Grow Omaha
News Briefs
Retail Outlet Opens for Auto Detailers
Custom Detail Supply, a division of Custom Dealer Solutions, is opening a new retail store at 14730 Grover Street, just down the street from the company’s warehouse. The company serves professional detailers and Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts. The 1,500 sq. ft. retail space includes an area for videos and detail training. Grand opening is July 20th – Grow Omaha staff
Strong Rental Growth in Multifamily Real Estate Market
Omaha has the 10th highest annual multifamily rent growth among the nation’s major apartment markets, according to CoStar, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate analytics company. As of last month, annual rent in Omaha was up 2.8 percent. While that’s not necessarily good news for renters, it is a sign that the local market is healthy. The highest rent growth occurred in Louisville, Ky. (5.1%). The lowest was in Austin (-5.5%). – Grow Omaha staff
Nordstrom Rack Sets Grand Opening Date
Nordstrom Rack plans to hold a grand opening celebration Thursday, October 24th for its first Nebraska store at Village Pointe Shopping Center in Omaha. The Seattle-based, off-price, department store will open in a 30,000 sq. ft. space formerly occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond at 255 North 170th Street. – Grow Omaha staff
Dunkin’ Donuts Coming to NW Omaha
Dunkin’ Donuts will open soon on the northeast corner of 156th & Ida Street. The store will operate in an end-cap space with a drive-thru, which is part of the 22,030 sq. ft. Waterford Crossing retail strip center. Other existing tenants include Big Red Neighborhood Grill & Sports Bar, Bussey Physical Therapy and several others. – Grow Omaha staff
Funny Bone Comedy Club Moving to Miracle Hills
Funny Bone Comedy Club has signed a lease to move into a 16,270 sq. ft. space in Miracle Hills. Funny Bone will be joined in the new space by Draftcade, an arcade bar and restaurant with locations in Kansas City; Toledo, Ohio; and Richmond, Va. Opening is planned for June 2025. Perkins-Critser Construction recently renovated the center, which is northwest of 114th & West Dodge Road. Funny Bone’s Omaha location is currently at Village Pointe. The Ohio-based company operates 15 comedy clubs in eight states. – Grow Omaha staff
Caribbean Restaurant Opens in North Downtown
Elie’s Chinchorro Caribbean Bistro, a family-owned restaurant that closed in February, officially reopened in a new location at 906 North 16th Street near the Omaha Design Center. Grand opening is tomorrow. The restaurant offers authentic Caribbean flavors like mofongo and Tripleta sandwiches. – Nicole Buntgen
City of Omaha to Grant $2 Million to Improve Commercial Districts
The City of Omaha plans to allocate its final $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act money to seven Business Improvement Districts: Benson, Blackstone, Downtown, Dundee, North 24th Street, North Saddle Creek and South Omaha. If approved by the city council next week, the BIDs would use their allotted share of the money to make security and safety improvements such as new lighting, crosswalk bollards and concrete repairs. – Grow Omaha staff
Southside Terrace Redevelopment Breaks Ground
The Southside Terrace public housing redevelopment project at 28th & W Street is underway. The $35 million first phase consists of a 4-story, 92-unit, apartment building, which will replace two, 16-unit buildings. Thirty-nine units will be reserved for previous Southside Terrace residents. The remaining apartments will be a mix of income-restricted and market-rate units. Another six phases are in progress that will add hundreds more mixed-income apartments, in addition to new community, commercial and retail space. – Isaiah Ang
Insomnia Cookies Opens Blackstone Location
Insomnia Cookies has officially opened its second Omaha store at 3863 Farnam Street in the Blackstone Square. Insomnia’s other location is in the Capitol District downtown at 1101 Davenport Street, Suite 120. – Nicole Buntgen
New Tesla Dealership in Council Bluffs
Tesla is relocating its Council Bluffs leasing and service center later this month. It is currently located near Mall of the Bluffs. The new location will be at 2421 Mid-America Drive, west of the Mid-America Center. Tesla will have a grand opening for the new location on July 19th. – Isaiah Ang
