JULY2007
IN THIS ISSUE

Zoning Package Gets Planning Board’s Unanimous Recommendation

S. 10th Street Pastor to Receive Inaugural Neighborhood Leaf

Active Art on Display throughout the City

Field Club Historic Home Tour July 14

New Organization Dedicated to Connecting the Design Community

Green Space Serves as Backdrop for Free Summer Concert Series

Coming Soon – 10 Great Public Spaces in Omaha
Omaha City Councilman Chuck Sigerson Jr., right, talks with developers John Lund and Jay Noddle and University of Nebraska at Omaha Chancellor Emeritus Del Weber at the official unveiling of the Urban Design Element implementation measures.  The Omaha Planning Board voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the groundbreaking package of zoning code revisions and additions June 27.
Zoning Package Gets Planning Board’s Unanimous Recommendation

Omaha is one step closer to becoming the first city of its size to develop and implement a comprehensive urban design plan.

The Omaha Planning Board voted 7-0 to recommend approval of a groundbreaking package of zoning code revisions and additions that will bring life and weight to the city’s Urban Design Element, a planning tool designed to improve the quality of development in Omaha while protecting and enhancing the city’s natural environment. The unanimous tally was recorded at the board’s June 27 meeting.

In his opening remarks, board chair Pete Festersen called the proposed package “the single most impactful item we will consider as board members.” 

Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, kicked off a line of proponents - including members of the design and development communities – who offered testimony in support of the package. She thanked the planning board members for devoting hours of their time to closely examining the proposal in an extensive series of briefings and also praised the efforts of the Technical Advisory Group. The volunteer group, comprised of members of the development and design communities as well as others representing civic interests, helped write the code revisions and additions in conjunction with the city’s planning staff, city officials, Omaha by Design and the project’s nationally renowned urban design consultants.

“They’ve created a thoughtful package that makes sense for our city, our development community and, most importantly, our citizens,” Spellman said. “It’s an Omaha product that captures the visions Omahans have for their future.”

The Omaha City Council will consider the Omaha Planning Board’s recommendation beginning Tuesday, July 24, with the first reading of the proposed package of code revisions and additions. The second reading will be held Tuesday, July 31, and the final reading and vote is set for Tuesday, Aug. 14.

“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.”

To review the complete package of proposed revisions and additions, visit www.omahabydesign.org. For more information, contact Spellman at 402.342.3458 or connie@omahabydesign.org.

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Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, pastor of Dietz United Methodist Church, is the inaugural recipient of Omaha by Design’s Neighborhood Leaf award, which recognizes an individual, organization or business that has worked to preserve and enhance the metropolitan area’s residential neighborhoods.
S. 10th Street Pastor to Receive Inaugural Neighborhood Leaf

Editor’s Note: Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, pastor of Dietz United Methodist Church at 1423 S. 10th St., is the inaugural recipient of Omaha by Design’s Neighborhood Leaf. The annual award recognizes an individual, organization or business that has worked to preserve and enhance the metropolitan area’s residential neighborhoods. Rev. Ahlschwede will be honored at the August meeting of the Omaha by Design Advisory Committee.

Patrons of the Blue Flamingo on Omaha’s South 10th Street are a varied lot. Those in need of a second-hand toaster or a set of gently-used dishes browse side by side with shoppers in search of a vintage find or an unusual gift from the store’s line of fair trade products. All are welcomed by the Flamingo staff, including Blue, a three-year-old Silky Terrier with a fondness for ear scratches.

Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, pastor of Dietz United Methodist Church, wouldn’t have it any other way. The store, now three and a half years old, operates in the black following three years of grant support. It began as a clothing closet at her South 10th Street church. “During our second event, we gave away 900 pieces of clothing to 250 people in four hours,” she said. “Clearly, there was a need for this type of service.”

The Lincoln, Neb., native – now in her fifth year at Dietz – is similarly resolute when it comes to neighborhood involvement at home. “It bothers me when I see something that needs to be done,” she said. “I do it, but I also try and get other people involved so the need can be taken care of in the future.”

At the start of 2007, Ahlschwede became president of the Leavenworth Neighborhood Association, a position her husband, Todd Wyatt, held in 2005. The 20-year-old organization runs from Interstate 80 to 36th and from Pacific to Dodge. One of its current activities, the Leavenworth Health Project, brings health screenings and educational activities to local residents in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Mobile Nursing Unit. Its current focus is diabetes prevention.

The project, spearheaded by Wyatt and Ahlschwede, is an example of her focus on asset building to strengthen neighborhoods. “We just so happen to have three bilingual nurses living in our association’s boundaries, and we started talking about a way to capitalize on this asset to help create systemic change,” Ahlschwede said.

Asset building, the Omaha Royals season ticket holder contends, begins by collecting a neighborhood’s stories. “You simply find out where people are and hang out with them,” she said. “It’s more about listening than asking and then trying to see what percolates.”

