Grow Omaha
News Briefs

Con Azúcar Café, a new café located inside Isla Del Mar Restaurante II, will host its soft opening July 27th at 2502 South 133rd Plaza. This is the franchise’s first Nebraska location, with three existing locations in San José, Calif. Con Azúcar describes itself as “a little piece of Mexico in every sip, in every smile and in every shared moment.” – Nicole Buntgen

The Urban Land Institute named Omaha’s Riverfront Revitalization project as one of 10 developments to win a 2024 Americas Award for Excellence. The award recognizes superior developments and considers the entire development process including planning, design, management and economic impact. Other winners from the Midwest include the Bottleworks District in Indianapolis, Lincoln Common in Chicago and Pillars of the Valley in St. Louis. Winners become finalists for ULI’s Global Awards for Excellence. – Isaiah Ang

The Back Nine, an indoor simulated golf venue, will hold a grand opening celebration this Saturday at its new 2,140 sq. ft. space at 10730 Pacific Street in Regency Landing. The Back Nine is open 24-hours-per-day and allows customers to play simulated versions of famous golf courses. The St. George, Utah-based company had 12 previously opened locations in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee and South Carolina. – Grow Omaha staff

Via Farina, a modern Italian restaurant in Omaha’s Little Italy District, plans to open a second location this fall. The location has not yet been announced. Owned by Maven Social, the restaurant is known for its wood-fired, sourdough Neapolitan-style pizzas. – Nicole Buntgen

A new rooftop bar is coming soon to Benson. The Tenant will open the first week of August at 6201 Maple Street, across from The Waiting Room. The Asian-inspired smokehouse and bar will also cater, host private parties and offer a signature frozen drink program at its Rooftop Rosé Garden, according to its website. – Nicole Buntgen

The owner of a 5-acre parcel southeast of 204th & West Dodge Road has plans for future development. According to city planning board and city council documentation, the parcel may be developed into commercial space or multifamily housing. It neighbors the north side of the Extra Storage Space storage facility at 204th & Farnam Street. – Isaiah Ang

30hop, a bar and grill with rotating seasonal craft beers, is opening its fourth location – and first in Nebraska – late this year in Heartwood Preserve southwest of 144th & West Dodge Road. 30hop started in Iowa City and has additional locations in Coralville and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. –Grow Omaha staff

HomeGrown, a breakfast-and-lunch eatery featuring locally-sourced dishes, plans to open this fall on first floor of the 15-story Blackstone Plaza building at 36th & Farnam Street. The Wichita, Kansas-based restaurant has 10 existing locations in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Arkansas. – Grow Omaha staff

The Too Good To Go app, the world’s largest B2C marketplace for surplus food, was recently launched in Omaha. The app helps reduce food waste by connecting users with discounted surplus food from restaurants and retailers. Current area retailers include Krispy Kreme and Whole Foods in Regency. – Nicole Buntgen

U.S. News & World Report has named the University of Nebraska Medical Center a Tier 1 institution for primary care training. In a shift from its former numerical rankings, the magazine now groups medical schools into four tiers. UNMC was one of only 15 institutions in the top tier for primary care training. Those institutions were in the 85th percentile or higher of medical schools ranked. UNMC also was named a Tier 2 institution for research. There are 16 institutions in Tier 1 and 36 in Tier 2, a ranking between the 50th and 84th percentile.

El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant will begin serving brunch at its 12405 West Center Road in Westwood Plaza within the next three weeks. Other locations include La Vista, Gretna and Blair. No brunch plans have been announced for the restaurant’s other locations. – Nicole Buntgen

For an 11th straight month, Creighton University’s overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below growth neutral, according to the July survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy. The region’s overall reading for July sank to 41.3, its lowest reading since November 2023, and down from 41.7 in June. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50.0 representing growth neutral. – Grow Omaha staff

Koen Japanese BBQ & Sushi will open this fall in Blackstone next to the new Insomnia Cookies at 3863 Farnam Street, according to B Douglas Construction Solutions, which is building out the project. Koen’s existing location is in Lincoln, which opened in 2018.- Nicole Buntgen

Alliance Sports, owner of Union Omaha, announced the development manager and design team for the future downtown soccer stadium and mixed-use development. Hines, which is also working on the ConAgra campus, will be the development manager. Global architecture and design firm Perkins & Will is partnering with Omaha-based RDG Planning & Design to lead design and planning. The 18-acre development site is along Abbott Drive near the Gallup campus. The new stadium would allow Union Omaha to move up to the USL Championship tier. – Isaiah Ang

For the first time ever, Eppley Airfield saw more than half a million passengers flying through in a single month. The total of 514,758 passengers in June broke the previous record of 487,205 set the month prior in May. The new milestone is also an 8.8 percent increase over June 2023 passenger totals. – Grow Omaha staff

WarHorse Casino at Horseman’s Park plans to open Phase One on August 8, subject to final approval of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission. This initial phase includes 900 gaming positions including slot machines, table games and a sportsbook. Phase Two, to be completed in April 2025, will add additional space for 1,200 slot machines and 20 table games, plus a dining area. The $250 million “racino” will host one live horse racing event this year but plans to expand to eight days annually. – Isaiah Ang

Omaha Public Power District held a ribbon cutting for its newest power generation facility last week. Platteview Solar consists of 188,000 solar panels on 500 privately owned acres near Yutan. Total capacity is 81 megawatts, enough to power 14,000 homes. It is the largest solar project in Nebraska. This project is just one of several to add 2.5 gigawatts of new generation to OPPD’s capacity. Other projects being completed this year are two new natural gas plants, which will have a combined capacity of 600 megawatts. – Isaiah Ang

Ivy Brook Academy, a half-day preschool, is opening August 12th in former FNBO branch building southeast of 168th & Giles Road. Ivy Brook started in Charlotte, N.C. and now has 60 locations. The closest existing locations are in Rogers, Ark. and in the Denver area. – Grow Omaha Staff

The former H&H Chevrolet dealership at 84th & L Street has been demolished. Once all the debris is removed, construction can begin on Food Bank for the Heartland’s $37 million, 105,000 sq. ft. new building. H&H recently moved to the Steel Ridge development near Interstate 80 & Highway 370. – Grow Omaha staff

Blue Hawaii, a new sushi restaurant, has officially opened at 1301 South 72nd Street in Aksarben. The locally owned restaurant is a spin-off concept from the owners of Oma’Oma’O Poke & Sushi at 124th & West Dodge Road. – Nicole Buntgen