A coalition of local business owners and residents has formed the Streetcar Impact Alliance, an organization focused on the economic and residential health of the Harney and Farnam corridors during the streetcar project.
Businesses between 13th and 42nd streets are reporting “significant drops in foot traffic, confusing road closures and a lack of direct financial mitigation from the city,” according to a press release.
“The alliance was formed to move beyond individual complaints and create a unified voting and economic bloc to negotiate directly with city officials and the Omaha Streetcar Authority,” the press release said.
The alliance will hold its first public meeting tomorrow – Monday, February 23 – and encourages business owners and residents affected by the project to attend.
The meeting will be held at Mercury, a bar at 329 South 16th Street, starting at 6 p.m.
The meeting will focus on the rollout of the streetcar impact survey, an initiative designed to quantify the total financial loss across the corridor. This data will be presented to the city council to advocate for a formal mitigation fund and improved signage, the alliance said.
The Streetcar Impact Alliance is a non-partisan collective representing the interests of stakeholders along the Harney and Farnam corridors. The mission is “to ensure that Omaha’s progress does not come at the cost of the small businesses and residents who define the city’s urban core.”