When Ahlschwede was looking for a hands-on project that would “percolate” with her church members and the local neighborhood, she applied for a U.S.D.A. community garden grant. “Churches are always telling people to do good things, but the only thing we ask them for is money,” she said. “I wanted to give people access to something that would bring them face to face with the things we’re talking about.”

The result of that effort is the BIG (Building Independence and Growth) Garden Project. It seeks to:
When he’s not catching a few winks in the window, Blue, a Silky Terrier, greets shoppers at the Blue Flamingo on S. 10th Street.

During the project’s first year, five garden sites hosted 43,000 volunteer visits, Ahlschwede said. Of the 3,000 pounds of food raised, 1,000 pounds was donated to local food pantries. This year, the project manages 15 garden sites throughout east Omaha and Bellevue, including one in the backyard of the Blue Flamingo. 

It’s a busy backyard.

The green space adjacent to the community garden serves as the home of “Fridays at the Blue,” a free monthly series featuring live music, readings and art demonstrations. The series, Ahlschwede said, is yet another form of neighborhood asset building, giving community members the opportunity to share through literature and art. It complements the Blue Flamingo’s home library program, in which every child who visits the store can choose a free book to add to his or her home library.

The Blue Flamingo accepts donations of housewares, clothing, books, pictures and non-perishable food items. For more information, visit http://www.blueflamingo.org.

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Jason Jacobsen’s PUNCH! is part of Activate Omaha’s Omaha in Action Photography Series. Each image was taken in and around the metro area by local photographers and shows just how simple it is to get moving.
Active Art on Display throughout the City

Stroll. Cycle. Stretch.

Residents from throughout the metro area are being encouraged to take on these activities and more in conjunction with a public art initiative launched June 26 at The Union Pacific Center.

Activate Omaha, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Omaha one of the most active cities in the nation, commissioned a group of local photographers to create the Omaha in Action Photography Series. Its 21 images, taken in and around the metro area, depict people of all ages in various forms of movement. “The series really shows just how simple it is to get moving,” said Tammie Dodge, project manager for Activate Omaha.

The featured photographers are Kristin Curtis, John J. Hill, Jason Jacobsen, Chris Machian, Mike Malone, Gregg Pejsar, John Rohlk, Bill Sitzmann, Daniel Templeton, T. Thompson and Marlon A. Wright.

One of the subjects, a 74-year-old grandmother, began swimming in 1990. She went on to become a volunteer water aerobics instructor at the Butler-Gast YMCA in North Omaha. 

PEDAL! is the title of another image featuring a helmeted rider successfully navigating the streets of downtown Omaha. The city, Dodge said, is on its way to becoming a bicycle friendly community. Recent evidence of this transformation is the creation of the first Omaha/Council Bluffs Metro Area Bicycle Commuter Map, which is available online at www.activateomaha.org.

“Public art not only enhances our quality of life – it can challenge us as well,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “The Omaha in Action Photography Series does just that. Our city will be a better, and healthier, place if we simply get moving.”

Images from the series will be on display at public libraries and Department of Motor Vehicle locations across the city for the next 12 months, Dodge said.

The photography series is funded in part by the Omaha Urban Area Health Education Center. For more information about Activate Omaha, visit www.activateomaha.org.

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This 1896 Dutch Colonial at 1624 S. 32nd Ave. is one of the homes featured in the Field Club Historic Home Tour and Antique Auto Show July 14.
Field Club Historic Home Tour July 14

If you’re a fan of the restoration movement, chances are you’ve driven the tree-lined streets of Omaha’s Field Club Historic District to admire the curb appeal of its architectural treasures. On Saturday, July 14, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the interiors of eight of its homes in conjunction with the Field Club Historic Home Tour and Antique Auto Show.

The event, sponsored by The Field Club Homeowners League, will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for the walking tour are $10 per person and can be purchased from any of the homes on the route. Proceeds will support the district’s ongoing preservation efforts.

The Field Club Historic District, one of Omaha's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, runs from 32nd Avenue to 36th Street and from Center to Pacific streets. The tour will feature eight restored homes from the Victorian, Mission and Colonial Revival periods, as well as three gardens. The homes, constructed between 1896 and 1910, are:

The gardens are located at 3302 Woolworth Ave., 3335 Woolworth Ave. and 1119 S. 36th St.

Tour organizers note that historians point to the district as the most architecturally intact neighborhood in Nebraska. Many of the homes were designed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by some of Omaha's most prominent architects for some of Omaha's most noteworthy citizens. One of the homes on the tour was designed by John McDonald, architect of Joslyn Castle and Joslyn Art Museum.

Tour participants may ride Ollie the Trolley along the tour route at no charge from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3146 Woolworth Ave., will be selling refreshments from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to benefit the church. Musicians are scheduled to perform at selected garden sites.

