Grow Omaha
News Briefs

The Omaha City Council approved the purchase of $127,977 in materials and equipment to repair the Bob Kerrey Bridge Plaza Fountain, adjacent to the bridge on the Nebraska side. The materials and equipment will be purchased from Crystal Fountain, Inc., which provided the original infrastructure. The Parks and Recreation department will make the necessary repairs to the fountain. – Isaiah Ang

A neighborhood convenience store is planned for the commercial district at 40th & Ames Avenue. Tariq Ali plans to open NYC Deli & Liquor at 4004 Ames Avenue later this year. In addition to packaged food and alcoholic beverages, the business will sell fresh and prepared foods, including sandwiches and grilled items. Additionally, there will be a juice and smoothie bar. – Isaiah Ang

Eppley Airfield celebrated a historic milestone in June. The airport recorded 524,331 passengers last month, a new all-time monthly record. The existing monthly record was 514,758 passengers in June of 2024. Year-to-date passenger traffic is down three percent from last year. – Isaiah Ang

Tavern 180, a modern American restaurant and bar that originated in Omaha, closed its Lincoln location on July 29 after six years in business. The closure was announced via Facebook. The original Omaha location near 180th & Dodge remains open. The Lincoln closure leaves the Omaha restaurant as the brand’s only remaining location. – Nicole Buntgen

The Hampton Inn & Suites Omaha UN Medical Center Area is now open at 4401 Douglas Street. The 6-story hotel has 96 rooms and is located a block north of Nebraska Medicine’s planned $2.2 billion hospital. Managed by MH Hospitality, the hotel offers self-contained parking and an available retail space. Amenities include contemporary accommodations, flexible event spaces, complimentary breakfast and a fitness center.

Hyper Energy Bar, a beverage chain from Urbandale, Iowa, is planning to open two locations in west Omaha. The first one, a 900 sq. ft. building on the southwest corner of 180th & West Maple Road, is now under construction. The second will be a double-drive-thru building southeast of 180th & Burke Street west of Village Pointe. Construction will start in early October with opening planned for January. Hyper Energy currently has seven locations – six in the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area and one in Iowa City.

Chicken N Pickle, a family-friendly entertainment complex, will no longer open its first Nebraska location at Tranquility Commons near 120th & Fort Street. Originally set to open this year, the Kansas City-based company announced a “strategic growth shift” in May to focus on its 13 existing locations across seven states. – Nicole Buntgen

H&H Kia has broken ground for a new car dealership on 9.77 acres between Walgreens and Core Bank southeast of 180th & Burke Street in Village Pointe West. The Kia dealership will include sales and service with enough space for 600 cars on site. Construction should be completed at the end of 2026. Kia has a current dealership in Papillion northeast of Highways 50 & 370.

Jensen Tire & Auto has started construction on a new store on the southwest corner of 204th & N Street. The site is in front of a planned $40 million, 125,000 sq. ft. Baker’s Marketplace grocery store. Just to the north of the Jensen tire site, FNB0 has opened an ATM on a pad site that will eventually have a branch office. Just north of that is a brand-new Scooter’s Coffee. Jensen Tire has 22 existing locations.

Steelhouse Omaha plans to convert its existing outdoor space into an outdoor venue. Currently, the performance venue has concrete patio on the southwest corner of the building. Based on a building permit, the $92,000 project consists of three decks, two shipping containers, outdoor seating, turf and landscaping. – Isaiah Ang

As previously reported, Arkansas-based coffee chain, 7 Brew Coffee, is entering the market with locations in Fremont, Omaha (182nd & West Maple Road) and Council Bluffs. Next week, the Council Bluffs City Council will review a resolution for the development plan of the location at 2901 West Broadway, formally a U.S. Bank location. The existing bank building will be demolished. Plans show a coffee kiosk building with drive-thru and a separate storage and cooling building. The store will be drive-thru only. – Isaiah Ang

Riddle’s Jewelry is planning to open two additional Omaha area locations by the end of this year. The Rapid City, S.D.-based retailer has more than 60 stores in 10 states. The current Westroads Mall location will remain open. A second location at Shadow Lake Towne Center is anticipated to open soon after Labor Day across from Victoria’s Secret, adjacent to the amphitheater. The third location will be at Village Pointe, next to Claire’s, and is anticipated to open by November. – Isaiah Ang

A 55+ senior living project is planned for a 2.85-acre lot southwest of 192nd & Adams Street in the Falling Waters subdivision. According to city council documents, the project will consist of an 88-unit apartment building. The city council is currently reviewing an amendment to the mixed-use district development agreement to allow the project to reduce the required parking space from two spaces per unit to one space per unit. The planning department recommends approval. – Isaiah Ang

Qdoba Mexican Eats opened its new Elkhorn-area store yesterday in the former Oklahoma Joe’s barbeque space at 1405 South 204th Street. Oklahoma Joe’s closed the restaurant several months ago but continues to operate a store at Aksarben Village. Qdoba now has 11 Omaha-area locations.

Council Bluffs continues to make progress on the East Manawa Phase 1 project. This phase includes 40 single-family homes for households making 80 percent or less of the area median income. Turn the Paige Homes is the developer. The city council will review a resolution to approve Sudbeck Homes as the builder for Phase 1. There were seven submittals in response to the Request for Proposals. Sudbeck Homes was chosen based on its experience building single-family home projects at scale and its ability to complete the project within the city’s stated guidelines. – Isaiah Ang

Lemon Tree Cafe has reopened at 7614 Main Street in Ralston following a fire on March 6. The family-owned, breakfast-and-brunch spot has added menu items. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Nicole Buntgen

Union Pacific today confirmed it is in advanced discussions with Norfolk Southern Railway regarding a merger. “There can be no assurances as to whether an agreement for a transaction will be reached or as to the terms of any such transaction,” a UP press release stated. Omaha-based Union Pacific has a market value of $140 billion, while Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern is valued at $60 billion. If the deal survives regulatory scrutiny, it would create the first coast-to-coast railroad in U.S. history.

Omaha Public Power District reported that its customers pay some of the lowest electrical rates in the country. Based on 2023 data, customers pay 15.8 percent below the regional average and 27.4 percent below the national average. For residential customers, rates were 14 percent below the regional and 24.9 percent below national. Industrial users paid 11.6 percent below the regional and 13.6 percent below the national average. Commercial rates were particularly low with rate below 22.2 percent of the regional  and 32.9 percent of the national average. – Isaiah Ang

Front Porch Investments and New Visions Homeless Services announced a Request-for-Proposals from “qualified and mission-aligned real estate developers” to lead the development of a community-centered, affordable or mixed-income housing project on a currently vacant 4.72-acre site located south of 96th & Cady Avenue. NVHS is in the early stages of developing 46 units of permanent supportive housing for senior veterans on the parcel to the north of this site. – Mark Champion

Poarch Chiropractic will host a ribbon cutting August 7 at its new clinic at 10208 South 168th Avenue near 168th & Cornhusker Road. The practice offers holistic care including manual and extremity adjustments, activator methods, needle-less acupuncture and digital X-rays. – Nicole Buntgen