New Popcorn Bar in the Old Market
PaC’s Popcorn & Cocktails has officially opened in the Old Market at 1118 Howard Street in place of previous tenant, The Table Coffee Co., which moved three doors to the west (into the former Stokes space). PaC’s specializes in upscale, gourmet popcorn paired with premium cocktails. – Nicole Buntgen
RV Park Planned Along Elkhorn River
The owner of a property on the Elkhorn River’s western edge is moving forward with a long-planned RV park. The 65-acre project is sandwiched between West Dodge Road & River Road Drive and the river. The developer had planned to develop 111 pad sites, but the city had concerns regarding design and operation plans. The developer resubmitted an application to allow camping on agricultural-zoned property, which the planning board approved last week. The developer now plans 67 pad sites and anticipates long-term tenants will lease the sites on a seasonal basis. – Isaiah Ang
National Magazine Honors 5 Omaha Restaurants
Wine Spectator Magazine has recognized five Omaha restaurants for their outstanding wine programs: Spencer’s for Steaks & Chops, V. Mertz, Dynamite Woodfire Grill, 801 Chophouse, and Sullivan’s Steakhouse. – Nicole Buntgen
Omaha Office Market Among the Nation’s Healthiest
Omaha’s office vacancy is only 7.1 percent, according to CoStar, a real estate analytics company. That means Omaha has the fourth-lowest office vacancy rate among the 40 major markets surveyed. Only Albany, N.Y.; the Inland Empire (California); and Providence, R.I. currently have less office vacancy. The markets with the highest office vacancy are San Francisco (21.2%), Houston (17.2%) and Dallas (16.5%). – Grow Omaha staff
Multi-Family Building Planned for 27th & Leavenworth
Clarity Development Company plans to build a 5-story, 194-unit apartment building southeast of 27th & Leavenworth Street. The layout includes 56 studio, 115 one-bedroom and 23 two-bedroom apartments. The planning board this week approved rezoning the site to a transit-oriented designation allowing for reduced parking ratios. The first floor will have 127 indoor parking stalls. An existing building at 810 South 26th Street will house an additional 12 parking stalls. – Isaiah Ang
New Bar Opening in the Old Market
A company called Shammy’s Pub and Grill has registered with the state of Nebraska to establish a restaurant and bar at 414 South 10th Street in the former Gate 10 location (previously known as Stadium Club). The Old Market spot is just west of Embassy Suites. – Nicole Buntgen
Jamba Opens First Nebraska Location
Jamba has opened its first Nebraska location in the former Scarlett Highway space at Nebraska Crossing. Jamba shares the space with Auntie Anne’s which had been in a different bay. Jamba sells fruit and vegetable smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices and some food items. The Atlanta-based chain has 764 stores in 36 states. The closest existing locations are in Minneapolis, Iowa City, Iowa and Wichita, Kan. – Grow Omaha staff
Housing Development Coming to North Omaha
Holy Name Housing Corporation is planning a $3.9 million housing project in north Omaha. Plans call for 13 single-family houses south of Lake Street near John A. Creighton Boulevard. Each house will have three bedrooms and two baths and will be listed for $250,000. The developer is seeking $515,000 in Tax Increment Financing. Construction should start this fall and be complete by May 2025. – Isaiah Ang
Fitness Studio Opening in the Builders District
Fly Fitness plans to open this fall in a recently completed, 4-story building at 1501 Mike Fahey Street in the Builders District downtown. Fly Fitness is headquartered in Lincoln and has five existing locations in Lincoln; Fargo, N.D.; and Loveland, Colo. – Grow Omaha staff
Big Improvements Planned for Midtown Neighborhood
The Saddle Creek Road Streetscape Improvement Project secured funding last week. Mammel Family Foundation and Sherwood Foundation are donating $250,000 and $2 million, respectively. The project consists of new pedestrian-oriented infrastructure, like sidewalks, lighting, landscaping and benches. New parallel parking stalls and bicycle parking will be constructed. The project location is along Saddle Creek Road between 50th and Hamilton streets. Construction should be complete by Summer 2025. – Isaiah Ang