In addition to the home and garden tour, the Midwest Antique Auto Club, the Meadowlark Model A Ford Club and the Omaha Early Ford V8 Club will display approximately 50 classic and antique cars along Woolworth Avenue between 32nd Avenue and 36th Street, as well as in Hanscom Park.

The Field Club Homeowners League is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. It was founded soon after the Second World War and successfully opposed efforts to rezone the neighborhood from single family residential.

The tour is not open to children under age 12. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information, contact tour co-chairs Ed Quinn at 402.345.6392 or Annika Phillips at 402.981.4759. For more information about the neighborhood, visit http://www.fieldclubneighborhood.homestead.com/.

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Bruce Mau, creative director of Bruce Mau Design Inc. and founder of the Institute without Boundaries, will deliver Design Alliance Omaha’s inaugural Legacy lecture Thursday, Oct. 4.

New Organization Dedicated to Connecting
the Design Community

Exchange and experience are the true constants of progressive design.

That’s the founding philosophy of a new organization dedicated to keeping members of the local design community connected with each other and with the global design continuum.

Design Alliance Omaha (daOMA) is an open forum rooted in the intellectual and social foundations of design culture, said David Levy, an attorney with Baird Holm, LLP and a member of the organization’s board of directors. Its primary mission is to expand and grow design appreciation and awareness in the city. 

“We are about design in all forms and the education and community that perpetuate it,” Levy noted. “We intend to support a continuous and challenging public dialogue on the design disciplines and their relationship to our cities, workplace, home and culture.”

The organization’s founder is Tom Trenolone, an architect with HDR. The daOMA board represents design disciplines and interests in the areas of architecture, urban design, landscape design, interior design, industrial design, graphic design, photography, and automotive and fashion design. Its core programs will focus on two areas – a public lecture series and an annual design fellowship.

The lecture series - featuring local and world-renowned designers, critics, historians and patrons - will include fall and spring sessions. All lectures will be held at the Joslyn Art Museum on Thursday evenings. 

The inaugural Legacy lecture, set for Thursday, Oct. 4, will be delivered by Bruce Mau, creative director of Bruce Mau Design Inc. and founder of the Institute without Boundaries. Since founding his studio in Toronto in 1985, Mau and his staff have gained international recognition for their innovation across a wide range of projects achieved in collaboration with some of the world’s leading architects and institutions, artists and entrepreneurs, writers, curators, academics and businesses. 

The spring 2008 lecture on April 17 will feature Thom Mayne, a recent winner of the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honor.

Levy, who is also a member of the Omaha by Design Advisory Committee, said the organization’s design fellowship will be awarded annually to a member of the Omaha design community to pursue a research topic that promotes progressive design. Upon completion of their research, the daOMA fellows will present their findings as part of the Metro lectures. The goal is to award the first daOMA fellowship in the organization’s third season.

daOMA is funded by membership dues, donations and grants, and membership is open to all those interested in design.

For more information, call 402.980.9850, email info@designallianceomaha.org or visit www.designallianceomaha.org.

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Green Space Serves as Backdrop for Free Summer Concert Series

One of the city’s premier green spaces is serving as the backdrop for Jazz on the Green, a free summer concert series presented by Joslyn Art Museum. The eight-week event, which kicked off July 5, continues on consecutive Thursdays through Aug. 23.

The series, now in its 23rd year, features local, regional and national jazz musicians in two-hour concerts held on Joslyn's east lawn and the grand staircase leading to the museum's main entrance. This year, in celebration of the special exhibition “Spared from the Storm,” two Zydeco bands from Texas and New Orleans will perform July 12 and Aug. 23, as well as other national bands from Chicago and California.

“Joslyn’s Jazz on the Green is a wonderful example of how to encourage active use of public space,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “Free events in community gathering spots heighten the urban experience.”

All concerts in the series begin at 7 p.m. The lawn opens to concert-goers at 4 p.m. and closes at approximately 9:30 p.m. During Jazz on the Green Thursdays, Joslyn's permanent collection closes at 4 p.m. and re-opens from 5 p.m. until approximately 8 p.m. Admission to the permanent collection is free during this time. “Spared from the Storm,” a ticketed exhibition, is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Discounted tickets are $3 for non-members.

Due to the construction of Joslyn's new sculpture garden, the 24th Street entrance drive and north parking lot are closed through Sept. 7. Free parking is available on the street and in surrounding lots.

For more information about the series, visit http://joslyn.org/activities/Music.aspx.

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Coming Soon – 10 Great Public Spaces in Omaha

Omaha is home to some great public spaces.

This fall, Omaha by Design will release its inaugural list of 10 great public spaces in Omaha. The list, created by Omaha by Design’s volunteer Place Game facilitators, is based on four criteria developed by the Project for Public Spaces:


The Place Game facilitators use these criteria to help local neighborhoods and civic organizations evaluate public space via the Place Game workshop, a free service of Omaha by Design. For more information or to schedule a Place Game workshop, contact Teresa Gleason at 402.342.3458 or teresa@omahabydesign.org.

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