Good one.

Harding.

Hug.

Melton.

Roe.

Festerson is absent.

Mr.

President.

Here.

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for opening remarks by Councilmember Melton.

Under God.

Please, everyone have a seat.

Thanks.

And it does.

I think every year it is my turn right when school starts.

I usually am the one giving uh the opening speech at the meeting.

And I give the same message, I think, almost every year.

School has started.

There's gonna be a lot more kids walking around, walking to school, out on the streets.

We were just talking about speed limit signs that we were hoping to have more of those what your speed is installed.

I think you allocated money.

You and Brinker allocated money to that last year.

Um slow down.

I know we all have places to get to.

We got meetings that we have to be on time for, but I would just encourage everyone to pay attention to your surroundings and pay attention to all those kids so that we don't have any any accidents this year as we see all the kiddos go back to school.

So thank you very much.

An affidavit of publication is on file, and a current copy of the open meeting act is posted in a white binder on the east wall of the legislative chambers.

Good afternoon.

Welcome to this meeting of the Omaha City Council.

Is a courtesy to those in attendance and to facilitate the conduct of our business, we ask that you please silence or turn off all electronic devices.

Reminder that you will have three minutes to speak on an agenda item.

Please stay on topic.

If you would like your comments entered into the public record, you can email the city clerk's office at cityclerk at city of Omaha dot org.

The council members receive these emails and we read them.

Finally, council members may ask members of the audience back up for clarifying questions, but not for extra time to speak.

Brewing uh this is a very exciting project.

This is the Big Grove.

Uh restaurant and brewing operation in the Catalyst building there on Saddle Creek in conjunction with the UNMC uh Edge District project.

Um Mr.

Ware is here in case you have any questions.

We're happy to answer whatever you might have.

Otherwise, we'd appreciate your approval.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents here today on item number six?

Hi, Mike Weir with uh Big Girl Brewery.

I'm the chief operating.

Good to meet you in person, not on the phone, Mike.

Thanks for being here.

Uh, what's your address, Mike?

Uh 40 Rainbow Court, Seed Rapids, Iowa, 52403.

Okay, thank you.

Is there any other proponents here today?

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Council discussion.

Mr.

Harding, you're recognized.

Um, yes.

Uh I don't know, Matt or Ryan Weeson, if he could come down.

Yeah.

Ryan Weeson, Deputy City Attorney.

Uh I think there so can you explain kind of what happened with this?

I think the state liquor commission has already turned this down, correct?

Yes, Ryan Weeson, deputy city attorney.

Um my understanding of what has occurred is that the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission has already issued a final determination on whether or not the license should be issued, and then they have denied the license.

Normally, what should happen from a procedural standpoint is that the applicant should be submitted to the liquor control commission, that application should then be forwarded to the local governing body, which is the city council in this case to issue a recommendation on whether license should be approved or denied.

And then once that recommendation is returned to Lincoln to the Commission, that then the determination should be made.

For whatever reason, it seems like that didn't happen in that order in this case, and that the commission has already issued a determination on the issue and denied the license.

And so I don't believe that there's really anything for the council as a local governing body in this case to provide a recommendation on anymore.

Um I'll get to that in a second.

But can you explain if you if you can?

Do you know the reason it was denied at the state?

My understanding, and again, I wasn't there, uh, based upon the order that was issued is that the applicant qualifies as a manufacturer, uh, and not only a manufacturer, but an out-of-state manufacturer, and that under the Nebraska liquor statutes, there's essentially a three-tiered system that uh distinguishes between manufacturers in one category, distributors in another category, and retail license holders in a separate category.

And generally those three aren't allowed to mix.

And because the applicant qualifies in as as an out-of-state manufacturer, uh they're ineligible to hold a retail liquor license in the state of Nebraska.

I think uh under the liquor control act, they could hold a manufacturer's license in Nebraska, but that would be a separate application that is not in front of the city council today.

The only thing that's in front of the city council is their application for a retail class license to sell direct to consumers.

And again, it's my understanding that the commission has already denied that.

Has already denied the retail application.

Yes.

Okay.

Um Mr.

Levy.

Yes, thank you, Councilman.

Yeah, I guess um, so I I'm sure you're aware that the state had already turned it down, and and really, as Mr.

Weeson said, I think any recommendation from the council at this point is you know irrelevant, really.

Yeah, thank you.

I agree with what Mr.

Weeson said in terms of the facts, it's an awkward situation.

We disagree with the liquor commission's interpretation of the statutes.

We are currently trying to determine exactly how to go about dealing with that, um, whether it's to seek a different type of license, to take a whole different approach, um, how exactly to address the the liquor commission.

So it is an awkward situation.

I am I am new to this project, so I apologize for not having um delved into this further with you all before the meeting.

We would ask that the council make its recommendation um so that we have that as we deal forward with the liquor control commission.

Again, I understand you're in an awkward position, we're in an awkward position.

It's uh an awkward and a difficult situation, but um and and candidly we did talk about whether to come forward with this, ask for a continuance, whatever it might be, and we decided to try and get this part of the process done, as Mr.

Weeson said it it is occurring out of order, which makes the situation a difficult situation more difficult.

Um the liquor control commission is looking at certain things.

The council, of course, is looking at at other things, more land use neighborhood in my experience, those kind of things.

So we do respectfully request that that you act on it and that you approve it.

Um if you would choose or not be comfortable to do that, we would ask that you continue it so that we can continue to try and figure out what to do, and if we get to a point where things are sorted out and this particular application is more clear as to the council, we we could come back.

Okay, so I I would probably suggest again since the the commission's already rule, I mean, any recommendation we give at this point is they've already made their determination whether you know you you and your client agree with that or not.

That's you know, for you to decide at the state level, I think.

If we were, I'll ask the CORICA question then too.

If we were to, or Ryan, if we were to place this on file, I mean that could be brought up back up at any point in time, correct?

No.

Ryan Weeson, deputy city attorney.

If we were only operating under the city council's procedures, I would say sure in theory that's correct.

But under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act, the local governing body has 45 days to consider.

And I think that's the best course of action in this case.

Is to place it on file?

Yes.

At least my interpretation of the statute would be that it the 45 days doesn't matter anymore because they've already denied the license.

Yeah.

If it were to matter and you were to place it on file, at most, that would happen is it would be returned to Lincoln with no action taken by the local governing body, which I would not think would prejudice the applicant applicant at all.

And so I think that would be the best course of action, the one that I would recommend for the council, just from a purely legal standpoint.

Uh for consideration of a different license if that were to be in the cards in the future.

Um it would preserve the council's ability to act according to the statute and the law and to make appropriate recommendations to the weather control commission.

Okay.

I guess I'll make that motion then to place uh place this item on file.

Got a motion in a second.

I I got a couple questions, Mike.

If you're back there, Mr.

Levy.

Um you heard what our council said today, and Mike, it's good to meet you here in person.

We've talked on the phone several times.

Driving up Levinworth Street, the billboard not on one side, but both sides is the big big grove is opening soon, maybe in the spring.

And here where we're at, um I guess let me just tell us why you chose Omaha, go through a couple questions I got for you.

Yeah, just so you guys know, we are a craft brewery out of the state of Iowa.

Um we've been a craft brewery since 2013.

Um and I've had a little bit of success.

We've got four different tap rooms in the state and are taking our first venture outside of the state of Iowa.

And uh we looked across the Midwest and you know, Wisconsin, Illinois, um Minnesota, and felt that Omaha was the best next step for us.

Um, you know, I think we've had a lot of success in Des Moines, and I think that Omaha to at times feels like a bigger uh version of Des Moines where if you go to Chicago or um Milwaukee, it feels very different and trying to find the right real estate.

We believe heavily in community impact projects.

Um if I was to show you guys a picture in a slide, which I think will be past our three minutes, you'll see that we always do rehabs and that we do um take buildings that are you know gonna be torn down or you know just in dire repair and come in and make an impact in the neighborhood in the community.

And uh we've got a strong giving uh arm that gives back to our our partners in the local area, and so we felt like Omaha was the right spot for us and um thought we could operate underneath the craft brewery laws that are are within the state.

And how many um you and I talked earlier, how many people do you plan on employing when you get rolling?

Yeah, we um I mean our business usually operates about 120 to 140 people.

Uh we've got a 10,000 square foot restaurant with a 7,000 square foot patio.

If we get to open this would be the coolest place uh that you guys would come and enjoy a beer.

Um and you know, I think uh those jobs are important.

I'm I'm here for orientation.

Um if I could be honest, I was back here in May uh doing all the interviews and hiring when some of the stuff happened with the liquor commission control.

Um, and so you know we've been on delay for a little while, waiting on a pending decision and a little bit in construction delays as well.

But um, you know, this has really been going on since March, and I think why we're here today was if we were to get a different relief from the commission to be able to get a license granted fairly quickly, as we're you know, almost six months into this process.

And we've got you know, we've invested five and a half million dollars into Omaha at this point in time, and liquor and beer is a big part of the plan.

Um and getting your license at the very end is tough because you know you read these laws and you think you're well within compliance, and then you're told you're not, and um, you know, trying to find solutions.

And I know I live about three blocks from here, and when you are up and running, I'll be your biggest fan.

I'm so excited that you did choose Omaha, the district I represent as a heart of Omaha Midtown, and it's it's a great location.

You mentioned it was a it was an almost steel plan.

It was got a lot of good union jobs decades ago, and to see that that location with catalysts and and the big rove rebirthing that.

Um I want you to know that I'm I'm fully supportive of you of your your business, but with with council advising us we're we have a motion in a second to place it on file.

I want you to know I'm supporting that, not because I'm against you guys.

I can't, I'll be the first one walking across the street to come over when you're up and running.

But the NLC action preceded what we can do here today, and we don't want to be in violation of that act, and I I don't want to do anything to hurt your you got good counsel here, Mr.

Levy on your proceedings, whatever you choose to do going forward.

But that's the recommendation we got.

It's I'm not supporting that because I'm I'm against you.

I want you to know that.

And you got my number, you can call me.

And I am looking forward, I wish you the best of luck in your legal proceedings.

And I hope it gets resolved and you get open because it's it's just a great location.

You've seen you've invested the time to look into that location in the city.

So I I appreciate the question.

Totally understand.

Appreciate the council's time today.

And uh, you know, we'll take our next steps and hopefully I'll be enjoying a beer and it's patio this fall.

So Mr.

President, I just say thank you for what you said, and thank you all for the time as well.

And I'm I apologize that this is an awkward situation that we find ourselves in again.

I'm brand new to this particular project and trying to get my arms around it and appreciate you, you know, as best you can within the law giving us some time to try and figure this out.

And um, you know, as Mike and others have said this, this will undoubtedly be a great project uh for Omaha and for that neighborhood, and um we just need to find our way through the through the legal maze, and we will.

And there's other lights on my last comment is um don't feel bad.

I know you're a smart attorney.

I don't feel as ill-informed now because I thought what the heck is going on here.

I sat down with Ryan who gives great counsel to us, and Miss Butler here are clerk, and they haven't really seen it's kind of an awkward thing, so I I felt a little better understanding the mechanics and knowing our recommendation to place it on file, it's not to hurt you.

It's so hopefully it it keeps it moving.

So, with that said, uh, council member Melton you recognize.

Thanks.

Um, we have other craft breweries, and so I don't know, Ryan or Mr.

Levy, I'm not sure.

Uh, how do the other craft breweries get their licenses?

