AUGUST2008
IN THIS ISSUE

We’ve Moved!

Take Our Survey on Electronic Billboards

Aug. 14 “Street Event” to Unveil Plans for Benson

“Green” Carriage House Part of Unique Home Tour

Omaha Streetscape Handbook Gets National Nod

Support Sought for Lynch Park Enhancements

Design Notes


We’ve Moved!

If you’re looking for Omaha by Design, get out a pencil and paper.

The offices of Omaha by Design (ObD) have moved to the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) campus. The organization has taken up residence in Suite 114 of the newly refurbished College of Public Affairs and Community Service building. The move is part of ObD’s new strategic partnership with UNO.

An initiative of the Omaha Community Foundation (OCF), ObD facilitates partnerships between the public and private sectors to execute projects that improve the quality of the natural and built environments throughout the metro. The OCF, which has provided ObD with office space and support services since 2001, is continuing its support services role.

The new main phone number for ObD is:
402.554.4010.

The new mailing address is as follows:
Omaha by Design
c/o University of Nebraska at Omaha
6001 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE 68182-0402

All staff email addresses will remain the same.

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Take Our Survey on Electronic Billboards

How do you feel about the use of electronic billboards in Omaha? Voice your opinion by completing a brief survey here.

The issue of electronic billboards surfaced locally in April 2008 when Lamar Outdoor – part of one of the nation’s largest outdoor advertising corporations – installed five electronic billboards in Omaha. Omaha by Design hosted a public forum on the issue July 29. The goal was to provide the public with background information on the issues surrounding the use of electronic billboards and to give local residents an opportunity to voice their opinions on the subject.

On June 3, the Omaha City council passed an amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance that clarifies the prohibition of electronic billboards. The amendment, effective through Dec. 31, 2008, gives the city planning department time to negotiate with the two billboard companies currently operating in Omaha regarding the potential use of electronic billboards in the city. Waitt Outdoor, the other company with a billboard presence in Omaha, has not installed any electronic billboards in the city to date.

The online survey will be available through Friday, Aug. 22. For more information, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org.

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Aug. 14 “Street Event” to Unveil Plans for Benson

The next chapter of Benson’s storied history is set to begin Thursday, Aug. 14.

Mayor Mike Fahey and a collaborative of community organizations will unveil plans for a revitalized Maple Street and its first implementation project at a “street event” in downtown Benson. The activities will get under way at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Maple Street and Military Avenue. The rain location is Mick’s Music and Bar, 5918 Maple St. All interested members of the public are invited to attend.

The Maple Street Corridor Project is a collaborative formed to revitalize Maple Street from Northwest Radial Highway to 64th Street. The project, which also focuses on Military Avenue from Maple Street to Northwest Radial Highway, is a partnership of Omaha by Design, the Benson Business Association, the Benson Neighborhood Association, the City of Omaha Departments of Planning and Public Works, and the Benson-Ames Alliance (B-AA).

The B-AA, formed in 2005 to help plan for and implement the revitalization of the Benson-Ames area, selected downtown Benson as its first priority area. The project includes three components: a new streetscape design, a housing and retail market analysis, and a community branding initiative designed to spark civic pride and investment in redevelopment opportunities.

“We’ve done our homework, and now we’re ready to start letting investors know that downtown Benson is open for business,” said Troy Arthur, president of the Benson Business Association and chair of the Benson-Ames Alliance Business Affairs Committee. “It’s all about matching our vision with the existing environment so we can recruit the right businesses and developers for optimum success.”

Funding for the Maple Street Corridor Project has been provided by the City of Omaha, the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, the Gifford Foundation, the Adah and Leon Millard Foundation, Bluestone Development and the City Weekly.

Omaha by Design serves as manager and administrator of the Benson-Ames Alliance. For more information about the Aug. 14 event, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4011 or info@omahabydesign.org.

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The structure’s design and its unique window system capture a large amount natural light, which will result in savings on electricity and heating costs in the winter.
“Green” Carriage House Part of Unique Home Tour

What once served as shelter for a horse-drawn carriage and surrey is now a modern-day example of green design.

When artist Eddith Buis decided to transform the 1907 carriage house on her midtown Omaha property into her permanent residence, she did so with the environment in mind. The project, led by architect Eddy Santamaria of Contrivium Design & Urbanism, employed a variety of techniques to create an innovative, serene structure that’s part art, part nature and part living space.