Storm Debris Collection Update
The volume of debris from the July 31st storm in some neighborhoods far exceeds estimates, reinforcing the projected timeline that it could take three weeks or longer. Many people have pushed debris into the street, causing a driving hazard. Residents are asked to keep the street clear. City employees are working weekend shifts at debris drop-off locations and on curbside collection. – City of Omaha
Mediterranean Restaurant Plans to Open in Village Pointe
Meddys, a Mediterranean eatery and craft bar, plans to open its first Nebraska location inside the former Gunderson’s Jewelry store at Village Pointe shopping center. Kansas-based Meddys has nine existing locations all of them in the Wichita and Kansas City areas. The opening date is yet to be announced. – Grow Omaha staff
Via Farina Opening Second Location This Fall in Regency
Via Farina will open a second location this October in Regency Landing at 10730 Pacific Street in the corner bay next to Twisted Cork. Doubling the size of its current Little Italy location, the modern Italian restaurant will act as a production hub for both venues and will serve lunch, dinner, desserts and breads through an open-kitchen format. The concept will include a “pasta lab” where all pasta is made in-house behind a glass display, plus a cocktail bar and a “charcuterie island” with portions cut to order. – Nicole Buntgen
Popular Pizzeria Reopens Downtown
Frank’s Pizzeria officially reopened its Capitol District location yesterday at 1170 Capitol Avenue under new ownership after closing in January. Frank’s also operates a location at The Alley in Bellevue at 601 Chateau Drive. The restaurant specializes in New York-style pizzas. – Nicole Buntgen
Downtown Tower Crane Rises 80 Feet
The giant tower crane at the Mutual of Omaha headquarters downtown construction site rose 80 feet yesterday as workers added four, 20-foot sections. The higher tower crane will allow the shear core to keep climbing. The concrete core has been poured through level 17. Crews are now working on level 18. – Grow Omaha staff
Sip-and-Paint Business Coming to Benson
Board & Brush, a sip-and-paint woodworking studio, will open its first Nebraska location at 6016 Maple Street in Benson. An official opening date has yet to be announced. The franchise describes itself as a creative studio that combines woodworking with DIY projects and has nearly 300 locations across 43 states. – Nicole Buntgen
Quiznos Returns to Omaha Market
Quiznos, a once-popular sub sandwich restaurant chain, has returned to the Omaha market inside the Gretna Pump & Pantry near Nebraska Crossing. Pump & Pantry, a Nebraska-based convenience store, recently announced an expanded Quiznos partnership with plans for six additional Nebraska locations by 2026, with four currently in operation. Quiznos had nearly 5,000 locations nationwide in the early 2000s. - Nicole Buntgen
UNMC Wins City Approval for Student Housing
The University of Nebraska Medical Center received Omaha Planning Board approval of a rezoning application this week for a property southwest of 38th & Dewey. The property had older student housing and surface parking. The old housing has been demolished, making way for a new student and staff housing project. UNMC plans to build 300 residential units at the site. - Isaiah Ang
ALDI Plans to Build Store at 192nd & Highway 370
ALDI is heading to the Gretna Landing development just northwest of 192nd & Highway 370 at 19311 Oakmont Drive. The supermarket chain’s location will be south of the future Fleet Farm superstore and west of the largest Hy-Vee in the country, which opened in June 2023. ALDI has seven area locations and is currently hiring for a full-time assistant store manager at its new store. - Nicole Buntgen
Bakery Opens La Vista Retail Outlet
Happy Mango Bakery recently opened in La Vista at 9635 Giles Road, near Ref’s Sports Bar at 96th & Giles. The family-owned bakery offers ready-made treats, custom desserts, and classroom space for decorating classes. Supplies and packaging are provided, with classes ranging from creating monster cupcakes to decorating focaccia to learning cake fundamentals. - Nicole Buntgen