I mean, I I'm just curious as to I understand the I understand that under our law the there were the three types of licenses, but don't we have other craft breweries that are operating here in Brian We see different city attorney?

Yes, kind of.

Um I think it's they're not termed craft breweries, it'd be like microbreweries, and so the distinction in this case is volume of production.

And I think it's 20,000 night and unsure of the unit of measurements, 20,000 barrels or gallons.

But if you're above that threshold, you don't qualify to cross those tiers.

If you're under that threshold, then you can't have uh microbrewery or a micro distillery like a cross-strain.

That's exactly what I was thinking, upstream and cross and under Nebraska law as it comes since they're too big for the decision.

And this is uh that ability to kind of like cross all of tiers to be a manufacturer and a distributor and or retail and sell directly to consumers.

It's kind of a recent development in the law that probably has only occurred over the past ten years or so as the prevalence.

Can you hold on one sec?

We got a technical issue.

Do we need to reboot?

Reminds me of the area.

Yeah, the 70s when we used to have to do that to watch TV.

All right, that's better.

Sorry, Ryan, please continue.

Thanks.

Yeah, so I and that's okay.

So there's a difference between a craft brewery and a microbrewery, and it has to do with the amount that they produced.

Well, I I'm just I'm trying to figure out what the difference between their big grove and we'll just use cross is it cross?

Cross it cross.

And I I don't have and I'll set aside if somebody has a better answer in a second.

I don't have the updated definitions from the liquor control act in front of me.

You know, a craft brewery is I think a term that we all use just in general.

I don't know that there it's a defined term under the act.

And so again, like there's a specific type of uh distinction between manufacturers, and it's based on volume.

And if you're below that threshold, and again, I think it's 20,000 of whatever unit of measurement, right?

You qualify as a manufacturer and you can't cross the tiers.

If you're under that volume, the law allows avenues for you to start crossing into the other tiers.

And you didn't create the statute or pass the statute.

We understand you're kind of you're just the you're the messenger of the law right now, right?

And it's not something that we normally deal with.

We don't normally deal with manufacturers.

We deal with generally retail classes, uh entities that are allowed to uh sell direct to consumer.

Okay.

So I mean it I guess to me, are are we thinking that we need to have a change in the statute in order to allow this?

I mean, my fear is how long is it gonna take them to be able to get a license or are there other options for them to be able to get the license?

Feel free, just state your name and address.

I'm Christina Campler, I'm with Baird Holmes as well, and I've been helping Big Grove also get their licensing through or try to.

The big hiccup in the liquor control commission is in regards to the barrelage that is produced.

The commission has adopted an interpretation that holds big grove's production out of state in that definition of whether or not they can be a craft brewer.

However, Big Grove has disputed before the liquor commission whether that's an appropriate interpretation, because the definition of a craft brewer is 20,000 barrels on the premises and on the licensed premises.

And we are arguing that the licensed premises here would be the big grove facility in the catalyst building, which is going to produce less than 1,500 barrels of beer.

Okay.

Yeah, so it's basically they they denied it based on what they produce in Iowa.

Correct.

Not what's being produced at this location in Omaha.

Exactly.

And so there is a legal dispute, and we're trying to figure out how that dispute will be resolved.

And so that is part of why we want the city of Omaha to uh adopt the resolution today, because if we are able to further uh work on that dispute with the interpretation that the liquor control commission is giving that specific provision, we'd like to be up and running and ready to go from a city perspective.

I I don't know that I don't think it would mat timing-wise, and the clerk may correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know that giving it today would make any difference since it was already denied.

I but and I don't think we can give a recommendation based on what the commission has already done.

Even if I maybe agree with your interpretation of the law, I don't think that that's council's prerogative.

I don't know that we should be doing that.

I absolutely agree with you on that point.

It's more of a we have a an argument to make with the commission or with judiciary or you know, some other uh governing body on in regards to how that law is interpreted, and we just want to make sure that we don't run into issues if we are able to overturn the liquor control commission's interpretation.

We'd like to just have this ready to go in the file if it if you'll agree from a city perspective.

And just to confirm, I'm I'm glad we're having the discussion because now it's really elucidating why this is unusual and awkward and confusing and all of those things.

So thank you for the questions.

And I want to confirm my understanding by placing this on file.

If we get to where we want to get with the liquor control commission by some means, we could come back fairly quickly and come back and and get the it would get it back on the agenda and have an action as it's not.

I mean, I'm gonna look to the clerk since I'm up.

I I don't is that is that yeah, so placing it on file, what will happen is it will eventually run for that 45 days, and then the liquor control commission would approve it had they met all the inspections and everything.

So it really doesn't affect it either way.

I'll Ryan Weeson Deputy City Attorney, I'll interject.

I don't know that it would come back to the city council, and I don't know that it has to.

I mean, as we have been up here many, many times before, the local governing body is a recommending body only.

So if the applicant goes down to Lincoln and appeals under the Administrative Procedures Act and the Lancaster District Court reverses the appeal of a commission and says the license should not have been denied, they don't need to come back to us necessarily.

Um and there have been many times where this council has recommended denial, and the liquor control commission has been approved.

So it's not we're recommending body only.

There's not another procedural step that would be like if the commission were to be reversed and then decide we're gonna issue the license now.

It wouldn't be another requirement that the lack of a local approval would hold anything up.

Well, and I I don't think we could be, I mean, I think the motion that probably from especially when I heard from President Bagley is saying we we would approve this if we could.

And so I I mean I I don't know if it that's we can't we either have to vote it up or down, right?

It's a recommendation or place it on file.

It's yes or no.

I mean that but I I I would like to be on the record as stating that I would approve this.

I mean, it if we hadn't had that ruling come down from the Nebraska Liquor Commission, then uh you know I would vote yes to approve it.

And I I think that's is that what you're saying you were wanting is the city council saying, but for the liquor commission's decision, we support this liquor license.

If if I may be direct, I think the motion that is on the table at the moment is within the laws.

So I appreciate that and would ask for your support for that motion.

Okay and I I that that's what I wanted to make sure of that it was clear today that I think at least the majority of us support the liquor license and so we're gonna place it on file with that statement I think being clear appreciate it thank you.

Thanks I have nothing thank you council member Harding that's fine about the same thing okay no further lights we had a motion and a second roll call good one Harding yes hug Melton yes row Mr President aye motion pass six to zero thank you for bearing with us appreciate it thanks item seven to consider a class C liquor license for Nana located at 2229 11 Worth Street building two I'll open the public hearing on item number seven is the applicant here today good afternoon Mr.

President members of the council David Houghton uh 2804 South 87th Avenue here on behalf of Nana LLC doing business is NANA which is located at 2229 Leavenworth Street in building two this is a new application on an old application from 23 which this body approved um there was an issue at the commission level over the corporate structure and the license was uh at that time denied uh my client thinks that they've gotten that uh corrected and um if the council would have any questions I'd be happy to answer them and my client uh the applicant Bianca is here as well to answer some questions thank you thank you is there any other proponents here today on item number seven seeing none is there any opponents public hearing is closed council member hug you're recognized approved second motion and a second roll call goodwin yes harding yes hug yes melton yes row yes mr president aye motion pass six to zero item eight to consider a classic liquor license for class A codigo located at 3350 south 143 143rd plaza i will open the public hearing on item number eight is the applicant here today please come down good afternoon my name is Louis Garcia and I'm here with the glass team classic codigo uh uh 3350 south one forty third and um I mean if we get a new license for these new plays used to be most right now it's gonna be mostly Mexican okay thank you is there you here to answer any question if there's any if there's any further question I'll call you back up is that okay okay okay thanks for being here today is there any other proponents here today seeing none is there any opponents on item number eight public hearing is closed no lights get a motion second motion and a second row call good one Harding Hug Melton row Mr President aye motion pass six to zero item nine to consider a class D liquor license for La Mexicana IMAS located at 1603 Vinton Street is communication opposition the public hearing on item number nine is now open is the applicant here today good afternoon good afternoon my name is Alfredo Roman is owner of uh Ramirez Market LLC uh DBA La Mexicana IMAS um I'm here to answer any questions you guys might have thank you is there any other proponents here today on item number nine seeing none is there any opponents public hearing is closed council member hug you're recognized approved motion and a second roll call good one Harding yes hug Melton row Mr President aye motion pass six to zero item ten to consider a liquor license addition application for Alpine Inn located at 10405 Calhoun Road said an irregular shaped outdoor area with covered building public hearing is now open on item number 10 proponents applicant good afternoon yes good afternoon members of the council my name is Dan Ditman of Ericsson Cedarstrom representing 1040 10405 Calhoun Road Inc.

Good one.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug.

Melton.

Row.

Mr.

President.

Hi.

Motion passed.

6 to 0.

Item 11 to consider a liquor license.

Change of location for Tipsy Sisters to be located at 1210 West Center Road, suite 905.

Public hearing is now open on item number 11.

Applicants.

Good afternoon.

Proponents, I'm guessing.

Hello.

My name is Misty Anderson.

Um we are here on behalf of Tipsey Sisters LLC for a change of address at 1210 West Center Road, suite 905.

Thank you.

Did you want to give your names as well?

Um I'm Leslie King at 1020 South 200th Street.

Debbie Johnson.

Your address.

Your home address.

Home address.

Oh, 3903 Platte View Road Bell V Nebraska.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents here on item number 11?

Seeing none, any opponents.

Public hearing is closed.

Motion and a second.

No further lights.

Roll call.

Good one.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug.

Melton.

Row.

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed.

Six to zero.

Items 12 through 15 can be considered together for North Streams located northeast of 24th and Q Streets.

Planning Board and Planning Department recommend approval.

Items 12 and 13, ordinances to rezone this property from AG district to DR district in R4 district.

Item 14, a resolution to approve the final plat and 15 resolution to approve the subdivision agreement.

The public hearing is now open on items number 12 through 15.

Mr.

Jobin, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Mr.

President, members of the council area job in 1140 Western Road appearing on behalf of the development and the developer.

This is the second phase of the North Stream subdivision.

It's 112 single family lots and one lot being the park.

And so with that, I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have.

It's just north of 200 northeast corner of uh Twin Fourth and Q Street.

Thank you.

You're our technical expert.

Hold on.

Do we need to pull those a four again?

There was working fine till you got up here.

Maybe pull them apart.

Oh.

Well then you're hired.

Sorry about that.

Thanks, Larry.

Is there any other proponents here on items 12 through 15?

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

You're fired.

There are no opponents.

Public hearing is closed.

Got a motion and a second roll call.

Good one.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug.

Melton.

Row.

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed.

Six to zero.

Item 16 through 20 can be considered together for hooks subdivision.

Replant one, located northeast of 56 and Francis Streets.

Planning board and planning department recommend approval.

Item 16, an ordinance to rezone this property from CC district to R5 district.

Item 17, an ordinance to approve a PUR overlay district.

Item 18, an ordinance to approve an amendment to the future land use element of the city's master plan from industrial to low density residential district.

Items 19 and 20.

Resolutions to approve the preliminary plan and final plan.

Public hearing is now open on items number 16 through 20.

Applicants, good afternoon.

Hello.

I'm here with the developer.

Matt Croneizel, Sierra Homes, 2320 South 156 Circle.

Omaha, Nebraska, 68130.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents on item 16 through 20?

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

I'm Jeanette Vandevere.

