Group 1 - Interstate 480 from 8th to 13th Streets

What the Place Game Team Liked Best

The group liked the view back to the city and the potential connection to the river and the Old Market. They also appreciated the sounds and unique nature of being under the bridge complemented by the light fixtures and the Quest Center Omaha design.

What Could Be Improved

They observed that the area is totally concrete and noticed a high level of noise. They felt these features discourage outdoor activity and human interaction. The Vlasic factory, lack of connection to the Old Market and inadequate lighting were also seen as negatives.

Short Term

For the near term the team offered the following suggestions:

• Create pedestrian scale and increase lighting to improve safety.
• Create a festival site for events like September Fest, Santa Lucia, Summer Arts Festival, River City Roundup Carnival.
• Add landscaping like grass, a trail, water fountains, benches/boulders, and sculptures.
• Improve the limited parking.
• Install “artsy” pillars as public art sculpture large enough to fit the scale of the area, and mosaics on the pillars that support I-480.
• Encourage vendor carts offering a variety of news, fruit and food.

Long Term

• Create a series of sports parks that are terraced from Quest Center Omaha under the Interstate down to the river that would include basketball courts, volleyball courts, soccer fields, Frisbee golf, a skateboard park, driving range and a family fitness center.
• Create a fitness trail that connects with the Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge.
• Encourage retail stores that are conducive to sports in some of the old brick buildings in the area.
• Build areas to play non-sports games in some of the smaller quiet places.

[Comments and Suggestions]