A vacant building at 2211 Douglas Street is slated for redevelopment. The project will be part of massive wave of downtown Omaha redevelopment projects and will bring badly needed affordable housing to the urban core.
The 3-story building was once the 402 Hotel, and before that was an EconoLodge motel. The property is controlled by Front Porch Investments and Together.
The two local organizations released a Request for Proposal earlier this year to redevelop the former hotel into affordable housing. The property was most recently used as non-congregate shelter by Together during the pandemic and is now vacant.
The 20,000 sq. ft. structure opened in 1964 and sits on a 29,555 sq. ft. lot. Since becoming vacant, the building has become an eyesore as plywood covers the first-floor doors and windows.
The selected developer, Lincoln-based Hoppe Development, plans to build a 73-unit, mixed-income, senior housing community with more than half of the units affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income.
“This redevelopment will preserve affordability in a rapidly changing part of the city and contribute to broader urban core revitalization efforts,” said a newsletter released by Front Porch Investments.
In addition, through a partnership with the Spark Co-Developer Apprenticeship program (a Front Porch grant-funded initiative), Hoppe will work alongside an emerging developer throughout the development process to build capacity and equity in the industry, according to Front Porch Investments.
Demolition of the existing structure is anticipated to occur this summer, with construction beginning in spring 2026. Pending approvals, the first residents could move in by fall 2027.
This project will be part of a flurry of redevelopment activity in the downtown area that is seeing more than a thousand apartment units are being converted out of previously non-residential buildings.