I live at 1415 South 84th Street in Omaha, Nebraska.

And I own the property at 2047 South 55th Avenue.

And I see I'm not opposed to the rezoning.

I am opposed to the schematic that was sent out as to the number of houses that are proposed for this location.

I saw that there were six.

As a realtor, I think that's over kill on that corner based on the demographics and the layout of the neighborhood.

I think it would be more appropriate to just limit that to four.

Okay, thank you.

Is there any other opponents on items 16 through 20?

Public hearing is closed.

Do you want to answer that question in respect to the number of houses?

Um yeah, I think uh part of it is uh price point of properties.

Um as former past president of Metro Motor Builders Association, we've been partnering with the city um and their affordable housing plan and trying to redevelop some of these areas.

Obviously, originally currently now it's zoned for storage units or industrial type uses, and we didn't feel like that really fits that neighborhood as it's surrounded by houses, and uh so as we've been kind of uh as MOBA as part of MOBA, we've been working with them on you know, trying to bring some denser housing, getting some price points that the workforce can bring into that midtown area.

Um so to do that, obviously the denser um housing is is really needed.

Okay, thank you.

Councilmember Harding, you're recognized.

Uh Mark, where the the six lots are those on the south side, or where six lots were being referred to.

On the sorry, the northeast corner of 56 and Francis three of them face 56 and the other three face 55.

That would be what we do.

Yes, okay.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

We have a no further lights.

We need a motion.

Motion and a second, roll call.

Good one, Harding.

Yes, hug, Melton, yes, row, Mr.

President.

Aye, motion passed six to zero.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Item 21, a resolution to approve the Ames Industrial Park 3 tax increment financing redevelopment project plan located at 3828 Ames Avenue in an amount up to 90,000 dollars.

The public hearing on item number 21 is now open.

Mr.

Seaton, good afternoon.

Yes, good afternoon, Don Seaton, all the mining department.

Uh this project involves a vacant building on the northeast corner of 39th and Ames.

Uh it's been a long vacant building, uh not a terribly attractive site at present.

Um, the existing building will undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation and become commercial space, which will be used for vehicle maintenance, repair, and storage by the Spencer Management uh business.

The developer is Ames Industrial Park.

That's what we're looking at for the rehab.

Back out a little bit.

Developers Ames Industrial Park LLC managed by Justin Moore.

Total investment uh on this site on Ames is in the neighborhood of about $845,000.

The TIFF support requested for the project is $90,000.

Project meets the required criteria of our TIFF program.

It's an appropriate land use for the area, and it complies the goals of the city's master plan.

And we ask for your approval.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents on item number 21?

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Oh, I'm sorry, Councilmember Goodwin, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Uh Mr.

Seaton, I had a few questions, and you may have mentioned this.

Will the zoning here stay commercial or is it going to industrial?

What is the zoning point?

Don't recall what the current zoning is.

It's in my staff report.

Um Director Fanslaw, do you recall the current zoning or or whether it's been up for rezoning for entitlements?

Uh Councilman Goodwin, I'm looking right now.

I ask because sometimes, and I know clearly there's a physical improvement here.

Clearly, there's a physical improvement here that's happening, but how sometimes commercial and industrial spaces are managed on the front footage of a place like Ames Avenue is important.

So that's really the purpose of my question.

I state to currently gonna be an improvement of the uh streetscape of Ames Avenue.

Ames Avenue hasn't always been a very attractive corridor, but it's been improving quite a bit over the last decade, and this will be another step in the right direction.

I think I'm sorry.

If I can add the city planning, it's currently zone GC.

Okay.

We are going to require that the MCC overlay be applied to this so it'll um any rehab to it will meet um the urban design standards that we have for the new development law in the command corridors.

You said that's uh overlay as which over it's an overlay zoning overlay district, yeah.

You said that's uh overlay as which over it's an overlay zoning overlay district, yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

You bet.

Thank you.

No further lights.

We have a motion and a second.

Motion and second roll call.

Good one.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug?

Melton.

Yes.

Rowe?

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed, six to zero.

Items 22 and 23 can be considered together.

Item 22 is a resolution to approve the Little Bow Village Mixed Use Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Plan located north of 14th and Williams Street and northeast of 12th and Williams Streets and amount up to 7,323,090.

Item 23 is the resolution to approve the Little Bow Historic Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Plan, located northwest of 13th and William Streets and an amount up to 868,950.

The public hearing is now open on items number 22 and 23.

Mr.

Seaton.

These two items together represent a large, ambitious and potentially transformative project for the Little Bohemia area.

The Little Bow Village project involved five sites near 13th Street and Williams Street.

These five sites are a large missed mixed-use project with multiple new buildings, mostly new construction.

It's also a companion piece, then to the historic TIFF item 23 on your agenda, which involves rehab of four historic buildings.

In total, the Little Bow Village TIFF project will have 155 rate residential units and about 9,250 square feet of commercial area.

That's the Little Bow Village.

There will be 58 parking stalls developed within the largest apartment building.

That apartment building is 114 units, so it'll have 58 parking stalls inside.

The developer, depending on on street parking for the remainder of the parking.

He is seeking uh NBD zoning, which is neighborhood business district, uh, which has minimal well has no parking requirements.

The developer is Silver Bowl Holdings LLC.

That's a clarity development entity managed by Tom McLay for the Little Bow Village TIFF project.

Uh the total investment in this part of Omaha is a little more than 34.3 million dollars.

The TIFF support for the project is seven requested for the project, seven million three hundred twenty-three thousand and ninety dollars.

Um both of these items have been approved by the TIFF committee and the planning board.

Both are coming to you for your approval.

Um I'd like to talk maybe a little bit more about the little bow historic TIFF project.

Sorry, I kind of had these set up for separate presentations.

Involve four sites, four historic buildings.

Uh there'll be one addition in there as well.

Um in addition to the 155 residential units of the Little Bow Village TIFF project.

There'll be another five residential units mixed in with uh which largely a commercial project here.

Again, there's four historic buildings being rehabbed.

Total number of square feet of commercial retail space in the Little Bow Historic TIFF project is 24,741 square feet.

Um same developer uh uh managed by Tom McClay.

The historic portion uh the historic TIFF project is a little more than six point two million dollars in total project costs, investment in the neighborhood.

The TIFF support for the historic TIFF requested is $868,950.

And again, both of these have been reviewed by the TIFF committee and the planning board, and they come to you with a recommendation for approval.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents on items 22 and 23 here today?

Good afternoon, good afternoon.

I'm uh Tom McClay, uh Clarity Development Company.

I'm here with my uh co-developer and uh partner in more ways than that, Colleen McClay, my my wife.

Uh uh here in the address also address also, please.

I'm sorry, you're good.

I should know by the way.

You're nervous with Colleen next, yeah.

Who wouldn't be?

Uh uh 1323 uh South 12th Street, Little Bohemia, Omaha, Nebraska.

Uh uh Colleen uh likewise uh uh uh address for her.

Um we're here at uh the the little there they're two projects somewhat interweaved, uh Little Bow Historic Rehabilitation and then Little Bow Village.

Um these are the best and most important projects I've worked on in my 20 years of development in Omaha, and they have been a long time coming.

Uh South Omaha neighborhoods have uh not received the attention, the development that the Central Core of Omaha has received, as we've all seen.

I've been a part of uh and and happy to be a part of it.

This is now time for that development to start to move south and north, uh, as we all know.

Um started acquiring uh properties down in in the South Omaha neighborhoods 19 years ago.

Uh I was six years old.

Uh I assume you don't believe that, but uh uh um with the belief that South Omaha neighborhoods were going to rapidly improve.

It's been 19 years.

Uh we were able to do one project uh before a lot of the uh construction and interest rate issues um and the pandemic, of course, which stalled a lot of development.

Um but other than that, there has been some development starting to leak south, but not enough, in my opinion.

Um this this this uh desire and this intent even goes further than that for me, I guess personally.

This is a 1979 Omaha Sun article that my uh uncle uh who's an architect in Omaha for 50 years, um, uh passed on to me before he passed away.

Um this is my grandmother.

Of course, then probably figured out my great grandmother, my great-grandfather.

Um she was born at 33rd and F Street, which was the family farm uh that was settled in 1854 within a few days of the July 4th, 1854 day that the the uh Nebraska territory was open for settlement.

Um she was one of the the first uh uh I perhaps the first uh uh uh uh you know new resident of their home that they established there in 1854, and then my great-grandfather immigrated from Ireland in the 1870s.

This article from 1979 uh was about efforts to bring the South Omaha neighborhoods up.

The new South Omaha comes alive.

This has been going on since 1979, trying to bring the South Omaha neighborhoods up, and we're still waiting for it.

Hence the reason why I believe this is the best, the most important project uh I've worked on in the 20s some years.

Uh likely the reason it's the best is the team that we worked with.

Uh I'd like to introduce you to Bruce Yoder, uh, who's our architect, and he's gonna give you a little insight on our thought process with this project.

Thank you, Tom.

Uh Bruce Yoder, one by two architecture.

I'm at 522 Bellevue Boulevard North Bellevue, Nebraska.

Get this back up here.

Just wanted to take a moment just to walk through the project.

I know Don already did a great job just talking through all the big figures, but really high level.

What we really wanted to do with this project, and just talking with Tom on his vision for this, is keep the scale down as we're going down this Williams Street corridor.

So we're really reviving these two buildings, the donut stop, as well as the Golden Goose, uh, which I know the name is gone.

I think Postal Annex was the last name of it.

And develop a small one-story addition, just adjacent to that.

Three-story apartment building next to that, rehab the two existing historic buildings with a small addition, just in order to keep all of the uh things like toilets and everything, uh meeting accessibility, and then a small two-story brick building here on the corner, kind of anchor these two corners together and bring back some of that historic character.

Um, from some of the photos we found, there was kind of an angled corner, two-story building right here on the corner previously, um, before it uh no longer stood there.

And then as we turned the turned the corner here down 14th Street.

Um this is the podium building, but what we did here was really developed eight walk-in, walk-up units just right here.

So they'll have little front porches.

You'll walk right into it.

Um for all justification, it'll look like some little row houses there.

And then we pulled it back behind these existing structures here, which will remain.

And really the only other presence just working with planning and zoning is the 60-foot wide strip right here of the rest of the podium building, which is the parking garage with apartments above.

And that has resident entrances, uh garage entrances, everything like that at that uh point of the building.

Thanks, Bruce.

I I would ask uh Sydney Shynost uh who uh oversees all of our property management to give us a little insight onto uh the way uh she uh encouraged us to design the housing.

As I know you all have heard many times, Omaha's in desperate need of more housing.

We are upwards of 30,000 short of units of housing.

Um the the type, the design, the style uh is important to meet that, and uh Sydney with her depth of experience is is really uh been an incredible asset for us.

Sydney Shynist, I'm at 1323 South 12th Street.

Um I've had the opportunity to work um with Tom just over three years, so I do work clarity development.

Um this is a super exciting project.

Um I have roughly 20 years in developing residential multifamily mixed use um anywhere from the city of Omaha to City of Lincoln, Des Moines.

I've I've been everywhere.

So this project is super exciting.

Um when we did Little Bow Bungalows and Flats, we had great feedback from the residents.

They love the area, they love the walkability, they love the community.

Um that project has done really well for us.

We average 98 to 99 percent physically occupied.

Um it does very well.

Um we get a lot of feedback from the traffic that we do get that wants to know like are you building more units?

