Maple Street Corridor Alliance’s First Priority Project
Farmers Market Brings New Life to S. 10th Street
2006 Annual Report Available Online
Mayor’s Neighborhood Improvement Grant Recipients Announced
Place Game Workshop June 23
Alliance Neighborhood Leaders Meet to Discuss Common Goals
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Guidelines for green parking lots are part of the Urban Design Element’s implementation package. Pictured above is Lauritzen Gardens, a stellar example of green parking lot design.
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UDE Implementation Package
to be Unveiled June 21
Representatives from the development community will join Mayor Mike Fahey and others Thursday, 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 is set for 9 a.m. in the First National Bank Winter Garden in downtown Omaha.
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’s planning staff, 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.
“The process of drafting changes to the code has been challenging, but the inclusion of developers in that task has resulted in a package that will work not only for the city and its residents, but for the development community as well,” said Jerry Torczon, BHI Development. “The input of the Metro Omaha Builders Association has been particularly valuable to this process. As a developer, I look forward to helping turn the vision Omahans have for their city into a tangible product.”
The Omaha Planning Board will consider the package at a special meeting set for Wednesday, June 27. The discussion will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the legislative chambers of the Douglas City/County Building, 1819 Farnam St.
“Many of the proposed revisions and additions have been informally put into practice by our planning staff for the past eight years – one of the longest and strongest commercial growth periods in our city’s history,” said Steve Jensen, director of planning for the City of Omaha.
The Omaha City Council will then consider the 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 will be available on the Omaha by Design web site following the June 21 event.
For more information, contact Spellman at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.
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The Maple Street corridor, which is home to downtown Benson, is the site of the Benson-Ames Alliance’s first priority project. Pictured above, the corridor was bustling with activity during the recent Benson Summer Festival.
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Maple Street Corridor
Alliance’s First Priority Project
The Maple Street corridor in downtown Benson is known for its shops and small-town feel. It’s also quickly becoming Omaha’s next arts and entertainment destination.
This historic corridor, which begins at its intersection with Radial Highway and ends at its intersection with 63rd Street, is the focus of the Benson-Ames Alliance’s first priority project. The alliance, formed in September 2005 to plan for and implement the revitalization of the Benson-Ames area, is bound by Western Avenue on the south, Sorensen Parkway on the north, Saddle Creek Road/Fontenelle Boulevard on the east and 72nd Street on the west.
Omaha by Design, in conjunction with the Benson-Ames Alliance Steering Council, is working with the Benson Business Association and the City of Omaha Departments of Planning and Public Works to plan streetscape improvements to the corridor.
The partnership has issued a request for proposals to architectural firms for design coordination and the development of construction specifications for the project. The scope of work includes landscaping, pedestrian-scale street lights, signage, pavement and irrigation. Future opportunities may exist for modifications and improvements to Benson’s building stock, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design.
Partial funding for the project is made possible by Mayor Mike Fahey and the City of Omaha.
“Our intent is to create a consistent, attractive and unique appearance to our portion of Maple Street, which is Benson’s front door,” said Troy Arthur, president of the Benson Business Association and a member of the alliance’s Finance/Development Committee.
Entrepreneurial efforts on the part of individuals in recent months have begun to transform this stretch of street into an arts and entertainment enclave. “We intend to further this transformation by creating an inviting streetscape that gets people out of their cars and onto downtown Benson’s sidewalks where they can dine in style, take in a music performance from a local or touring band, or view an art show,” said Clarence Nichols, chair of the Benson-Ames Alliance Steering Council.
The project is tentatively set to begin in late July with a completion date of December 2007. The selected firm will host presentation meetings to update alliance stakeholders on the specifics and progress of the project, Spellman said.
The Benson-Ames Alliance Plan focuses on several important areas as case studies. In addition to downtown Benson, these areas are 72nd and Military, North Saddle Creek and Hamilton, and the Ames corridor from 50th to 60th streets.
For more information about the Benson-Ames Alliance, visit the web at http://www.benson-ames.org. For more information about the Maple Street corridor project, contact Spellman at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.
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The Bancroft Street Farmers Market hosts weekly visits from young artists who create their work directly on the pavement.
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Farmers Market Brings New Life
to South 10th Street
During his days as a volunteer at Lauritzen Gardens, Bill Seidler Jr. had many an occasion to drive past a one-story brick building on the corner of 10th and Bancroft. The structure, which functioned as a grocery store for nearly a century, sat empty. What was once a hub of activity had become a neighborhood eyesore marred by graffiti, trash and volunteer trees.
When Seidler looked at the property, he saw something else. “It’s situated between two of Omaha’s top tourist attractions, the zoo and the gardens, so I thought someone would take advantage of the opportunity and buy it,” Seidler said.
The storefront continued to languish, however, and Seidler decided to take action. He purchased the property in 2005 and began the clean-up process. It was also during this time that Seidler began to track the activities of Omaha by Design, a privately funded nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the physical face of the city through the use of urban design principles and citizen engagement.
“I started reading about the importance of things like green spaces and build-to/set-back lines, and I wanted to incorporate this kind of thinking into what the property might become,” he said.
