Grow Omaha
Stories

Visitors to The RiverFront will encounter something different this summer: a small house that demonstrates a different way to build and live in Omaha. “ADU at The RiverFront” will showcase a model Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) based on Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture’s award-winning design from AARP Nebraska’s ADU for U competition. Construction on the model ADU began this week at Heartland of America Park’s 8th Street Plaza, where it will be displayed through October. Also known as a backyard cottage, an in-law suite, or a carriage house, an ADU is a small home located on the same property as a larger primary residence. As Omaha faces increasing housing affordability challenges, ADUs are one way that homeowners can create new housing in their own backyard. The City of Omaha recently reformed its zoning rules to allow ADUs in more neighborhoods, and launched ADU Omaha, a web resource featuring ADU plans and a guide to building ADUs in Omaha. ADU at The RiverFront will shine a...

By George Morgan On Saturday, the Oracle of Omaha announced that he was stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. It was an event everybody knew was going to happen, but no one dared say it out loud. We didn’t know when it would happen or how it would happen, but we knew the appointed hour was getting closer. When the details of this year’s Berkshire annual meeting were revealed, I could smell change in the air. There would be no Charlie to banter with. The traditional format was a morning Q&A, a lunch break followed by an afternoon Q&A. This year, the afternoon Q&A was cancelled. The real peek behind the curtain came when CNBC announced that they would carry the Q&A session LIVE! Back in the day, attendance at the Wood Stock of Capitalism was reserved for special people only. You had to be a Berkshire share holder to attend. Strap hangers need not apply. At the Berkshire meetings of the early 1990s, Buffett began pontificating that Berkshire had attained such a...

A major effort to revamp a stretch of North Saddle Creek Road officially kicks off Monday morning. Omaha City Council president Pete Festersen, Saddle Creek Business Improvement District chair Josh Hannum, Metcalfe-Harrison Neighborhood president Will Meinen, and philanthropic partners will break ground on the $5 million revitalization of the Saddle Creek Neighborhood Business District on Monday, May 5, at 10 a.m. Attendees will toast the project with champagne-on-tap from the Homy Inn and commence construction with partners Olsson, Benesch, and Vrana Construction. The project will increase walkability and pedestrian safety by widening sidewalks, adding a 10-foot pedestrian/bike path on the northside, and improving a dangerous five-way intersection. It will also improve aesthetics and security by adding new landscaping, decorative lighting and close to 100 parking stalls for small businesses. "Reinvesting in our neighborhood business districts is a proven model that attracts small...

By Tom O'Connor Omaha has no bigger supporters than Jeff Beals and Trenton Magid. The dynamic duo has parlayed their talents to create Grow Omaha Media, an enterprise that has successfully navigated the changing media landscape to become one of our community’s leading information sources. For all their efforts to boost pride in our great city, Beals and Magid will be honored by the Omaha Press Club on Thursday, May 22, when they will be enshrined as the 182nd Face on the Barroom Floor. In 2004, Beals and Magid co-founded Grow Omaha Media and started co-hosting the “Grow Omaha” radio show. For the past 19 years, the show has aired from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturdays on KFAB-AM (1110). In addition, each weekday at 7:54 a.m., KFAB airs a “Grow Omaha Minute” with the latest updates on the Omaha business scene. Beals and Magid are executive vice presidents at NAI NP Dodge commercial real estate, the nation’s longest-running real estate company. Beals also serves as president of Jeff Beals...

Gamescape by Cinemark, an indoor entertainment attraction, will be the first tenant at The Crossroads, according to a press release from Woodbury Corporation, which is developing former shopping mall at 72nd & Dodge Street. The to-be-constructed building is expected to be about 90,000 sq. ft. Gamescape by Cinemark is "an all-in-one immersive entertainment destination" that includes movie theaters, bowling, an arcade, laser tag, a full-service restaurant and more. Gamescape by Cinemark at The Crossroads will be the company’s only location in Nebraska and is one of the first anywhere. Salt Lake City-based Woodbury Corporation is developing the $850 million Crossroads project with its partner WRK Real Estate. The mixed-use development west of the existing Target store, will include residential, retail and office buildings as well as a public plaza and public parking structures. “We have been excited to share this tenant, and there’s nothing like it in the area,” said Jeff Woodbury,...

NAI NP Dodge, the commercial real estate division of N.P. Dodge, produces a report on Omaha’s commercial real estate market each quarter. Below are some highlights from the first quarter of this year. Office The 48.8 million sq. ft. Omaha office market ended the 1st quarter of 2025 with a vacancy rate of 8.0 percent, which was the same as last quarter. Absorption over the past 12 months was -451,000 sq. ft. Rental rates were down slightly to $24.44. Approximately 1.3 million sq. ft. of office space is under construction at this time, a little more than last quarter. Retail More than 66.6 million sq. ft. of retail space was considered for this report, which is based on CoStar data. At this time, 281,000 sq. ft. of retail space is under construction, which is up a bit from last quarter. Vacancy went up to 4.5 percent. Rental rates were $17.67 per square foot. The 12-month net absorption was 539,000 sq. ft. at the end of the quarter, up from the previous period. Industrial Omaha’s...