Is there gonna be more down here?

How to like how soon can I get into an apartment?

We have a wait list.

Um so a project like this is very exciting for us.

It's something that we can talk about.

It's something that the residents that are in our current units can look forward to, um, especially from an amenity standpoint, bringing more into the community to allow more walkability.

Um, it's huge for us, and it's always um really exciting to be a part of offering housing to people that are looking.

So thank you.

Thanks, Sydney.

The um the the neighborhood, uh as we uh have been trying to acquire properties to have some scale uh important to the to development is to have a little bit of of um impact um that we tried to do, but we try to do it in a very thoughtful manner.

Um Bruce had some discussions uh about the multiple buildings.

We did not want to overwhelm the neighborhood with one big huge building.

We actually have built multiple buildings as Bruce showed you in that site plan uh throughout the neighborhood uh to interweave better and keep the historic elements.

Um there is uh the the historic buildings uh Bruce had mentioned.

Um these buildings state from the 1880s.

We refer to them as the 1880s buildings.

Um, this is as deep in Omaha history as you really can get that actually is still standing.

Um as well, they date from the 1890s.

Um every real estate folk I've ever talked to about these projects has told me to tear them down.

Uh it's not particularly efficient to try to save this history.

Uh but I just uh giving you a little bit of my history that I have.

I didn't want to tear down some of these last little bits of Omaha history.

Instead, we've worked very hard.

Bruce and his partner Matt have been remarkable architects in this process to find a way to efficiently interweave some density, some scale, some housing that Sydney has talked to you about that we have done at 12th and Williams, so we do know there's a market.

We do know this is a desirable product that folks are looking at.

When we started acquiring things down there, um the use of them was maybe not ideal for the neighborhood.

This is 14th Street.

Uh, this is 14th and Briggs.

Um this is uh one of the locations where the property we are going to be developing.

Um that's what this area is zoned for right now, general industrial.

Um that's what we we get uh when we have disinvestment in the neighborhood, which is really what's happened since 1979, probably.

Um that that's been the the uh uh a driver for us is to find and uh get to a higher and best use of things.

Um this is uh a 1950s picture uh from uh this is uh uh 13th and Williams Street.

You see the goose.

This was the golden goose from the 50s.

Uh there has been some uh uh folks in the neighborhood who have indicated uh they have questions about why we're developing, how we're developing, and parking, of course, the the one thing that always comes up with with people.

Um to create wonderful urban neighborhoods, the ones that people want to go to.

Um you need to create some density, some mixed uses.

That's what we're doing with this.

Uh and and it's entirely appropriate for this neighborhood with its proximation right to die right next to downtown and its history.

Uh, this neighborhood was a very dense neighborhood, mixed use, represented to as you'll see here in 1950, um, all along there.

Um this uh was the original location for the Bohemian Cafe.

You can kind of see the pigley wiggly and even see Bohemian Cafe there before it moved to its uh subsequent location uh south of Williams Street.

That is the donut stop.

That is one of the buildings that we are looking to redo.

Uh of course, as I mentioned, this is the golden goose that become the postal workers, also one of the buildings that we're we are uh attempting with uh your consent to rehabilitate, bring back um this wonderful street wall still exists there.

We're um I kept it here.

Here's where we're trying to go to.

We're trying to bring that wonderful street wall back.

We're trying to bring the street wall back onto Williams Street.

Uh this is the goose.

Uh this is what the rehabilitation looks like, uh, as we're hoping and and uh moving to forward to do.

Don had mentioned an addition on that.

Uh this is uh a three-story um building of apartments, it's all residential.

Uh fronting Williams Street.

Uh I I should add too, it's been wonderful work with the planning department um trying to uh uh get these to achieve these things of a street wall of this urban neighborhood, of these special spots.

Um that is um again, we didn't want to overwhelm.

We kept the building to three stories.

We didn't go five, seven, ten to really overwhelm the neighborhood.

Uh, this then continues on with the 1880s buildings that we'd save.

Uh this is a uh art studio uh that's uh presently there and will stay.

And then this piece I'll show you the next slide is uh a what a corner building which is residential uh and uh commercial on the ground floor.

Uh as I said, the uh the neighborhood is old.

Um this is from 1913 is my uh the estimation that I was told.

This is now looking from 14th Street uh to the east.

Um this is what we describe as the 1880s buildings.

Um this is then the post the the post-wars, the goose building in here.

Um we tried very hard to then continue that street wall, bring back some of that sense of history.

Uh this was a Czech parade, as I'm sure a lot of you know, it was a Czech neighborhood back in that era.

Here's then where we're hoping to take it.

Bring back that street wall, bring back that history, uh, what was there before.

Um this is a you know ground floor commercial space, these are apartments above it.

And then this is where Bruce had mentioned uh the uh uh townhome type of style uh to bring uh more context to the neighborhood, more character and what it used to be.

Um and then this is then an additional building uh that is in the back there uh that is uh uh additional housing, uh bringing some energy to the neighborhood, uh, and and yet still not overwhelming the neighborhood.

Um that then there is along 14th Street.

The new construction piece is what we refer to as Lobo Village, uh the historic elements here, the 1880s buildings is what we refer to as the Little Bow Rehabilitation.

Um I guess you probably may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway.

TIFF is desperately needed for this.

Uh we would absolutely be unable to do anything like this to create housing without tax increment financing here.

Um thing that um the last project I'd spoken with you all about, 27th and Leavenworth, um, we ended up with an enormous amount of uh building underneath the surface that we had to dig out that we had to replicate, which of course you don't encounter at uh you know in the fringes of the city in places of you know virgin farmland that you have to dig up.

Um this neighborhood uh has had that, but then um there's also a lot of environmental issues we have to address.

Our environmental engineers have grave concerns about things that leached into the property from elsewhere.

Uh these were residential and commercial, you'll see here, uh, but there has been over the last 30 or 40 years uh environmental concerns.

Uh we did do uh work uh where that self-storage was.

Um there we do know uh we did have testing there, we do know there's environmental issues underneath there that we will have to remediate.

Again, of course, things we would not have to address if we were just getting into a virgin farmland.

Um I can go on and on about this project.

Uh uh my my passion and desire, I I assume is obvious.

Um, but um uh I I do think uh is important for my my co-developer, my wife, to give you a little uh discussion.

She is a member of the business improvement, Little Bohemia Business Improvement Board, uh, and some discussions she's had and uh all throughout the neighborhood and all the work she's been doing down there.

Hello again, Colleen McClay, 1323 South 12th Street.

Um partner in crime with Tom McClay.

Um obviously I'm in support of this project.

Um I don't I I um I share Tom's passion and his careful um way that he goes about this, and um I feel like it's a it's a really it's a cool project, and I I hope that we can move forward today.

I am a member of the BID, uh, the business improvement district.

Um we um I did present this project to them uh yesterday, and um we have a lot of support.

Um we also have a lot of questions about parking.

Um however, I do feel pretty strongly that this is not it should not solely rest on the developer for um some of the the potential um parking questions, and I think that is something that we should move forward with conversations.

Um I do know that um it's important to get this passed today without any holdup, and I hope that that can happen.

Um I I will I'm trying I'm trying real hard to not uh you know get into the opposition, but I do feel like that is something that we've encountered with this BID since pretty much day one, and um it's been hard because I I think that there's this perception that we're not business owners, we're we're business owners as developers and as property owners and managers.

Um this is our business too, and we care very deeply about it.

Um I think that Tom's had a pretty good track record here in Omaha as far as the development that he's done.

It's a bit very careful.

Um, in fact, there's kind of a running joke with a lot of developer friends of ours that say, 'Why do you do what you do?

It's just painful.

It's it's hard.

It's hard to do inner in the urban core.

Um I grew up in Chicago, so I'm familiar with neighborhoods that can kind of come and go.

And I really hope that that doesn't happen here.

This is a good project, and I hope we can get your approval today.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I I know there's a few other folks here who want to talk, and I uh to in support of the project.

Uh, I think a few in the opposition, perhaps, or or some others.

One kind of one final comment I did want to make.

We need more housing in Omaha, desperately.

And we need it to be cost-effective housing.

Uh, we we this is something that everyone else in the country knows, and we need to learn it better here.

Parking finds its way.

Parking is like water, it'll find its level, it will work itself out.

Every neighborhood and every major city you go to that people really want to go to, we don't have acres and acres of open parking lots.

That is not what creates uh effective affordable housing.

This is thank you all.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents here today that wish to speak?

Hello, uh Jim Johnson, 2234 South 13th Street, the Admiral Theater.

Um, we made a really large investment in the neighborhood in 22, and uh I've done a lot of development up in Benson, and I would love someone to come do a project like this there.

I think it's a great project, and I'm all for it.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Uh Adrian Hernandez, uh president with Dundee Bank.

We are at 1407 South 13th Street, so right there in the neighborhood.

I'm here to voice my support for this project.

Um I think it's important to talk about the significance of this investment in Little Bohemia in the city's urban core.

I think that uh the project balances the renovation of the historic nature and new residential construction that fits within the fabric of the existing neighborhood.

I'd also like to just say that I think this will provide an additional boost to an already vibrant business and residential neighborhood.

I don't view it as being detrimental to the vibrancy that's already there.

I'd also like to just acknowledge that development and progress in these neighborhoods presents new concerns and new topics to talk through.

We have uh four bank branches here in Omaha.

All of them are in historic buildings in historic business districts, and they each have presented their own unique challenges and opportunities that we've had to work through.

Despite that, I think the development that's come into those historic neighbors has neighborhoods has been a great thing.

And I think that on balance, this project is a great thing for the neighborhood, and I encourage you to support it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there any other good afternoon?

Hi, uh Patrick McNally, uh 1323 William Street.

Uh we actually, the photo um off the corner here, if I may, we are right here.

So we are super excited to see this development across the street.

Um we have stared at a vacant lot for over 20 years, and this is just going, we could not have planned this kind of development better ourselves if we wanted to.

This is just going to do amazing things to the neighborhood.

We are so excited.

The fact that they're keeping the historic buildings is just like frosting on top of the cake.

The fact that they're doing that is wonderful.

Um, if you don't mind, um, my mother who owns properties in the neighborhood too, uh, sent you an email earlier, but I don't know if you had a chance to see it, see if I could read it real quick.

Um, as a longtime resident, I support, so she's Shirley McNally at 1417 South 14th Street.

So a half a block down 14th Street.

Um as a longtime resident, I support this project, and it should not be held up due to a real or imagined concern over parking in the neighborhood.

Those can be addressed as the project is built and other interests are drawn into the area.

There are many underutilized lots.

The city could allow designated parking in front of each private residence to provide for their use.

A task force could certainly bring this together in a sensible way.

In her words, she I have worked 10 years as a grant writer in small communities in mid and western Nebraska.

I got 49 grants for improvements from the Department of Economic Economic Development to save small towns.

The grants total totaled over 25 million dollars.

The opposition to this project reminds me of the small towns where a couple of individuals opposed new development, new ideas, and a project died, and so eventually did the town.

I have heard no opposition from real residents of our neighborhood.

It is exciting to see Little Bo revitalized and grow, um prosperous, and an interesting place to live.

And as a child, we used to ride our bikes around.

There's a project on 13th Street called the Bohemian Gardens.

Um, it is a wonderful place.

They've got a beautiful courtyard, a two and a half story brick building, they have weddings there, they have pizza nights on Wednesdays.

