Grow Omaha
News Briefs

Swing 365, a membership-based business offering indoor golf simulators, filed a permit application to remodel an existing space at 11002 Prairie Brook Road in Rockbrook Village. Swing 365 has a current Omaha location at 6972 South 178th Plaza near 180th & Harrison Street. – Isaiah Ang

Brushi Bistro & Bar at 721 North 132nd Street in Linden Market has rebranded as The Linden House under new ownership. The updated restaurant features an expanded dining area and new menu concepts led by Omaha chefs Jenny Coco and Jared Combs, previously of J. Coco and M’s Pub. – Nicole Buntgen

The long awaited pickleball courts at the Riverfront Parks have been further delayed. MECA continues to wait for the issuance of the permit to construct the courts. It is the third of three permits that must be issued in sequential order. The other two permits are for bleacher panels adjacent to the Missouri River flood wall and for installation of pumps underneath the I-480 Bridge. According to the notes, the RFP’s would go out immediately after the permits are issued. As early as September 18, MECA posted public notice of bids for fencing, landscaping, flatwork and lighting for the pickleball courts. Originally scheduled for late 2024, MECA now expects the courts to be open next May. – Isaiah Ang

Sephora, a national make-up and beauty store, has a permit to renovate the former Eddie Bauer space at One Pacific Place. The standalone store will be the second of its kind in Omaha – other stores are located within Kohl’s department stores. Sephora’s other standalone store is at Village Pointe. According to the permit, the renovation includes more than 5,300 sq. ft. of interior and exterior work. – Isaiah Ang

Omaha voters passed all six bond issues on yesterday’s ballot, including one for $146 million in public facilities bond that would help expand the CHI Health Center Omaha’s convention and meeting space. The bond issues also covered public safety, streets, infrastructure improvements and parks.

Drury Development Corporation, part of St. Louis-based Drury Hotels, recently purchased a half city block at 322 South 10th Street in the Old Market. The 34,848 sq. ft. parcel is currently a surface parking lot on the northwest corner of 10th & Harney Street. The purchase price was a stunning $179.35 per square foot. The property was listed for sale by Justin Spooner and Michael Miller of Colliers. Drury has more than 150 locations in 26 states. The hotel chain does not currently operate in Nebraska but has an 8-story, 252-room hotel under construction in downtown Lincoln.

Redline Athletics will open its first Nebraska or Iowa location Monday, November 11th at 4 p.m. at 17878 Oakmont Drive in Gretna. Redline offers speed, agility and strength training for 8-to-18-year-olds customized for every sport. The facility is located northeast of 180th & Highway 370 and will have two batting cages plus a pitching machine. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has locations in 23 states. The closest exiting ones are in Kansas City and North Sioux City, S.D.

Cutchall Management Company has completed construction of Skyline Landing, a 1-story, 11,180 sq. ft. office building at 1630 North Main Street in the Elkhorn area, according to Lee & Associates, which has the building listed for sale and lease. Office sizes range from 1,565 to 11,180 sq. ft.

Rally Coffee Co. is opening a second location at 17878 Oakmont Drive in Gretna. That’s just north of Highway 370 in the same newly constructed retail strip where Net Par recently opened. Interior build-out is well underway. Rally Coffee’s current location is at 749 North 14th Street in North Downtown.

Council Bluffs and Omaha are working together to provide e-scooter transportation in the urban core. The Omaha City Council approved an interlocal agreement with its Iowa neighbor that formalizes the cities’ relationship and defines responsibilities in managing a regional e-scooter program. Council Bluffs agreed to allow use of e-scooters through the program already established in Omaha, whose current partner is Lime. E scooters serve as an important last-mile, micro-transit option within an overall mobility plan. The initial term is one year, but there is an option to renew up to 10 years. – Isaiah Ang

Groundbreaking for the $60 million Bellevue Bay Water Park is now expected to take place in March instead of this fall, according to KMTV. Completion is still planned for late 2026. The major tourist attraction will be located at the Kennedy Freeway & Platteview Road.

Local Beer, Patio & Kitchen will not renew its Village Pointe lease at 17304 Davenport Street due to rising operating costs, with plans to close in early December. An exact date will be announced soon. The Millard location at 4909 South 135th Street will remain open. – Nicole Buntgen

SweetBeans Coffee will host a grand opening November 14th at 18960 Edna Street near 192nd & Harrison. The shop will feature gluten-free, sugar-free, non-dairy and organic options. Designed to give customers a full sensory experience, the shop lets visitors observe the coffee-roasting process firsthand. – Nicole Buntgen

METRO is building new bus shelters on the 30th Street corridor. The Omaha City Council approved an amendment to a lease agreement with the transit authority to allow three new bus shelters near the intersections of Bondesson and Hanover streets as well as Curtis Avenue. The agreement allows METRO to build bus shelters on city-owned property. Increasing the number of bus shelters is one component of METRONext, a master plan outlining future improvements to public transit throughout the metro. – Isaiah Ang

Sip and Spice, a new Thai and boba tea concept, will host a grand opening on Tuesday, November 5th at 6610 South 168th Street, near Pickleman’s and Skyybox Grill & Bar near 168th & Harrison. – Nicole Buntgen

Scissors and Scotch, a chain of men’s barber shops that include a cocktail, coffee or cold one with every haircut, will open next year at 17205 Evan St in Whispering Ridge. Perkins-Critser Construction will begin building out the space in a few weeks.

Elkhorn Center, a 72-acre, mixed-use district, is planned south of Elkhorn South High School. The development would include a mix of light industrial, retail and multifamily buildings. Light industrial appears to the predominant use with the plans calling for 180,000 sq. ft. spread over eight buildings, including six smaller 16,000 sq. ft. buildings. Retail development would total nearly 120,000 sq. ft. The residential component would be a 144-unit “apartminium” development. “Apartminiums” are rental units that boast condominium amenities, such as private entrances and garages. – Isaiah Ang

Baby Blue Sushi Sake Grill at 16939 Wright Plaza is temporarily closed for an expansion project. The popular restaurant in the Shops of Legacy is taking over the 2,000 sq. ft. bay next door. Blue plans to be open before Thanksgiving. The restaurant is one of many concepts from Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group.

Total Wine opened its first Nebraska or Iowa store yesterday in a former Bed Bath & Beyond space in The Shoppes at Aksarben southeast of 72nd & Pacific Street. The Maryland-based company has hundreds of stores in approximately 28 states. The closest previously existing stores are in Kansas City and Minneapolis.

Creighton University’s Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Minnesota to Arkansas, climbed slightly above the 50.0 growth neutral threshold. The October index rose to 51.1 from 48.1 in September. The October employment index sank to 44.2 from September’s 44.3. Despite falling manufacturing employment, approximately 11.1 percent of supply managers named labor shortages as their firm’s top threat to business operations in the months ahead.