Seidler’s first project was a public art venture involving students from nearby Bancroft Elementary School. The young artists, with the help of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, created five 8-foot by 12-foot vinyl posters depicting the College World Series, Henry Doorly Zoo and Lauritzen Gardens. The posters are currently on display in the windows of Seidler’s building.
“It really changes the look and feel of the area,” said Jason Smith, president of the local Deer Park Neighborhood Association.
Seidler’s current project is somewhat of a return to the property’s original intent. The Bancroft Street Farmers Market, a 5000-square-foot open air venue, kicked off June 3. It will operate each Sunday through Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Seidler said he chose Sundays because of the area’s demographics. “Many residents are over-employed, so working on Saturdays is pretty commonplace,” he said. “We thought a Sunday market would give neighbors something they could take part in following church Sunday morning.”
In addition to featuring fresh foods and horticultural products, the market provides patrons with the opportunity to learn about gardening and nutrition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Douglas and Sarpy counties. It also offers a unique blend of arts and entertainment, which Seidler is focusing on to create an atmosphere that will attract locals as well as residents from other parts of the city.
For example, street painting - a common cultural practice in Spain - draws a host of young artists to 10th and Bancroft each weekend. They create directly on the pavement in freshly painted squares on the market’s perimeter.
“We’re trying to encourage commerce, entertainment and trade in the surrounding neighborhoods,” Seidler said. “The more links you use in building a chain, the stronger that chain will be.”
Elsewhere in the city, the Omaha Farmers Market on the corner of 11th and Jackson opened for business May 5. It runs each Saturday through Oct. 13 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://omahafarmersmarket.org.
For more information about the Bancroft Street Farmers Market, contact Seidler at 402.651.2327 or bjseidler@qwest.net.
For more information on innovative farmers markets across the country, visit the Project for Public Spaces at http://www.pps.org/markets/info/market_profiles/.
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2006 Annual Report Available Online
Omaha by Design’s 2006 annual report is now available on the web at www.omahabydesign.org. To download a PDF version, click on the “news” tab at the top of the home page.
The report charts the organization’s Green Omaha, Civic Omaha and Neighborhood Omaha progress in 2006. It also highlights the organization’s national media coverage in 2006. Two major publications, Metropolis and the Harvard Design Magazine, published features on Omaha by Design’s efforts to better the quality of urban design in Omaha.
“Our success as an organization would not be possible without the support of our many donors, volunteers and public partners,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “For example, the completion of the Benson-Ames Alliance plan in 2006 was the result of a public/private partnership that relied heavily on citizen input.”
The plan, which sets forth a new framework of principles for future development and redevelopment projects in the Benson-Ames Alliance area, is available on the web at www.benson-ames.org.
For more information about Omaha by Design, contact Spellman at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.
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Mayor’s Neighborhood Improvement Grant Recipients Announced
The introduction of public art to a midtown neighborhood. The development of a strolling park in honor of a North Omaha community leader. The provision of equipment for a citizen patrol in the southeast corner of the city.
These projects, and a host of others, have been given an economic boost through Mayor Mike Fahey’s 2007 Neighborhood Improvement Grants program.
The 2007 recipients (listed below) were announced in ceremonies held last month. In its first five years, the program awarded 99 grants totaling $330,654 to neighborhood associations throughout the city. Associations were invited to apply for two grants in the program’s 2007 cycle: neighborhood improvement grants and neighborhood crime prevention grants.
Priority funding was given to neighborhood associations that have participated in an Omaha by Design Place Game workshop.
Bent Creek Homeowners Association
Amount awarded: $2,100
Project description: This grant will be used to mulch the entranceway of 162nd and Blondo streets and to re-roof the park shelter at 164th and LaFayette streets.
Concord Square Homeowners Association
Amount awarded: $5,000
Project description: This grant will be used to install an irrigation system, which will eliminate the need to replace plants and shrubbery annually due to a lack of water.
Country Club Community Council
Amount awarded: $5,000
Project description: This grant will be used to restore the area’s historic streetlamps. The community council will work with the City of Omaha and the Omaha Public Power District to professionally sandblast, prime and repaint the streetlamps.
Crescent Oaks Neighborhood Association
Amount awarded: $2,429.33
Project description: This grant will be used to purchase radios, magnetic vehicle signs and logo jackets.
Deer Park Neighborhood Association
Amount awarded: $4,013
Project description: The association is collaborating with the Old Market South Neighborhood Association on a beautification project. This grant will be used to purchase and install street furniture and ornamental additions to beautify 10th Street.
Dundee Memorial Park Association
Amount awarded: $5,000
Project description: This grant will be used to partially fund the second phase of a streetlight refinishing project. This phase will refinish the majority of the area’s old-style cast iron streetlights.
E.R. Danner Neighborhood Association
Amount awarded: $5,000
Project description: This grant will be used to purchase equipment for youth baseball in the North Omaha community and for the Memorial Little League Association.
Ford Birthsite Neighborhood Association
Amount awarded: $711.56
Project description: The association will purchase equipment for the Omaha Coalition of Citizen Patrols’ drive patrol. This purchase is a part of the association’s Crime Prevention: Focus on Safety Scanner Project.
