About Print

The Omaha Downtown Master Plan will be an extensive assessment of the opportunities and challenges associated with urban development in Omaha’s future.

The plan will take current community goals into account with previous planning efforts and policies in order to provide a clear guide and predictable framework for both developers and citizens with a stake in downtown.

The plan will serve as a tool for visualizing preferred downtown development and will be detailed enough to address downtown Omaha’s immediate needs yet dynamic enough to serve as a guide for the foreseeable future.

The plan will include:

  • a written implementation strategy
  • a phasing plan with associated public infrastructure costs
  • graphic illustrations
  • a regulating plan
  • policy recommendations
  • a matrix outlining the plan implementation components
  • urban design guidelines

Background

In 1974, Omaha’s City Council adopted the Central Business District Plan, which provided a cohesive framework for addressing housing, transportation, economics, and the physical environment in downtown.

The main purpose of the document was to strengthen downtown Omaha as the social, cultural, and economic center of the region, while ensuring that the unique characteristics that attract residents and visitors were well preserved.

Since the adoption of that plan, downtown Omaha has experienced significant revitalization and vibrancy, and the Central Business District Plan is considered to have served an important role in downtown’s success.

Then in 2004, the City Council approved the north downtown plan which was put in place to guide the development and redevelopment for this area. The city saw the need for a new plan due to changing conditions since the Central Business District Plan and the North Downtown Plans were drafted, including the approval of the downtown baseball stadium.

Project Team

The Downtown Master Plan process is being guided by the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee, Advisory Board and city staff.

Staff support is being provided through the City of Omaha’s Planning Department and other City departments. In December 2008, the City of Omaha approved a contract with HDR, Inc to help implement the master plan process.