It's it's amazing place.

Um with a parking lot.

Someone bought it, put up the courtyard, and as a 10-year-old, me and my friends were very upset that someone took our shortcut from the alley to 13th Street.

But you know, we got over it in a couple of days.

I I gotta ask you, your time has expired.

Yeah, that's all great story to the first time.

I just wanted to share that quick little story, so thank you.

Thank you so much.

And for speakers, when you see those lights here right there, there's a three-minute timer.

So in the red, yellow, and green.

No, you did great.

Stephen, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Council.

Thank you.

Steven Sykes, uh, 705 Sunset Trail in Omaha.

Um, here to support the project at Speak and Support.

Um I'm a business owner and property owner with property on 13th Street within a couple of blocks of this proposed development or redevelopment.

Um partners and I have invested over three million dollars in the last three years in our properties that are within a couple of blocks, including the one on 13th, and are very excited to see the uh efforts to continue to redevelop the neighborhood.

Um part of the reason that we chose to invest in this area uh is related to the visioning that was done by the city on the South 15th Street corridor project.

Other areas of town have seen this type of redevelopment, and we're excited about the jobs and the patronage of future residents and uh to the businesses that need the support, uh, both through patrons that would approach by by foot uh by bicycle and by vehicle.

So thank you for your time for the opportunity to say and share my support for the project.

Thank you.

Are there any other proponents here today?

Proponents.

Seeing none.

Are there any opponents here which to speak?

Opponents, you can come down to the mic.

Larry Store, 5015 Lafayette Avenue, Omaha 68132.

Uh I'm always against TIFF because I don't think you're being transparent enough.

I think the citizens are being misled about TIFF project.

Secondly, I don't believe that area.

If you want to see a blighted area, go to Northwest Hamilton Radio Highway between Hamilton and Cumming.

Either side of that, part of it's Walnut Hill district, another part is uh Dundee district.

I live very close to that area.

That's a blighted area.

You have an ungodly number of homeless people.

Let's stick to the items on the screen or this is development.

This is the item.

And this morning you told me three minutes.

Every speaker, three minutes.

Your timers you got 12 left.

Some of those people went on for a hell of a lot more than 30 minutes.

Those no, they didn't.

Presenters.

Maybe they get a little more time.

But I'm against TIFF and stop using my time, please.

You do that every week.

I'm against TIFF.

I'm talking about that.

They get to talk about their neighborhood.

I get to talk off of topic a little bit too.

They're doing your job.

They're doing the presenting.

So let me do my presiding.

That area that I just mentioned is where you ought to be spending the money.

Because of uh eventually it does come back to the homeowner to pay for that TIFF expense.

You guys will not admit that only if the bond buyers don't buy it.

Well, who's the bond buyer but the real estate developers probably?

I welcome you all to take a drive with me for a day around Walnut Hill and and Dundee area where I mention it.

I'll show you what blight it is.

Now, how many of the people that lit the homeowners that live in this area are maybe gonna lose their property because of this development?

Driving their property taxes up for this development.

Are you telling them that?

Do you show the diagrams of that on your blighted area diagrams on the screen?

All of these nice little things that we spent more than 15 minutes listening to.

I don't know how many presenters.

Even presenters are supposed to be time limited, but you broke the rules again today.

Well, break the rules by giving us a full open two-way discussion of the ins and outs of TIFF so that we can support your development.

I want a better Omaha, don't get me wrong, but I don't like it the way you're giving it to us.

And you're encroaching on my neighborhood by design, divine designed neglect as you are in the Walnut Hill Dundee area around Northwest Radio.

Go buy it.

Throw some food out to the homeless.

Why don't you?

Develop that area first.

Thank you.

Are there any other opponents here today?

Hello.

Not sure which one to talk into.

You're good right there.

Okay.

Hi, I'm Leah Thrasher, 1231 South 14th Street.

I own the dog bar, Omaha Dog Bar.

Um we're a dog park bar and restaurant and doggy daycare.

Um I'm not against change, I'm not against development.

I obviously own a dog bar.

It's a it's a it's a new concept.

Um I love little bohemia.

I I chose it six years ago.

I love the charm, the people, the history.

Uh 14th Street is unique in that we are currently only the cut the only customer-facing business here.

And so from the start, I've always dreamt of having neighbors at our abandoned homes, right?

So I I'm not against the development, but I do have major concerns about parking.

When I signed my lease in 2019, I did have to rezone.

I my team and I originally planned to rezone as NBD, but I was denied.

So the city planners advised me that I it would never pass as NBD, and I was uh directed to be community commercial, which I am now.

Um, but with that came parking requirements.

So I'm supposed to have 36 parking requirements.

I went to the zoning board and was able to um get a parking waiver, which I currently have, which I'm grateful for.

Um so even now with all the on-street parking available, with me being the only customer facing business.

Most days my customers complain about parking, even today.

Um 99% of my customers drive, um, even though there are some apartments in the in the neighborhood.

Um, the same will be true for the proposed commercial storefronts in the little bohemia and and the little bohemia country club.

Those customers will have to drive.

The row house and the apartment tenants will also have cars.

And while the proposed five-story apartment building includes underground parking, it won't cover every tenant.

I think it was 58 stalls for 114 units.

So that's not covering the tenants or their families or their guests.

If there is not adequate parking, businesses will fail.

My business will fail, people will stop coming, just like we've seen in other neighborhoods.

The future businesses that go into those proposed commercial spaces will also struggle because their customers will not have anywhere to park.

Oh, and not to mention the 50 new full-time employees according to the plan.

Where are they gonna park?

When I've asked about parking, the response I've recently received is it'll work itself out.

It's like what did he say?

Parking will find its way.

Um I've also been told it's like Chicago.

Well, it's not Chicago, we don't have public transit.

Um, everyone has cars here.

Um I understand there's a lot of vested interest in this project, um, but this is mine.

Um, I just signed a 12-year lease, and I want to stay.

I'm in it with for the long long haul.

Um, I put in a million dollars to that building, and I I believe in little bohemia.

I believe in development, but I think there needs to be more time and thought into where all these people are going to go.

Um, the traffic flow creates real safety concerns.

Um I think it's in everyone's best interest, including clarities that the existing businesses here in little bohemia succeed.

Your time has expired.

I'm sorry.

That's about three minutes.

I was almost done.

Thank you for being here today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Hampel, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, members of the council.

First of all, I think Tom and his team have done a great job to bring forward his development.

As we all welcome growth and improvements in the area, we as businesses, new and existing, as well as the boarding residents are concerned about how existing parking problems will be mitigated.

Unfortunately, parking traffic flow and safety has become a major issue in the Little Boat area.

As growth continues, people are parking farther east and west in the residential areas as well as down to 13th Street.

This creates a problem with operating all businesses from getting goods in and out as well as having parking for patrons.

It also takes parking away from the existing residents.

What is the plan for that?

The major developer has purchased quite a few parcels of land in the area.

Is there a way to turn several of those properties into a multi-level parking garage to help take care of the additional parking needed for the multi-residential buildings?

Is this a viable solution?

Exhibit A.

This photo is on 14th Street.

Looking north from uh Hickory Street, there's 36 available parking spaces between Hickory and William.

Exhibit B.

William Street looking east from 14th Street, 18 available parking spaces between 14th and 13th.

This photo was taken.

9 a.m.

Monday morning, and they're full.

Exhibit C.

This is 12th Street.

12th Street looking north from Hickory to William.

All spaces occupied at nine at 9 a.m.

on Monday morning and 12th Street looking south from Brig Street.

Uh the residents have put up cones in front of their driveways to stop the row house uh people from blocking them.

Since a road study has been approved, why not get the results of that prior to approving the zoning changes in TIFF?

If there isn't a more comprehensive study, how are things going to look in five years down the road?

Will there be a TIFF tax implemented to the receipts of the businesses in Little Bohemia?

Uh with the new multi-residential, I think there needs to be more time to educate the public on how the issues will be addressed.

We expressed these same concerns at the last planning board meeting.

They suggested we reach out to Tom McClay and see if we could work out the issues.

We did last Friday by email.

Yesterday there was a Zoom call put together by the BID, which included quite a few people in the area.

That was the first time any of us saw a plan.

When asked what will be done about the parking issues, the answer was basically that is this discussion to be had later, or we don't know.

Public awareness is important.

We need more time to understand.

Your three minutes is up.

I I got a hey, wait a minute.

Your three minutes.

All these folks got you got the three minutes, Dave.

I'm consistent across the board for everybody in I I need you to buy your I think people should pay more attention to the time that was allowed in consistent three minutes for everybody.

And can you please give your your address for the record for us?

Pardon me.

Your address for the record?

1255 South 13th Street.

Thanks, Dave.

Thank you.

And Dave, the the applicants don't have a three-minute time limit.

It's just people testifying in support and against.

That's a three minutes.

Are there any other opponents here today?

Yeah, I'm Ryan Norton with Fold Ready Monument, 1439 South 13th Street.

And uh I have uh a lot of parking concerns.

Uh we make headstones and monuments for cemetery products for people with the families.

Um so a lot of times we have a lot of uh our clients are typically older by nature.

Um just kind of way that works out.

People bring down their grandmas and stuff like that.

They have a hard time walking three blocks to come into our business to get something for their loved ones to the cemetery, and uh the parking is a lot worse.

We had uh Boho Flats going across the street from us, and parking just keeps getting harder and harder, and we're just supposed to look past it.

Um I don't see there needs to be better planning.

Um it was brought before the BID board yesterday with the plans, so it's kind of short notice for something that they have a lot of years and time planning.

I think there should be a town hall where people can look at it ahead of time, not a day beforehand.

Um other than that, I think uh I think the dog bars probably should have got MBD as well.

I don't think that's fair that they do, and she doesn't.

And uh that's all I got.

Thank you.

Is there any other opponents here today?

Hi, my name's Sean Colterman.

I'm at 1446 South 13th Street.

And um I want to start by saying I agree with what Tom Colleen and team have said, and I love their passion and their vision.

Um that 20 minute presentation is exactly what they should have shared in a town hall meeting months ago.

Project's been underway for 11 to almost 20 years.

That seems like there should have been some time allocated to sharing the vision with the neighborhood so we could have addressed questions and potential resolutions to problems that we identify.

Our masonry contracting company was was kicked out, squeezed out by a developer from our last location uh where the city needed to build something different and new.

And so we identified uh an industrial area of town where we could relocate on 13th Street, and now it's sort of happening again.

Um a masonry company owned restaurant.

Um, not opposed to development at all.

In fact, development is the lifeblood of our business.

Um, and again, I think their vision is great.

Uh, it's just premature to approve without additional planning.

Uh one of our neighbors was strong armed, is uh the word I heard secondhand.

Uh, why aren't you supporting the developer?

Uh, to the point where she showed up shaking like a leaf, uh, intimidated and uh and afraid uh even to be here today.

I don't think that's right.

I think people should be able to express their opinions uh and not be challenged like that.

Uh the country club community was something there were no renderings of in the in the meeting yesterday.

Uh I there was mention of a community pool uh of a concert venue.

I don't know if outdoor or indoor, uh, but something like that seems like their safety issues and and maybe noise issues that the community would like to know about and maybe have ask questions about.

Um is a town hall a prerequisite for things being approved at city council.

Do we know?

Or anybody know?

Is a town hall an appropriate prerequisite for that?

You got a minute left.

Nobody knows time's going.

