Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

In this issue…public comment sought on Metro transit fare adjustments, Urban Design Review Board to meet Nov. 17, Fontenelle Park/CSO! meeting Nov. 17, holiday light festival kicks off Nov. 24, Live Well Omaha Health Summit Nov. 30, ObD annual report available online, photos from ObD’s 10^th anniversary reception available online, 16th Street redesign approved.

Public Comment Sought

Metro is seeking public comment through Nov. 13 on its proposed transit fare adjustments. If approved, the package would be the first increase since January 2001. For more information, visit www.ometro.com and click on “Fare Adjustments Announced.”

UDRB to Meet

The City of Omaha’s Urban Design Review Board will meet Thursday, Nov. 17, at 3:00pm in the Jesse Lowe Conference Room at the Omaha/Douglas Civic Center. The seven-member board provides recommendations to the city’s planning director on issues related to urban design site plan reviews. The board meets upon request of the planning director and/or applicant to review and clarify urban design site plan review findings. For more information, visit http://www.cityofomaha.org/planning/boards/urban-design-review-board.

Park, CSO! Meeting

The City of Omaha Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Property and Clean Solutions for Omaha will hold a public meeting to discuss the Fontenelle Park Master Plan and the Paxton Boulevard CSO! Project Thursday, Nov. 17. The event will be held at the Fontenelle Park Pavilion, 4401 Fontenelle Boulevard, from 6:30 to 8:00pm. For more information about the park’s master plan, contact John Williams at 402.444.5943 or john.williams@ci.omaha.ne.us. For more information about the CSO! Project, contact Matt Schultze at 402.342.2303.

Holiday Lights Festival

Omaha’s annual Holiday Lights Festival kicks off Thursday, Nov. 24, with a lighting ceremony at 6:00pm in the Gene Leahy Mall. More than 40 blocks of downtown Omaha will be lit with more than one million twinkling lights for the duration of the holiday season. The elderly and citizens with disabilities are welcome to view the lighting ceremony from the fourth floor of the W. Dale Clark Library. Public restrooms for the event are available in the W. Dale Clark Library and the Landmark Building at 14th and Farnam. Those attending the lighting ceremony are encouraged to bring a can of food to support the “Shine the Light on Hunger” campaign benefiting Food Bank for the Heartland. Donation barrels will be located throughout the event to collect non-perishable foods and household goods. The festival runs through Jan. 8. For more information, visit www.holidaylightsfestival.org.

Health Summit Set

Live Well Omaha will host its 2011 Health Summit Wednesday, Nov. 30. The event runs from 8:30am to 1:30pm at the Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine St. The keynote speaker is Dr. Ross Hammond, director of the Center on Social Dynamics and Policy at The Brookings Institution. Dr. Adi Pour, director of the Douglas County Health Department, will release the latest community health assessment. The cost is $45 per person, including lunch. To register, call 402.934.5886 or visit www.nonprofitam.org/event-detail.aspx?2122.

Annual Report Online

Omaha by Design’s 2010 annual report is available online at http://www.omahabydesign.org/news/annual-reports/. It chronicles the story of Omaha by Design’s growth and development since its founding as Lively Omaha in 2001.

Reception Photos Online

Photos from Omaha by Design’s 10^th anniversary reception are available online at http://www.omahabydesign.org/2011/10/10th-anniversary-reception/. The event, which honored donors and volunteers for a decade of support, was held Oct. 18 at Mammel Hall, the home of the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Business Administration.

16th Street Redesign

The City of Omaha’s Urban Design Review Board recently approved a redesign of the 16th Street corridor in downtown Omaha. Metro plans to relocate the current transit hub by June 2012, and $800,000 has been allocated to further develop this project. In the coming months, the Downtown Improvement District (DID) will be working with the city to implement the redesign of this important corridor to the downtown community. For more information about the DID’s plans, visit www.omahadowntown.org/.