July 14, 2010
Benson’s media mentions are on the rise as of late, the most recent of which is the July 31 Concert for Equality set for downtown Benson and featuring Desaparecidos, Cursive, Bright Eyes, Lullaby For The Working Class and others yet to be announced.
Behind the headlines, the Benson Business Improvement District (BID) is doing its part to help improve the physical setting for this event and others like it as well as the future success of the community. For the past 10 months, the Benson BID has been working with the Benson Business Association, the Benson Neighborhood Association, the Benson-Ames Alliance, Omaha by Design and the City of Omaha to jumpstart the revitalization of downtown Benson.
A rendering of the east gateway to the Benson Business District.
In January 2010, the Omaha City Council approved the creation of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District in downtown Benson to incentivize commercial and industrial development. During the next five years, the city proposes to invest nearly $1.4 million in Benson by constructing east and west gateway entrances to the business district, which marks the official start of the Maple Street Corridor Project implementation.
The Benson BID, established by the City of Omaha in 1977, is backing up these efforts by seeking to expand its current boundaries and finance a new strategic work plan that will help improve the look and feel of downtown Benson. “It’s been more than 30 years since the district was established, and we’ve changed a lot since then,” said Greg Bourne, owner of Burke’s Pub on Maple Street and one of five Benson BID board members. “The time has come to take a more active role in the revitalization of our community.”
The proposed Benson BID boundaries are similar to the boundaries of the new TIF District. The group is also seeking to expand its board from five to seven members and change its assessment formula to fund its proposed strategic work plan, which focuses on cleaning and maintenance, lighting and security, signage and landscaping.
During the past three months, the Benson BID planning group has reached out to individual property owners affected by the proposed changes. In addition, a public meeting was held May 20 at Benson Baptist Church to discuss the process and answer questions. The proposed changes will be considered by the Omaha Planning Board later this summer.
“I believe in Benson and its business potential,” Bourne said. “As individual property owners, we all need to get on board and do collectively what we can’t do alone. Our future depends on our willingness to fund improvements that are necessary to our success. As a BID, we need to do more than remove snow.”
For more information about the group’s plans, visit www.benson-ames.org and click on the Benson Business Improvement District link.