Not required.

Okay.

Well, it hasn't happened.

It seems like a good thing to uh to happen.

Uh the parking issues are compounding, so I know some people think there's oceans of parking on 13th Street or parkings like water.

Um, but Boho Flats added 59 units with 24 stalls.

This development's looking at at least 155 units with 58 stalls.

That leaves a shortage of 214 units.

Um a total of 214 units with 82 stalls.

So that's a pretty big difference.

Many of the units are presented as being um multiple bedroom units, which commonly uh means multiple cars per unit.

What about guests, employees, customers that the retail side is looking to bring?

I don't think a 30-day holdover to answer questions jeopardizes a project that's been in the works for almost 20 years.

Sure.

And is an appropriate way to respond to the community.

Thanks for coming down today.

Thank you.

Any other opponents.

Susan Ann Koenig, 1266 South 13th Street.

Although I stand here as an opponent, it's only for you voting on this today.

As uh I uh I'm in the building right next door to the Golden Goose that uh that Tom was talking about.

Uh it's where uh the law firm I started, Koenig Dunn has been for the last 25 years, uh, and also where I've made my home.

Uh it's a historic building built in 1898.

So uh you can imagine uh my thrill of uh at the possibility of this development uh uh taking place and preserving uh the historic nature uh wherever possible in little bohemia.

Uh I I grew up in little Italy.

I went to to uh school on 10th and William.

I deliver newspapers all around that neighborhood.

My heart is in this community, but it's not just in the building uh in the building, not even my building, which has a mural on the back that I had uh done in collaboration with the entire neighborhood to show the past, present, and future of little Bohemia.

Why?

Because it's been such a wonderful place to live and do business.

But I care not just about my neighborhood, not my building, which is going to be maybe cut off from anyone even seeing the mural because I don't know how these plans, I just saw them for the first time yesterday.

But and and I I've lost my view of the sunset because of the or the sunrise because of the development on 12th Street.

It's not that.

I know we need what this city is doing, which is more housing, more development in urban core, all for it.

I'm also for having people in this city feel as though the developers and this city council care about them such that they can be given a hearing uh an opportunity to be heard at a neighborhood meeting that feels safe to them.

They're not gonna show up at planning board meetings necessarily, but you have something in the neighborhood where where Tom and Colleen can come and show what they showed here today, as Sean said, and answer some questions.

And we're not the decision makers, but we I don't think that that's too much to ask when uh tens of millions of dollars are being invested and many millions being asked for by the citizens.

So uh it's not the what, it's the how.

And if we want to have trust in our and our leadership, our civic leadership and trust in our developers, not just for this project, but all around the city, so that people aren't just complaining about the new big box buildings, but they can see I mean see that history is being preserved, neighborhoods are being preserved, and people are being cared about.

So I think I had 20 more seconds.

What else could I say?

No, I just uh uh we need to be in conversation.

I will I'm also on the Little Bohemia BID.

I mean, I've I I mean I'm deeply deeply committed to the to the community, but to the people and the process and the integrity, and I know that matters to you.

That's why you do it this really hard job you do at the end of the day.

Thank you.

So thank you.

Thanks for being here today.

Is there any other opponents here today?

Mike Wylan, 1631 South 13th Street.

I am owner of Thomas Ec Machine.

We're asking for a 30-day layover to get more discussion and everything on the project.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Is there any other opponents?

Hi, my name is Rachel Campbell, 1411 Hickory Street.

Um I'm a business owner in the neighborhood I own Noah Brides on 13th Street, and I also live at 14th and Hickory, so I also live in the neighborhood I work in.

Um I just want to say that I am excited about this development, and I'm excited about the um saving the historic building fronts and just bringing and revitalizing and bringing more people down into the neighborhood.

Um I am nervous about parking, but more so I am very nervous about the safety of 13th Street.

Um I know that um the BID as well as Little Bohemia Business Association has asked many times and brought people in to discuss how can we make 13th Street safer?

Um I think there's a lot more that can be done.

Um traffic lights as well as pedestrian crossings, and so I'm wondering how these buildings um how that's all gonna look with adding more buildings, more people living in the neighborhood, um, with the traffic issues that we have on 13th as far as safety.

And so I'm wondering how these buildings, how that's all gonna look with adding more buildings, more people living in the neighborhood, um, with the traffic issues that we have on 13th as far as safety.

Um also I am curious about the TIFF tax uh if there's gonna be one to our customers.

Um for myself, I have big ticket items between two and six thousand dollars for wedding gowns.

I also work at the Bohemian Gardens and sell weddings there between ten and twenty thousand dollars a wedding.

I'm curious.

Am I gonna have to add a tax on to my customers for that?

And will that hurt us as far as comp competition?

Um, so those are some concerns I have.

Thank you.

Are there any other opponents here today?

Avenue.

Um I think for one thing, this needs to be flipped around so we can see the time, the light doesn't really help.

Um so I understand this is for TIFF, uh, which is uh predetermined what can be financed um like acquisition and public uh infrastructure.

Uh but I want to discuss affordable housing because I I went through this and I did not see uh anything that talks about affordable housing and the times ticking for the uh the uh council to approve the uh I believe the plan affordable housing plan is calling for 16,000 affordable housing units by 2030.

And every time uh you guys approve a uh development or redevelopment without affordable housing, the math becomes harder.

And so at this point I'm comfortable saying that we're Omaha is not gonna reach the uh the uh thirty uh the 16,000 affordable housing units uh by 2030, which I uh it's in the plan.

And uh I I disagree with the comments that says that this development uh it's uh reflecting what the community that's there.

Uh it's very uh packed, condensed and you need parking, you need like a parking lot.

Uh I know that the um uh public building commission isn't doing parking lots anymore.

Um it'd be nice if they they would uh but I think the city Omaha needs to come in and uh do more parking garages where there is none.

It doesn't make sense to build a parking garage when down the street there's a parking garage.

But over here, there's no uh public parking uh like a parking garage, and I think that that would alleviate a lot of the concerns uh that was that were was presented today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there any other opponents here today?

Good afternoon.

Okay, hello, my name is Melissa, 416 Wanna Street.

Um I am an opponent of this um TIFF project on 14th and Williams.

Um I didn't get to put anything else on the opponent side, but I am wanting to submit a proposal.

Um not necessarily just for the project in itself, just for the um idea of spending our TIFF money and our tax money on I ideas of of affordable housing, and I see ideas of affordable housing because it's not necessarily affordable housing, but I understand the reality and then legal terms or HUD terms or whatever.

But um, so I have these that I would like you guys to take a look at.

I am proposing that we invest into homeless response um encampments around North Midtown and South Omaha.

Um it was mentioned before if you drive down Northwest Radio Highway, you can see how bad the encampments get.

I lived in this area off of um I lived off of Fortin Hickory, and there was a huge cabin.

Please stay on the issue of the city.

This is the issue because this is the area.

Okay, you were watering out of the area though.

Please stay in the room.

Well, no, no, I was talking about Hamilton because I in my proposal I'm there's three sites because Omaha is one city.

So we're talking about the TIFF money that you're using or tax money for the city.

So it has everything to do with this.

So do not take for my time.

That was about 20 seconds.

I'm trying to be respectful.

Thank you.

Um, and actually look at the issues because how can you have a tele two cities in Omaha and you have these uh areas in areas where there is encampments of 20 to 30, 40 people and you're gonna build a luxury apartment building in that same area without addressing the issue.

So as a real estate agent, that doesn't look good if I'm trying to sell these units, can't sell them.

Nobody wants to live next to like poop on the ground.

So maybe you should address the issues of homelessness so you can actually raise the taxes in these areas.

So that is on topic.

Um and I do feel like my presentation was altered because of your comments.

So I do think you're not you have to stop doing that if you don't do that to everybody, don't do that to anyone.

I'm trying to I'm trying to do the best I can on trying to be fair.

Well, you're not.

I'm sorry to feel that way.

I think anyways, like I was saying, um, the amount of money that you guys are putting into these projects, if you guys maybe took a step back for a year or two um and actually put money into addressing issues like homelessness.

We had a homeless um person during the city budget talk about what she does.

Um these accountments are getting overgrown.

Um there people do not want to buy in North Midtown and South Omaha.

They do not want to come to Omaha and invest in these areas, so it's very hard to do my job because you can build a bunch of stuff.

People are not going to live in areas that are filled with crime and thank you for thanks for being here today.

Of course, thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any other opponents here today?

Larry, you're out of line.

Are there any other opponents here today?

Please come down.

Larry, you're we have a speaker up, please be respectful or I'm gonna have to get you run out of here.

That is my protest.

Ma'am, please.

Can you please remove Mr.

Store, please?

He's disturbing the meeting.

Thank you.

Ma'am, please, the floor is yours.

I I have a proposal and I have copies.

May I approach breaking them all.

Ma'am, before your time begins, we're on items number 22, which is the TIFF redevelopment project plan.

And item 23 is a little bohemia tax incremental financing redevelopment project plan.

So if your comments are on these, the three minutes are yours, please.

Yes, um, I'm speaking in regards to the taxes that are being used um for the redevelopment.

I have not heard um anyone speak in regards to the read um redevelopment of um the children.

So um I my name is Tanzanise Oliver.

Um I'm a registry agent agent um of Tanny Travel Investments 3429 Grand Avenue.

I'm proposing doing biz future business um as the village roots.

I'm gonna have to ask you to respectfully stay on topic.

Yes, I'm staying on topic, sir.

Okay.

Um, as our taxes as a uh taxpayer of Omaha, Nebraska, I stand for I stand before you today, not just as a resident, but as someone who refuses to stand by and watch as our children slips through the track, the cracks, and we're speaking about building new um buildings.

Um right now in Omaha, kids as young as 11 years old can go to jail, not because they are bad kids.

Those are very important issues, but we have to stay on the topic of items 22 and 23.

Okay, sir.

So the redevelopment program that our taxes are being used for.

That's not that's not what's going on here.

So the redevelopment and um with the um little bohemian program, that's money that we are using as Omaha citizens, correct?

No.

Oh, okay.

I apologize.

I conclude, but um, can I propose my how how do I get on the um agenda to it's gotta be an item that's on the agenda when you come down and speak?

You can make a request to our city clerk if you'd like.

Okay, awesome.

Thank you so much for your thank you.

Thank you very much.

Are there any other opponents here today?

Any opponents seeing none, Councilmember Harding, you are recognized.

I think that's a in my estimation that we can um accomplish both issues that have kind of been raised, at least in my mind today.

One is uh the approval, the request for the approval of the uh redevelopment plans for both twenty two and twenty-three, and I've heard on numerous occasions the desire to have some sort of uh a meeting to uh have maybe a deeper dive than has not maybe in some minds not been previously done to this point.

So I believe there is another BID meeting um within the next 30 days.

Is that correct?

Yeah.

That's okay.

That's open to the I would defer to my my wife who is the board member of the uh the BID colleague, my co-developer.

But I have seen online, I mean it is by law, I believe, every single month the business improvement district has a meeting.

Okay.

It would be next month.

I don't have the exact date in front of me.

Okay, but within the next 30 days.

Yes.

I've heard a couple of times requested.

Um so that everyone and would and would you be willing to have the similar presentation like you did here.

I think someone said that this is maybe the first time or maybe since yesterday, yeah, maybe that they've seen it in this detail.

Would you be willing to that's a public meeting, correct?