The Buis home is one of the stops on the 2008 Green Home Tour. The event, the first of its kind in Omaha, is set for Saturday, Sept. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. Presented by the Green Omaha Coalition’s Green Neighborhood Council, the tour will feature four homes. Each will focus on a different sustainability topic – food, water, energy and materials. Participants will also be able to take a guided walking tour of one of Omaha’s sustainable neighborhoods, Gifford Park, including stops at the Gifford Park Community Garden and the Community Bicycle Shop of Omaha.

“We want the public to know that greening your home or apartment can be easy, affordable and even fun,” said event organizer Tim Hemsath, chair of the Flatwater Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The tour will be a great way for people to learn about sustainable practices by observing them firsthand.”

Down to the Frame
The transformation of the Buis home, located in the Field Club neighborhood, began by tearing the carriage house down to its frame. The kitchen appliances, doors, windows and a large amount of wood were recycled via Habitat ReStore at 1003 S. 24th St., which accepts new and used building-related materials from contractors, suppliers, individuals, remodelers and property managers. Some of the materials are used directly in the construction of Habitat for Humanity homes, but the majority is available for sale to the general public at significantly reduced prices.

The project team then installed radiant heat in the floors, an “on-demand” water heater, and insulation – both in the concrete board siding and under the permanent steel roof – that’s 1.5 times the standard required to help save on future utility costs. Another bonus of the concrete board siding is that it never needs painting.

The structure’s design and its unique window system allow Buis to capture a large amount natural light, which will result in savings on electricity and heating costs in the winter. The design is also user-friendly for the eventual aging of the owner. At some point, the artist said, she may live entirely on the first floor.

Elsewhere throughout the home, the use of sliding doors conserves space that would be lost to accommodate traditional doors. The kitchen – a cozy yet open nook on the east end of the house, has neither a dishwasher nor a garbage disposal. Few interior walls, except for the bathrooms, create an ample feeling of space in its 1,000 square feet.

The grounds surrounding the carriage house, which are still under development, add to the creative, retreat-type quality of the property. A large French drain system on the south side of the house carries rain water to existing trees. The walkways are constructed of pavers and gravel that allow water to soak into the landscape. Future plans call for the creation of a rain garden and large vegetable garden on the west side of the home.

“I can’t imagine my life without land to groom and cherish,” Buis said. “Plus, remaining in the Field Club neighborhood means just minutes of travel to get to the library, Joslyn Art Museum, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and my church.”

The Buis home is one of the stops on the 2008 Green Home Tour. The event, the first of its kind in Omaha, is set for Saturday, Sept. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Green Giveaways for Tour Participants
Those who attend the 2008 Green Home Tour will receive free “green” giveaways at each home while supplies last. A “green” grand prize drawing also will be held at each home. The first 100 people at the Buis home will receive a reusable bag from Metropolitan Utilities District and a Green Omaha Coalition dish towel. The grand prize is a $100 gift certificate to Straw Sticks and Bricks in Lincoln.

The cost of the tour is $5 per person. Proceeds will help fund the Green Neighborhood Council’s programs and activities. Tickets can be purchased at any of the tour homes the day of the event.

Media sponsors for the 2008 Green Home Tour are The Reader and KIOS 91.5 FM.

Hemsath said a host of organizations have collaborated to help plan the inaugural tour, including the Flatwater Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, the Sierra Club, City Sprouts, the Community Bicycle Shop of Omaha, the Gifford Park Neighborhood Association, Omaha by Design and Destination Midtown.

Financial support is provided by the Omaha Public Power District, the Metropolitan Utilities District and Home Energy Defense.

For more information about the tour, contact Hemsath at 402.472.4472 or themsath@gmail.com.

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Omaha Streetscape Handbook Gets National Nod

The Omaha Streetscape Handbook is making the rounds of planning and design offices across the country.

The handbook – a new tool that seeks to improve the appearance of Omaha’s streets and create an environment that’s welcoming to pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and users of mass transit – was featured in the July 29 edition of LANDonline, a news digest published by the American Society of Landscape Architects.

“The 84-page handbook could jump-start similar efforts in other cities, especially as it involved input from so many different players,” the article states.

Since it was published, requests for copies of the handbook have come from as close as Iowa and as far away as Alaska. One of the requestees, from Wichita, Kan., wrote, “As a Nebraska native, it is a joy to see a model that reflects forward thinking and planning for a creative, attractive, livable habitat for humans.”

The Omaha Streetscape Handbook evolved from a series of recommendations outlined in the city’s Urban Design Element (UDE). It can be thought of as the public counterpart to the city’s zoning code revisions and additions package passed in 2007, which focuses on private sector development and redevelopment, said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. On July 1, the Omaha City Council voted 6-0 to approve an amendment to the UDE that calls for implementing the handbook’s recommendations.

