Grow Omaha
Projects

Two of Omaha’s biggest construction projects currently underway are across 15^th Street from one another, and together, they are contributing to downtown’s increasing urban density.

On the east side of the street is Mutual of Omaha’s $600 million future headquarters building. When it’s complete late this year, the 677-foot, 800,000 sq. ft. tower will house thousands of employees and will include one of the state’s largest parking garages. The tower is getting close to its “topping-out” moment, when the final piece of structural steel is hoisted into position. Most of the exterior cladding is now in place.

One the west side of 15^th Street is The Duo. NuStyle Development is converting the twin towers of Central Park Plaza from office space into hundreds of apartment units. Sullivan’s Steakhouse, a tenant in the south tower, will remain. The Mill Coffee Shop is going into the ground floor of the north tower. The south tower is complete, and it’s 272 apartment units are already full. Renovations are underway on the north tower. As part of the project, the old Park Fair Mall (on the west side of the block along the east side of 16th Street) is being demolished. In its place will be a 12-story building that will include seven levels of parking (open to the public) and five multi-family floors with 150 apartments. Altogether, the three buildings will have more than 700 apartment units.

Photo by Brad Williams

Omaha’s leading network interconnect provider, 1623 Farnam, announced an expansion project last week. 1623 Farnam is both the name of the business and the location of its carrier hotel. During the pandemic, the 10-story building underwent a $40 million renovation. This facility offers 6MW of power, while the expansion will add another 5MW. The expansion appears to be located at 508 South 19^th Street, which the business apparently purchased in December 2025 under the name 508 S 19^th LLC. The existing building on that site is a 27,400 sq. ft., 2-story parking structure. While details are sparse, the project is planned to be completed in 2028. – Isaiah Ang

A long-awaited Starbucks Coffee building is finally making progress on the southeast corner of 96th & L Street just west of an existing Romeo’s restaurant. The free-standing building with a drive-thru replaces a former Well Fargo bank Building, which was demolished. Crews recently installed exterior signage on the building.

The City of Papillion plans to expand and upgrade its Papio Bay Aquatic Center, which is located at 815 East Halleck Street in Halleck Park. The city conducted a two-year study following a $1.1 grant from the state in order to develop the new plans. Once completed, the water park will include a six-lane pool, a new diving area, additional waterslides, lazy river and a kids’ play area with interactive spray features, along with an expanded bathhouse. The sand volleyball court is expected to be relocated, though its future location has not yet been determined. Construction is expected to begin this fall after the summer swim season ends. Completion is planned for 2027.

Construction has gone vertical on The Mueller, a $9.58 million, 4-story apartment building under construction at 2226 Howard Street. The building will occupy a quarter-acre site and house 34 residential units – 27 one-bedroom and 7 two-bedroom. The Mueller is part of a dense residential pocket that recently saw the completion of a larger, 5-story apartment building across the street.

Construction is progressing on the future Gretna Community Complex, with topping out expected to occur soon, according to Weitz, the project’s construction contractor. The 2-story, 60,000 sq. ft. building will be located near Jansen Drive and Highway 6/31 immediately west of Gretna Crossing Park.

The project combines the Gretna City Hall with the city’s main and children’s libraries, as well as a community center into one new building. Included are offices, conference rooms, formal meeting space for city bodies as well as for rent by the public, teaching kitchen and maker space. Indoor and outdoor gathering spaces and an outdoor pavilion provide additional programming and community areas.  Completion is planned for early next year. 

New Horizon Academy is building a 13,322 sq. ft. daycare center providing care for children ages 6 weeks to 59 months old at 16770 Willit Street. That’s northeast of 168^th & State Street in far northwest Omaha. The company is developing other Omaha locations near 192^nd & West Dodge Road in Avenue One and at 20618 R Street in the Coventry development. Based in Plymouth, Minn., New Horizon Academy has more than 100 schools in Minnesota, Idaho, Iowa, Colorado and Kansas.

McGregor Interests, Inc., has completed development of Omaha Contractor Bays’ 30,000 sq. ft. industrial building designed for small- to mid-sized industrial users northwest of 156th & Highway 36 in Bennington. Available suites are 1,250 to 5,000 sq. ft. and are tailored for contractors and tradespeople. Suites have retail storefronts, large overhead doors, high ceilings and customizable floor plans.