You'd be willing to have that presentation and answer the questions, correct?

I do have a question though.

Yeah, councilman.

There was another development down in Little Bohemia that did not have to go through any of this.

I just mean that.

With all due respect, I we're here talking about this issue.

I understand.

Okay, so I what I'm trying to do, hold on.

What I'm trying to do is see if there's a way we can get through this and satisfy all parties.

Okay.

So hear me out, please.

Hear me, Tom.

You answer is yes.

Okay, so we've got to be.

Thank you.

The answer is the answer is yes.

Um, you know, we we certainly did it already, the last BID meeting.

We'll do it again.

Um, so the answer is yes, the answer is yes.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Um there are other items.

This is the redevelopment plan stage.

We still have there are other issues as it relates to replatting and zoning that will come before us and won't come before us within the next 30 days.

I I can I I'm saying I'm saying that because I I've checked with the planning department and know that, and I think I discussed that with you too.

As well as the redevelopment agreement that still has to come back before us, which you also referenced.

So I think what I'm proposing is that uh to keep this project moving forward, but knowing that you will have the the meeting requested or have the same you know, similar presentation within the 30 days, and knowing that we still have other things that will come to us after those 30 days, I think we can satisfy all those things, at least in my mind.

So that would be my proposal, or that's what I'm I'm considering doing.

There are some other lights on.

So before I make any kind of a motion, I want to hear the the rest of the council and their comments.

Thanks, Councilmember Harding.

And and I made an error, I should have closed the public hearing.

So the public hearing is closed.

Councilmember Harding, the floor is yours unless you'd approve.

No, I thank done until it.

Councilmember Goodwin, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um heard a lot of public commentary about parking, and I was wondering to ask our planning uh representative here uh the planning uh department about the steps that would be taken to address those concerns.

Yeah, Eric England Planning Department.

Uh so two of the sites um are basically the the sites that are west of 13th Street, they will have with the plat, there will be a rezoning to MBD neighborhood business district.

Um the site to the east on 12th and William will not have a rezoning to MBD, but that will have a PUR planned unit redevelopment.

So they're a little bit different on the east side uh compared to the west side, even though we're discussing one large overall project.

MBD zoning does not have a parking requirement.

Um there are several properties along this 13th street corridor that have been rezoned to MBD.

Um there was in opponent that earlier spoke that that said their site on 14th Street um was not allowed for MBD zoning.

That there was a time when we were not supporting MBD zoning on 14th Street, but after further analysis a handful of years ago, uh the department felt that it fit the criteria and and was compliant with the master plan.

So uh therefore the projects on 13th and 14th are proposed for the MBD zoning.

So when you hear, you know, some of the the concerns from the neighbors about the parking, um, you know, that's a challenge sometimes when you have MBD zoning, similar to Dundee and and Benson, those are two other neighborhoods uh among others that have MBD zoning.

And along with that, sometimes there are parking challenges, but it is um a helpful redevelopment tool, and and we feel that it's uh fits with the neighborhood.

So I don't know if that answers your question specifically about parking.

Well, I think it begins to answer the question.

Clearly we want density, you know, as we grow our urban core, however, and NBD zoning does alleviate a challenge with the developer, but how does the neighborhood then absorb the parking?

What is the planning board, what is the planning department's remedy for that?

Eric England Planning Department.

Well, we only support MBD zoning in areas that have ample on street parking.

Um, you know, however, you know, as developments come along, you know, that they need to gauge on how much parking that they need to provide.

Um, you know, we're not in the business of necessarily uh designing parking garages or anything like that.

Of course, we'll coordinate with parking division of public works, um, but that's not really the planning department's role.

So I guess when we look at an area, um, you know, there can be at times be parking challenges.

So uh, you know, we're here to listen and talk to neighborhoods, talk to the BID.

Um if the council feels that, you know, there's an area that's basically exceeded the amount of development that can happen.

I mean, you don't need to support the MBD zoning.

I'm not suggesting that, but that is a solution.

So, you know, we're here to have conversations, and like I said, at Planning Board, we're willing to sit down with the BID, the business owners, the developers, and continue to have those conversations regarding parking as well as all other zoning matters.

Thank you.

I I just had another statement that I wanted to to make uh while I have the time, um, and that is the importance of neighborhood engagement.

I check a lot of boxes as a business owner, as a starter of a BID, project developer, city council person, and you never can really you never can have enough engagement with the residents, with the uh business occupiers and owners, uh, because overall that this is a long-term investment.

Uh you talked about the longevity of your family within this community, and and I could say the same when we talk about North Omaha, even when I talk about South Omaha, so I understand that part too.

But when decisions are made and the community, the stakeholders don't feel considered, then you're not bringing forth the goodwill that in the long term makes for a healthy neighborhood, not just with buildings, but with the social and the the fabric of the neighborhood.

And so I really want to to echo what councilmember Harding said about that neighborhood engagement.

Um and and answering the questions.

Um you spent a lot of time with us today, and I think it just um is fair that you would spend equal amount or longer with the people who are your neighbors uh in in little bohemia.

Uh it is important that we preserve the character of our ethnic corridors.

Uh and I I do commend you in that effort uh because there's few parts of the city that still remain where you can see buildings that go back into the uh even 19th, 20th century.

So thank you for that.

But I would um emphasize that engagement.

Um moving forward with anything else you do, just so that you've got that buy-in.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Melton, you are recognized.

Thank you.

And that's what I wanted to just confirm there.

There's more the zoning and redevelopment agreements all still need to come back before the council.

And they have to go before planning boarding as well, isn't that correct?

Eric England Planning Department, the the plating and the rezonings in PR have already been recommended for approval by planning board, so they would just come to city council.

But a few of the items might take some time, subdivision agreements and things like that.

Okay.

So it's gonna come back to the city council again for the redevelopment agreements.

Because I think where we're at, I think with the neighbors, like with what like Miss Konig said, it's this looks great, we want you, but we want more engagement.

I think we can go ahead and vote on the what we're voting on today is the tax increment financing.

We can you can have that meeting then in between our vote today on this and our vote on the redevelopment agreement, because this project's gonna have to come back in front of us again for a vote on something else.

So I get I think that's what councilman Harding was saying was let's not delay allowing this to move forward, but that you have the expectation to have those neighborhood meetings, like councilman good Goodwin said, and you know what, you aren't gonna get everybody's buy-in, and that's that's not necessarily um, you know, a a requirement.

But I think having the discussion and presenting the plans and then and talking about it with your with your future neighbors or current neighbors, actually, because you're on the the BID now.

I think is just a really good thing.

Um and so that's that's what I'm supporting, and I appreciate your commitment to have to having that meeting.

And I also I want to ask you a question.

Um you know that the statute that that tax increment financing is is based on.

Would you be building this but for the tax increment financing based on the rate of return that I saw in your packet?

Absolutely not 100% no.

As I indicated before, uh I'm very concerned about all the environmental issues that we're gonna go challenged with.

Um it's a it it's difficult to build in these, you know, neighborhoods.

Uh, and that's why you see so many empty lots across our city.

Uh I was uh chair of the inaugural chair of the land bank board, and it was so dismaying to see how many lots languished across our city.

Hundreds and hundreds, specifically in South Omaha and North Omaha, that's where the concentration was because it's difficult to develop, because it's uh contaminated, because they're too small to develop on.

Um we were fortunate uh be able to acquire the self-storage site, um, uh which I would I have uh uh tragically, there was a half dozen people living within the self-store within that storage unit um in tiny little storage, no plumbing, no electricity.

Um we were uh very grateful if Santa Francis House uh came in and helped us relocate those folks, uh find some different homes.

Uh the the the ch the the the neighborhood had gotten so much disinvestment for so many years uh that it made it made uh uh uh redevelopment impossible.

And it was going down the fur, it was gonna continue to go down and honestly might still continue to go down if we can't do this project um without TIFF, um I and I'll uh for without you know straingent overly overly restrictive parking requirements that end up with acres and acres of parking lots.

Um I I mean I have a lot of concerns and it it kind of breaks my heart as I indicated before.

Um we are there every day.

Um we office there, we're developing there.

Um, we're gonna be there.

We're not from out of town, we're not gonna be able to do that.

No, it and and I get that, and you know, I and I I've known you for a long time.

That's why I that's why when you give me your word that you're gonna have the meeting, we know that we we can take your word for it, we don't have to delay these votes.

She's a board member, we're there all the time.

She can't avoid it.

That's the thing.

But the reason I was asking about the butt four, there were a couple different opponents that were, I think, mistaken thinking you're using my tax dollars to pay for your project.

And so um I I just wanted our your tax sellers, my tax dollars, nobody's tax dollars are going to this people oftentimes think tax increment financing is the city giving the developer money.

There would there is no money without the development.

And and the development wouldn't happen without TIFF.

So you're still gonna be paying your property taxes on these property as it's set now.

Yes.

It's just the increase in property taxes that you would pay over the next 15 to 20 years goes back into the project.

But you will continue to pay your property taxes as they're set on these properties now.

And nobody else's property taxes are being used to pay for this project.

And that came up a couple times today.

Every once in a while, I have to give my little tax increment financing 101.

Um, so that could because a lot of people don't understand it.

When you see here tax increment financing, you think property taxes from our cost city coffer are are paying for these projects, and that's that's simply not true.

Nor is there any kind of tax.

I think um the bridal store owner was afraid there might be a tax.

You there's no tax.

This doesn't, you're not paying for it at all, or your customers or anything else.

And I think Don Seaton would be more than happy to give you probably a longer explanation than what I just did on what tax increment financing is.

Um, but I just wanted everybody to know again, this isn't the city council allocating money to a developer.

And this is property that's owned by private citizens.

I mean, our our right to own property is one of the things our country was founded on.

And so the city council isn't here to necessarily determine what we want to see built where we just follow some zoning.

We follow a master plan for the city, just so that we don't have chaotic uh building around our city.

But but this isn't something that I go, well, you know what?

I really don't think that there should be maybe apartments there.

I would like to see um, you know, a cafe, or I would like to see um you know, some competitors build a law firm right next to Koenig Dunn.

Um that's not what we're supposed to be doing.

Uh you know, this this you've proven that but for TIF, you wouldn't be building.

You're investing in the community.

And by the way, 15 years from now, 20 years from now, I mean you get up to 20, but I think a lot of these TIF loans are being paid off a lot earlier.

So 15 years, no, then the school districts and the taxpayers and the city are really gonna benefit from the amount of property taxes you're gonna be paying um in full.

You're paying that full amount, it's just you're paying off the loan that helps you do this.

And so it's really important that we are investing in our city in North and South Omaha, um in these TIF projects so that we don't lose our urban core.

Um and and having this little bohemia area, what you're doing is just amazing um down there, and I think we'll spur even more more development.

So again, though, you know, you're not out not all not all the neighbors are gonna get along.

But if if everybody could meet and at least talk about what you're doing, I think a lot of a lot of the people that live along there, it sounds like you have supporters, but also people that do want to talk about it.

And I do think parking's gonna be an issue.

I mean, and if parking's an issue, no one's gonna rent your your apartments.

And so you're risking a lot of money and a lot of investment if somebody isn't if people aren't gonna move in or the businesses don't want to move in because of the parking.

So maybe that's something that you and the neighbors and the other businesses in the area need to talk about exploring how can we maybe expand parking?

How can we add more parking?

Is that something the BID can do?

You know, our parking garages, the city of Omaha, um, we actually make money.