The handbook is the work of a diverse task force of representatives from Omaha by Design, the city’s parks, planning and public works departments, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Planning Association, the Omaha Public Power District and the Nebraska Department of Roads. RDG Planning and Design served as the project consultant.

Elements from the handbook also were featured in the 2008 Metro Guide published Aug. 3 by the Omaha World-Herald.

The Omaha Streetscape Handbook was made possible by grants from the Gilbert M. and Martha H. Hitchcock Foundation and the Fund for Omaha. To request a CD of the handbook, contact Chris Hall at 402.554.4010 or chris@omahabydesign.org. 

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Lynch Park, 20th and Center streets, is developing as the downtown anchor for the city’s park system.
Support Sought for Lynch Park Enhancements

Editor’s Note: This is the ninth in a continuing series of entries from the first Omaha Catalogue of Urban Design Philanthropy, a compendium of strategic giving opportunities that focus on the city’s natural and built environments. The Omaha Catalogue was published in December 2007 by Omaha by Design and the Omaha Community Foundation. It has attracted donations from Omaha’s philanthropic community at both the foundation and individual level, including a $10,000 gift to The Big Garden. For more information on how to donate to a project, contact Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, at 402.554.4010 or Sara Boyd, vice president of the Omaha Community Foundation, at 402.342.3458.

Years ago, public and private civic leaders recognized the need to revitalize downtown Omaha. Retail businesses had moved west, and shoppers followed. Economic development efforts began to target companies for expansion or location downtown. Those efforts continue today, as the city’s riverfront is in the midst of a renaissance.

This revitalization has resulted in a new population of Omahans who want to live the downtown lifestyle. An influx of residents, however, calls for additional civic services. Chief among them is the opportunity for recreation.

Lynch Park, 20th and Center streets, is developing as the downtown anchor for the city’s park system. Its 14.5 acres feature a playground, two lighted and irrigated ballfields, picnic areas, parking lots and a restroom/shelter. The local Lynch Park Neighborhood Association and the growing downtown population are currently using these facilities to capacity.

In order to expand the park, the Peter Kiewit Foundation led an effort of private donors to raise $750,000 for the purchase of an adjacent 9.2 acres. This land will be used to construct three soccer fields, parking, open space, picnic areas and tennis facilities. More than 60,000 cubic yards of dirt is needed for the project.

Several unique brick structures originally located on the 9.2 acres were saved by city officials and will be showcased on a brick plaza that will serve as the park’s centerpiece. The project also calls for improvements to adjacent 20th Street.

The total estimated cost of the project is $1.3 million. Naming rights are available.

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Design Notes

Designed for Convenience
If you’ve never taken the bus in Omaha because you think it’s too complicated, a new service offered by Metro Area Transit (MAT) may turn you into a veteran rider.

MAT’s new Express Route 92 provides east and westbound service along the Dodge Street corridor. Trips originate at the North Omaha Transit Center, 30th and Taylor, and the Village Pointe shopping center, 170th and Burke. It operates Monday through Friday during rush hours only, and a one-way fare is $1.50.

The North Omaha Transit Center’s westbound service travels to downtown Omaha via the North Freeway and west on Dodge Street to the Westroads Transit Center, the First National Bank Business Park from 132nd to 144th streets, and Village Pointe, where the route is reversed to downtown Omaha.

The eastbound service originates at Village Pointe with scheduled stops at the First National Bank Business Park, then travels east on Dodge Street – stopping upon request between 84th Street and Turner Boulevard, with scheduled stops on Dodge at 24th, 16th and 13th streets.

The morning and afternoon rush hour schedules are as follows:

Morning Rush Hour

Afternoon Rush Hour

In partnership with First National Bank, the public can park at the bank’s designated surface park and ride lot, located at 14010 FNB Parkway. MAT is also in negotiations to develop a park and ride location at Village Pointe. While there is no parking at the North Omaha Transit Center, the public can transfer to the new express service from nine routes.

For detailed scheduling information, visit www.metroareatransit.com, or call 341.0800 (voice) or 341.0807 (TDD).


New from the NC
The Neighborhood Center has a new web address, www.unomaha.edu/ncenter.

The organization, in conjunction with a group of local entities, also has launched a new initiative, Omaha Cares. It was developed in response to an incident last winter when the untimely death of a single parent also resulted in the death of her child, who was too young to fend for himself.

The Neighborhood Center has developed and published, through a grant from Wells Fargo Bank, an “Omaha Cares – Vigilance Tips” card that will be passed out by first responders and other groups to communicate:

For more information, contact Ron Abdouch, executive director of the Neighborhood Center, at 402.561.7582.

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