably not alone.