The Root Coworking, a fast-growing provider of coworking spaces plans to open in North Downtown Omaha. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company will open the Omaha location this June. The Root will occupy two floors of the recently constructed mixed-use building at 1501 Mike Fahey Street in the Builders District. This marks The Root’s fourth location and its second outside of Oklahoma. The expansion into Omaha aligns with the company’s mission to foster vibrant, community-focused workspaces in emerging neighborhoods. “We’ve been eyeing Omaha for a while, and when we were introduced to this opportunity in the Builders District, we knew it was the perfect fit,” said Ben Von Drehle, founder & CEO of The Root Coworking. “The neighborhood is growing fast, it’s walkable, it's packed with energy — everything we look for when choosing a new home for our brand, and our members.” The new location, referred to as “The Root - Builders,” is being developed in partnership with Omaha-based Noddle...

Avenue Scholars last week celebrated 17 years of equipping Omaha-area students with the tools to succeed in high-demand careers – retaining the city’s next generation of talent. Avenue Scholars Day drew community leaders, employers, educators, and program alumni to highlight the program’s impact. Avenue Scholars supports students, particularly those navigating financial or personal adversity, through high school and into the workforce, offering individualized coaching, career exploration and strong partnerships with nearly 2,000 local employers. To date, the program has served more than 4,000 students and boasts a 97 percent high school graduation rate since 2014. The program’s alumni are living proof of its success. Biye Belew credits Avenue Scholars with helping him find and prepare for a career he is passionate about. "I wake up proudly each day knowing the support I received along my journey helped me find my way to a career that serves the people of Omaha, and allows me...

Forty new affordable houses are coming soon to Council Bluffs as part of a major housing initiative in the East Manawa neighborhood. The City of Council Bluffs, in partnership with Turn the Paige Investments, is leading the effort to bring homeownership opportunities to families with moderate incomes. The East Manawa development is part of a broader effort to expand housing options in Council Bluffs. In 2022, the city invested $2 million from its American Rescue Plan Act allocation to purchase 93 acres in East Manawa for a mixed-income housing development. Building on this momentum, the Iowa West Foundation committed $4 million in 2024 to support the city’s housing development program, which aims to add 1,300 new residential units over the next decade. The 40 new houses will be priced at $175,000, with buyers eligible for $35,000 in down payment assistance. Each house will feature two or three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a one-car garage, and a built-in tornado shelter. Construction is...

The City of Council Bluffs is exploring monumental changes to their riverfront in order to address a housing shortage. That could lead to dense development along the Missouri River’s east bank. Council Bluffs has been making incremental and landscape-changing moves at River’s Edge, an area north of Interstate 480, for more than a decade. The completion of Tom Hanafan Park in 2013 set the stage for ongoing commercial redevelopment in the area, including a 4-story office building and hundreds of apartments already completed, still under construction or being planned. Additionally, construction has gone vertical for the long-awaited River’s Edge Phase 4 amenities, including the Treetop Walk and MidAmerican Energy Adventure Tower. The latter includes a 138-foot tall observation tower, a 50-foot rock-climbing wall and a roll-glide track. While these projects have transformed the Council Bluffs riverfront, the city has even more ambitious plans. Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh has been...

Local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony this week for a $45 million City of Omaha community and athletic complex in northeast Omaha. Construction will begin next month on the Levi Carter Park Activity and Sports Complex inside Levi Carter Park along the north shore of Carter Lake. The site is just west of Eppley Airfield. The 114,625 sq. ft. building will include the largest basketball facility in Omaha with 10 indoor courts that can be converted into 14 volleyball courts. The center will also have a computer lab, classroom for distance learning, medical exam and tele-health rooms, community meeting space, fitness facility and a wrestling room. The outdoor space includes four artificial turf soccer fields, picnic shelters, a grand lawn and a designated food truck area. “This is an investment in youth and families, offering access to services and programs, and creating new tourism and development opportunities surrounding Levi Carter Park,” said Mayor Jean Stothert. The complex...

Project Game ON, a redevelopment initiative near 35th & Ames Avenue, will include a new football stadium for Omaha North High School and a completely rebuilt Butler-Gast YMCA building. Retired North High Principal Gene Haynes, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, and officials from Omaha Public Schools and the YMCA of Greater Omaha announced a plan yesterday to build North High’s future home stadium for football and soccer, among other sports and activities. The new Butler-Gast YMCA will be right next to the stadium. After years of community discussion and anticipation, both the YMCA and stadium will be ready for the public in the summer of 2027. “When I heard about this project, I was knocked off my feet,” said Haynes, who was a teacher and an administrator in the Omaha Public Schools for more than 40 years. “The first game at the new stadium will be a homecoming for all of the current students, and on top of that, for generations of former students.” Located along the south side of Ames...