Omaha, Neb., March 28, 2022 – In pursuit of their mission to make Omaha a vibrant place to do business, work and live, the Greater Omaha Chamber announced today their Urban Core Strategic Plan. The goal of this strategic plan – created by the Greater Omaha Chamber’s Urban Core Committee (UCC) – is maximizing the economic development and overall vitality of Greater Omaha’s urban center, stretching from midtown Omaha to the western edge of Council Bluffs.
The creation of this strategic plan is the result of thorough, targeted research and analysis, including input from community leaders, stakeholders and urban development experts. The Committee says that by improving the livability of Greater Omaha’s Urban Core, their aim is to attract 30,000 new jobs and 30,000 new residents within 20 years.
“Over the last three decades, the Greater Omaha region has made incredible progress,” said David G. Brown, President and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber. “Our small businesses are thriving, we’ve brought in leading businesses creating thousands of jobs, neighborhoods and communities have expanded, and our overall quality of life has improved. With the creation of the Urban Core Strategic Plan, we’re setting our sights on how the next 20 years will turn out: connecting people with Omaha’s urban core through a host of exciting projects to come.”
The strategic plan highlights several key initiatives for Omaha to pursue:
- 11 “Big Move” projects designed to catalyze additional economic development throughout the Core and broader region.
- A Total Mobility System that weaves together shifts in parking management, street reconfigurations, active transportation, and dramatic improvements to public transit to enliven the Core and drive development.
- Small-area plans to illustrate the potential for development in several important neighborhoods distributed across the district.
- The nucleus of an attainable housing program to ensure equitable access to the benefits of urban development.
- An implementation plan to guide the Chamber’s ongoing business attraction efforts in recruiting businesses to the Core.
- Overall goal of 30,000 new jobs and 30,000 new residents in the Core in the next 20 years.
“Investing in the urban center of the Omaha area means investing in our future,” said Jay Noddle, President and CEO of Noddle Companies and Chair of the Urban Core Committee. “Creating a vibrant, modern, diverse and people-forward city center will bring the Omaha area to new heights. This plan is unique in that it is centered on the needs and ideas of our residents.”
“This strategic plan creates expansion opportunities for not only the Urban Core, but also for other parts of our city. Developing this vital corridor, downtown and east-to-west is essential to advancing job creation, entertainment, education and housing in our neighborhoods,” said Carmen Tapio, CEO, North End Teleservices, LLC and incoming board chair, Greater Omaha Chamber.
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Urban Core Strategic Plan Renderings
About Greater Omaha
Greater Omaha is a No. 1 ranked up-and-coming-tech hotspot, a “top 10 best place to live on a $60,000 salary” and one of the “best cities for young professionals” according to SmartAsset . Greater Omaha is home to more than 30 communities and nearly 1 million people.
About the Greater Omaha Chamber
The mission of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to champion a thriving business community and a prosperous region through visionary leadership and collaboration.