A rendering of 24th Street, one of four specific development areas announced Oct. 3. North Omaha Alliance Strategy Announced The development of North Omaha should occur within a three-step framework - building inward from strategic assets that border the area to achieve short-term success, completing a feature at the core of the neighborhood that has the power to generate surrounding investment, and expanding this development momentum throughout the neighborhoods. The North Omaha Development Project Steering Committee and its consultants announced this development strategy for community and business investment at a public meeting Oct. 3. The strategy outlines next steps for infrastructure improvements, public transportation, community development opportunities, entertainment options and housing initiatives, all of which are geared toward creating job opportunities. The consultants announced four specific areas for development - 16th and Cuming streets, the 24th Street and Lake Street corridors, the neighborhoods surrounding 30th Street and Ames Avenue, and the Adams Park area at 30th and Bedford streets. Feedback from North Omaha residents who attended a community meeting July 19 prompted the steering committee to add the 16th and Cuming streets area. The North Omaha Development Project Steering Committee and the newly-created position of executive director, along with the support of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the plan. Seven task forces, chaired by members of the steering committee and community leaders, have been established to address transportation, business development, workforce development, capacity building, housing, finance and communications. In addition, the chamber has designated additional staff to focus on workforce development and capacity building for minority-owned businesses. "Our current funding allows for a three-year implementation period, but everyone involved with this project, from our steering committee to North Omaha business leaders, is committed to promoting business development and community growth in North Omaha for years to come," said Dennis O'Neal, co-chair of the North Omaha Development Project Steering Committee and executive vice president of First National of Nebraska. By applying this framework to the four opportunity areas in North Omaha, consultants identified five building blocks for business and community development: Employment Creating Development - creating more jobs and opportunities for the community; Medical and Health Care - building on the fastest growing sector of Omaha's economy and a critical future demand; Retail - providing goods and services that people now leave the neighborhood to obtain; Mixed Income Residential - increasing both the population and economic diversity of North Omaha, building markets and restoring vacant land to productive use; and Culture, Entertainment and Image - building on North Omaha's rich heritage to improve the neighborhood's quality of life and fundamentally change community perceptions. The initial study - conducted by RDG Planning and Design, Economics Research Associates, and Alex Garvin & Associates - focuses on the area bordered by Sorensen Parkway on the north, Cuming Street on the south, 16th Street on the east and 52nd Street on the west. For more information, visit www.ProjectNorthOmaha.org and click on “Implementation Plan Brochure.” Main Page