Weekly Market Report – September 16, 2021

Piccolo Pete’s, the legendary South Omaha Italian steakhouse that operated near 20th & Martha Street from 1934 to 2015, is coming back to life. The grandson of Piccolo’s founder plans to open a smaller version of the restaurant near 1st & Washington Street in downtown Papillion. Many of the old menu favorites will return.

The Elkhorn area is getting its own Chipotle. Construction is now underway on a free-standing Chipotle, which will include a drive-through lane, in front of the Menard’s home improvement store located northwest of 204th & West Dodge Road.

A new restaurant owned by a Tennessee couple is coming to the Inner Rail Food Hall at Aksarben Village. Smash Omaha will open October 8th. The restaurant’s website gives the following description: “Amazing Smash Burgers and Some Killer Chicken Sandwiches.”

Urban + Slate plans to open at 1314 South 205th Street during the first week of November. The store will sell home accents, small furniture pieces and seasonal décor.

Last week, we reported that Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in La Vista has reopened after a pandemic-fueled shutdown. We have more good news – Alamo’s Midtown Crossing location at 3201 Farnam plans to open in late October.

Kum & Go is constructing a new Fresh Market convenience store and gas station on 114th Street north of Highway 370 in Papillion.

The “Restaurant & Retail Updates” section is sponsored by TR Construction, and Omaha-based commercial and industrial company “building concrete excellence.”

Construction at Creighton University

The historic building boom currently underway at Creighton University is about to give future first-year students a brand-new, fully modern residence hall. The 5-story building will be constructed at 23rd & Burt Street and will house 400 students. Completion is scheduled before the fall 2023 semester.

Though construction is already well underway, an official groundbreaking ceremony will take place tomorrow.

The $37 million building will be the first Creighton residence hall built exclusively for first-year students since the 1960s and the first new residence hall of any kind since 2006.

Accommodations will consist of two adjoining rooms, two double-occupancy bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a central community kitchen. Each floor will have kitchenettes, as well as dedicated spaces for student development programs. Site preparation began May 17th.

The new residence hall is one of many construction projects taking place at Creighton University. The residence hall will be located a few blocks east of the future site of the recently announced CL Werner Center for Health Sciences Education, which will serve as the new home of the School of Medicine and as an interprofessional hub for all Creighton health sciences schools and colleges.

The CL Werner Center and other initiatives in the health sciences in Phoenix will make Creighton the nation’s largest Catholic health professions educator.

This section is sponsored by SEi. For more than 50 years, Security Equipment Incorporated has been your Omaha owned, trusted security partner. SEI protects life and property by designing, installing, monitoring and servicing your security, fire, video surveillance and access control systems. Learn more HERE!

Northpoint Recovery has opened a 44-bed inpatient treatment facility for addiction-recovery patients in a renovated building at 7215 Ontario Street. The $10 million center provides addiction treatment and behavioral health services, including partial hospitalization, outpatient therapy and relapse prevention. In addition to the new Omaha center, the Boise, Idaho-based organization has centers in Denver and Seattle.

The future Kiewit Luminarium under construction on Lewis & Clark Landing downtown has topped out. That means crews have installed the highest piece of structural steel.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded the University of Nebraska Medical Center the largest research grant in its history. UNMC’s Great Plains Institutional Development Award program for Clinical and Translational Research this month received a five-year, $20.3 million research grant. The grant is a renewal of a record $20 million National Institutes of Health grant received in 2016.

Dirt work is underway on a future Tommy’s Express Carwash southwest of 84th & Highway 370 in Papillion. Tommy’s has another location under development and very close to opening at 180th & West Dodge Road.

Unprecedented donor support led to record-breaking philanthropy for Creighton University in fiscal year 2021. The University secured $143,6 million in total commitments, with more than 17,300 alumni, foundations, corporations, religious organizations, parents, faculty and staff making gifts or pledges to 625 University funds. The total far exceeded Creighton’s previous fundraising record of $80.6 million in 2018.

Speaking of Creighton, here’s more good news…The university was ranked in the top third of national universities by U.S. News & World Report earlier this month. Of the approximately 1,400 four-year colleges and universities nationwide ranked by U.S. News, only 389 (or about 20%) are classified as National Universities. These universities are recognized by U.S. News for offering a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates.

This section is sponsored by Midtown Crossing, an energetic, eclectic destination in the heart of Omaha. Be sure and stay connected to all the new retailer announcements, food and drink specials and the lively line-up of events in Turner Park by clicking HERE!

Eagle Mortgage is a locally owned, full-service mortgage company helping you with Conventional, VA, FHA and USDA loans in both Nebraska & Iowa, including the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.

Whether you are buying a home or looking to refinance an existing loan, Eagle Mortgage can help you realize your dream of homeownership or help you save money by obtaining a lower monthly payment. Eagle has plenty of experience with first-time home buyers too.

Learn more HERE!

Real Estate News from CoStar – – Brick-and-mortar retail was struggling even before the pandemic, because of e-commerce’s rise, and that trend was exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak. So landlords are seeking new ways to fill vacancies left by the flood of retailers that didn’t survive COVID-19, in some cases looking for non-traditional retail tenants to drive foot traffic or even convert or totally raze malls for new uses, such as logistics.

The $40 million “1623 Data Center” is planning a grand opening celebration September 23rd. The downtown data center is a carrier-neutral data facility and is located in an 8-story building adjacent to the Douglas County Courthouse.

A new study from CareerCloud shows America’s labor crisis surged in August to a record 10.9 million jobs unfilled, and Nebraska has the number-2 largest labor shortage in the country. The rankings were determined by comparing the number of unemployed people with job openings across the three major job boards in every state. Nebraska ranks second with 1.80 job openings per unemployed person.

FNBO will join a new digital lending platform launched by Citi dedicated to expanding access to capital and financial services for small business owners. The platform will match local and regional banks with local small businesses in need of capital for improvements and expansion projects. A total of 18 local banks across the Southeast and Rocky Mountain regions are already participating.

The Heartland Developers Conference, sponsored by the AIM Institute will take place September 27-29 at CHI Health Center Omaha. The conference brings together technology experts from around the region.

Omaha law firm Carlson & Burnett has changed its name to Burnett Wilson Law, LLP. The new name reflects personnel changes. The firm has 12 attorneys and is located at 17525 Arbor Street.

This section is sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland, the local, trusted franchise experts. They are “in the business of helping you get into business!”

Angela McGraw is the new director of Do Space, a private, non-profit technology library located at 72nd & Dodge Street. McGraw will lead Do Space’s commitment of providing STEM education and access to technology across Omaha.

Denise Natali-Paine is the new vice president of Cox Business Sales in Omaha. She has more than 25 years of experience in commercial technology, digital strategy and cable industries.

The First Responders Foundation has named former Omaha World-Herald publisher Todd Sears as its new president. Sears retired in February after a 33-year career in the newspaper publishing industry.

i3 Bank has added Debbie Lutton as vice president of commercial banking. i3 was formerly known as Bank of Bennington.

The “People in the News” section is sponsored by Baird Holm LLP. Baird Holm’s dedicated team of real estate lawyers has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate law, including purchases, sales, zoning and land use, leasing, and dispute resolution. Click HERE for more information.

The Grow Omaha radio show broadcasts live every Saturday morning at 9:00, but now you can watch videos of each episode instead of just listening.

Grow Omaha’s brand-new website features video footage shot inside the radio studio during each week’s show!

Videos include News of the Week, Lightning Round, guest interviews, and “Grow Omaha Uncut,” a behind-the-scenes look at what happens during commercial breaks.

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