We don't lose money in our parking garages.

So clearly, people will pay to use a parking garage.

So maybe there's a developer that might want to build a, you know, even if it's a smaller garage on a smaller scale, if you're gonna have that kind of growth in South Omaha, much like we just did in in Blackstone.

You know, the addition of that parking garage was fabulous.

You know, so um those are just kind of my thoughts.

I am concerned about the parking, but I don't believe that you would invest this much money um if you thought that the parking was gonna cause you for not having tenant.

Uh so that's that's where I kind of trust that you you've got to know kind of what you're doing, or else it's gonna hurt your business too.

So maybe those are things that you can explore at that meeting you're gonna have in the next 30 days.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Milton.

Council Member Rowe, you are recognized.

Thank you, sir.

Um, thank you, Colleen and Tom, for coming down and explaining the process that you've gone through for the last many years putting this package together.

You know, we look at areas of town and we think, well, that's cool.

Blackstone's neat, it's a great place to go.

Midtown's gonna be equally as cool.

Uh little Bohemia obviously is gonna be as cool as well because of the vision that you have for it.

And I'm what I I just wanted to say, thank you for taking the risk as a developer, um, as Amy said, um, to put a package like this together.

And I'm a I'm a true believer in market um dictating what's gonna happen, and I I too agree that the parkings um you talked about water seeking its own level.

Well, it I mean those things have a way of finding equilibrium.

And as Amy said, if it doesn't work, you're the one that's taking the risk, probably more than anybody on the block.

Um and these are not affordable housing.

I mean, we know that we recognize that we saw the package, but you know what, as uh Luis was talking about, we're short, and we are, but I believe supply, the more supply that we can create, even if it is market rate housing, will help with the affordability on other pieces across the city.

And so thank you for putting out another 155 units plus a few more than that.

So I just wanted to say thank you for for your willingness to take that chance and and met and on Omaha.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Thank you.

I guess if you guys want to sit out for a few minutes and relax, or just stay there and we'll just stare at you.

No, thank you.

A couple comments.

I I believe it was Mr.

Hernandez from Dundee Bank.

He said, and I took a lot of notes, so I'm kind of paraphrasing what he said developments.

That brings new topics to talk through.

And I think that's certainly what we're doing here today.

When Mr.

McClay, when I got elected to the city council, he and I maybe a year or several months ago, I went down there and I walked that area that's before us today.

And I know Tom's got passion.

I think that's evident with his wife Colleen here today.

And you look to the north of where this is at, and you can see amazing things happening in downtown Omaha.

And this is a view of that great skyline.

And Tom talked about his family history in Omaha and the history of South Omaha and what he wants to do down in Little Bohemia here.

Mr.

Hempel was here, and a lot of people don't watch these meetings.

And Mr.

Hempel through no fault of his own.

He didn't know about the three-minute rule.

A lot of people just don't know those things.

And I don't fault Mr.

Hample.

I watched a planning board meeting with Sean and Dave, and they they gave great testimony.

They had questions, they're supportive, but there's there's questions.

They've already said that here today.

A question for um Mr.

England, when they hold that meeting, is the planning department if they're available.

Would you attend that meeting to try to?

It's a public meeting, so I think that would be beneficial to have somebody there from planning if something comes up that needs to be answered.

Or are you guys willing to go?

Eric England, planning department.

Absolutely.

We can uh let us know when the meeting is.

We can have a representative there.

Thanks.

And I I'll ouch you because you already said that in the planning board meeting.

You guys are great.

That we're glad to work with anybody, the developers and neighborhood to answer questions because that's what we're here doing today.

Tom, you've been doing this for a long time.

You know everything.

Uh you educated me because I took the time.

I think the people of goodwill that want to have that.

Susan's back there nodding, to have that public meeting, and is Councilmember Melton said, not everybody's going to agree.

I I've been a union leader for years, believe me, I I understand what that's like.

We have one meeting a month, and sometimes we hold other meetings to help our members understand an issue that comes up.

It's a special meeting.

So what's being asked, and and I appreciate my colleagues, particularly Councilmember Harding.

He and I have been talking a lot on this today, and we are looking for an avenue that meets the needs number one of the neighborhood that says, hey, we're not against the development, but we would love to have some more question and answer sessions.

So I I commend the McClays for saying, hey, the next BID meeting.

Um I want to also out to public works department, Mr.

Stewy.

Would you be willing to send a member of the public works department to the BID meeting?

Yes.

Thanks, Bob.

So when the neighbors and you guys have this BID meeting, anybody from the public can attend.

I know it'll be there'll be passion, but it'll be respectful because I've watched a planning board meetings.

I know a lot of the people here.

Um it's like having a sounding board with subject matter experts to flush things out.

Maybe everything doesn't get answered, but I I appreciate Councilmember Harding that we have 30 days to have that BID meeting, public works and planning will be there.

I certainly will go and look forward to answering a lot of the questions on anything with the development, what the vision is.

It was great you spelling it out here today, Tom and Colleen.

And I've seen it, so I I look forward to that meeting, uh, let my office know when it is, and I know you'll broadcast it out if he can get a venue at fizzy's or the admiral or wherever it is to make it easy for people to attend, and we can have those questions and answers at that time.

So uh I I will support the the motion in the second on these two items, with the approval being that there'll be a BID meeting within 30 days.

Everybody can attend, and there'll be subject matter experts that can, if there's any things that come up, we can try to answer at that time as well.

No, please come up, Sean.

When the BID meeting is.

Yeah.

Um they're the third Monday of each month.

So Madam Clerk, what is the thing?

They're usually at one o'clock if it's a special one if times need to be adjusted.

Third Monday.

Yeah, so third, it was just this Monday.

Ms.

McClay, do you want to come down?

Because I know you're on the BID board.

Thanks, Sean.

Yep.

Are you you're not on the BID?

Area?

I was.

Okay, sorry.

Count.

Yeah, it's on the website, so I think it's little Bohemia dot org.

Um, it lists all the meeting time meeting times as well as the minutes, and um it's usually held in person at Bearcade too.

Okay on 13th Street.

Would you be willing to have it in the evening at five or six o'clock?

Yeah, that would be great.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Seeing no other lights, we have on the opening one.

Yeah, please.

So I'll move the appropriate item 22.

23.

And that's with well, you can't okay.

You can't do stipulations.

They just had they put it on the record, they're gonna okay.

We're it's already been said publicly.

So got a motion and a second.

Thank you, everybody.

No further lights, roll call.

Good one.

Harding, yes, hug, melton, row, Mr.

President.

Yes.

Motion passed six to zero.

Consent agenda.

Any member of the city council may cause any item placed on the consent agenda to be removed.

Items are removed from the consent agenda shall be taken up by the city council immediately following the consent agenda and the order in which they were removed unless otherwise provided by the city council rules of order.

The public hearing on the agenda item 24 was held on August 5th, 2025.

Is there any council discussion?

Got a motion and a second roll call.

Goodwin.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug?

Melton.

Row.

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed six to zero.

The public hearings on agenda items 25 through 44 are today.

If you wish to address the city council regarding these items, please come to the microphone.

Indicate the agenda number, agenda item number you wish to address.

Identify yourself by your name, address, who you represent.

If you're a proponent or opponent, I will open the public hearing.

Are there any proponents here today?

Seeing none, are there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Got a motion and a second.

Roll call.

Goodwin.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug.

Melton.

Row?

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed six to zero.

Item 45, an ordinance to amend Chapter 11, Article 2 of the Omaha Municipal Code entitled Food Inspection and Protection.

B is a request from Councilmember Bakley to postpone this item.

C is the amendment of the whole requested by Councilmember Melton.

D is an amendment of the whole requested by Council members bagling and festerson.

I mean I'm late December for one week, um, so that we can have a full council for motion a layover for one week.

Motion and second we have a second.

Okay, thanks.

Got a motion and a second roll call.

Good one.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug?

Melton.

Row.

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed six to zero.

Item 46, the resolution to approve the appointment of Michael Robinson to the North 24th Street Business Improvement District Area Board.

I will open the public hearing on item number 46.

Are there any proponents here today?

Seeing none, are there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Got a motion and a second.

Roll call.

Good one.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug.

Melton.

Row.

Mr.

President.

Aye.

Motion passed.

Five to zero.

Goodwin abstains.

Item 47.

An ordinance to authorize the issuance of a purchase order to DH PACE Company Inc.

for overhead door and automatic gate operator repair and maintenance services.

I will open the public hearing on item 47.

Are there any proponents?

Seeing none, are there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Item 48, an ordinance to approve a streetscape maintenance agreement with Jasper Stone, 192nd and Dodge LLC for the Avenue 1 Replat 6 site northeast of 192nd in Burke Streets.

Public hearing on item number 48 is now open.

Are there any proponents?

Seeing none, are there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Item 49 in ordinance to amend various sections of chapter 55 of the Omaha municipal code regarding landscaping regulations and urban design code, planning board and planning department.

Recommend approval.

The public hearing is open on item number 49, Mr.

England.

Yes, Eric England Planning Department.

Thank you.

Uh Chairman and members of the council.

This is a fairly minor update to Chapter 55 zoning code related to urban design code.

Those are more editorial and reorganization of code, no substantial changes, as well as uh some cleanup and clarification on landscape items here to any answer any questions.

I will point out unfortunately there was a scanning issue, so there will be an amendment on the whole next week when this is voted on just for those missing pages.

So my apologies on that.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents here?

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Item 50, an ordinance to accept an authorized disbursement from a grant award in the amount of one million four hundred and fifty-six thousand one hundred and sixteen dollars from the City of Omaha Police Foundation Inc.

to implement a drone as first responder program.

Is there any proponents?

Frank Frank Peck, the chief pilot for the Omaha Police Department, South 15th Street.

I'm just here to address any questions that the council may have.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents here?

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Item 51 in order to approve a system license and service agreement with Sizap Inc.

for the restorative justice diversion program case management system.

Public hearing on item number 51 is open.

Hi Keeland.

Go ahead.

Sorry.

No, please.

Caitlin De Helius, Director of the Human Rights and Relations Department for the City of Omaha.

I'm a proponent.

This is going to be a great system that will streamline communications between the city prosecut the assistant city prosecutor that works on this program, OPD and my department, um, leading to lots of efficiency and just uh uh stronger foundation for the program.

I'm here for any questions.

Thank you.

Is there any other proponents here?

Item 51.

Seeing none, is there any opponents?

Public hearing is closed.

Non-action items.

Items 52 through 67 do not require public hearing or city council consideration at this meeting will but will be placed on a future agenda for public hearing and or vote.

The reason for non-action is noted after the item on the agenda as well as the date.

The item is expected to appear on agenda for consideration.

Do I read this?

Okay.

Is there a motion to go into executive session to protect the public interest to discuss litigation?

So do we have a second?

Yeah, there was.

Okay, sorry.

Roll call.

Oh, sorry.

Yep, good one.

Okay.

Harding.

Yes.

Hug.

Melton.

Row.

And then read this.

Mr.

President.

Yes.

Motion passed six to zero.

Okay.

I will state for the record the purpose of the executive session is to only discuss litigation.

Executive session will include the following.

The city council, the city attorney, the city clerk, and the city council chief of staff.

Do I need to read anything else?

Okay.

How come uh we can do this?

Good one.

Good one.

Harding.

Hug.

Melton.

Mr.

President.

Okay, and then we can see.