DRAFT URBAN DESIGN ELEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PACKAGE READY FOR CITY CONSIDERATION
June 21, 2007
June 21, 2007
DRAFT URBAN DESIGN ELEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PACKAGE READY FOR CITY CONSIDERATION
OMAHA – Representatives from the development community joined Mayor Mike Fahey and others June 21 for the official unveiling of a groundbreaking package of zoning code revisions and additions that has positioned Omaha to become the first city of its size to develop and implement a comprehensive urban design plan. The event was held at 9 a.m. at the First National Bank Tower Winter Garden.
The package, based on the Urban Design Element’s 73 recommendations, will be considered by the city’s governing bodies this summer. The Element lays out a framework for changing the quality of development in Omaha while protecting and enhancing the city’s natural environment.
For the past 18 months, a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) has worked with the City of Omaha Planning Department, city officials, Omaha by Design and the project’s nationally renowned urban design consultants to draft the code revisions and additions. The TAG is comprised of members of the development and design communities, as well as others representing civic interests.
“I’d like to thank the TAG and our City Planning Department for their extraordinary efforts in developing an implementation package for the Urban Design Element that makes sense for our city, our development community, and – most importantly – our residents,” said Mayor Mike Fahey. “Many cities have vision, but few have the fortitude to do what it takes to turn that vision into reality. Once approved by the Planning Board and City Council, I anticipate these changes to guide the growth and development of our city for generations to come, with the quality of development that Omaha deserves.”
TAG member John Fullenkamp, Fullenkamp, Doyle & Jobeun, said the proposed package will provide the development community with a fair and consistent process for addressing new development and redevelopment projects. He also noted the collaborative nature of the TAG. “As a working group, we employed debate, experimentation and creativity to come up with solutions for complex issues, and we have agreed to remain in place for 12 months to resolve any unforeseen issues that arise from the changes.”
The Omaha Planning Board will consider the package at a special meeting set for Wednesday, June 27. It will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Legislative Chamber of the City/County Building, 1819 Farnam St. “When the private and public sectors work together, we start turning the Omaha by Design vision into reality,” said John Lund, president/CEO of The Lund Company and a member of the Omaha by Design Advisory Committee. “This urban design plan helps lead Omaha in a positive direction of growth and encourages developers to build projects in a more responsible way for our community. Omaha by Design has drafted a blueprint for a prosperous and desirable future for Omaha, and we all must do our part to help bring out its full potential.”
Steve Jensen, director of planning for the City of Omaha, said many of the proposed revisions and additions have been informally put into practice by the planning staff for the past eight years, one of the longest and strongest commercial growth periods in the city’s history.
The Omaha City Council will consider the Omaha Planning Board’s recommendation at council meetings later this summer.
“We want more than a great downtown,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “We want a great city that values the intrinsic characteristics of its many sectors. The passage of this package will help make this possible.”
The entire package of revisions and additions is available on the Omaha by Design web site at www.omahabydesign.org.
For more information, contact Spellman at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.