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Canopy South
2411 O Street, Suite 1, Omaha, NE 68107
https://canopysouth.org/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CanopySouthOmaha Twitter https://twitter.com/Canopy_South Instagram https://www.instagram.com/canopy_south/
Cesar Garcia
Executive Director
cesar@canopysouth.org
+1 (402) 871-9920
Yes
The team for this application includes Canopy South, the Omaha Housing Authority (“OHA”), the City of Omaha (“City”), and Brinshore Development as the main partners. These four organizations make up the steering committee for the Southside Terrace - Indian Hill Transformation Plan, which is the plan that is driving the redevelopment of Southside Terrace and the surrounding neighborhood. The City and OHA were the lead applicants for a recently awarded $50 million Choice Neighborhood grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). As such, they have the overall responsibility for the implementation of that grant. They, along with Brinshore Development, will support Canopy South with the management and reporting of LB 1024 funds. Within the context of the revitalization effort, OHA is the people lead, the City is the neighborhood lead, and Brinshore Development is the housing lead. Canopy South works in partnership across all three focus areas. Numerous consultants, community groups, and philanthropic organizations are also involved with this effort although they are not shown on the organizational chart. Additional information on partnerships can be provided upon request.
As mentioned above, the City and OHA are the lead entities on the revitalization effort. Canopy South and Brinshore make up the rest of the team. The City is the neighborhood lead, meaning they are responsible for activities that benefit the neighborhood surrounding Southside Terrace. OHA is the people lead and are responsible for the people living in Southside Terrace and future development phases. Brinshore Development is the housing lead who are charged with developing on-site and off-site housing. Once again, Canopy South works across all three phases of the revitalization effort.
The City, OHA, and Brinshore Development have already worked together on another Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant in North Omaha. This project includes seven mixed-income multi-family housing phases. Regarding this project, the first action taken by the team was to obtain a Choice Neighborhood Planning and Action grant from HUD in 2019. Through this grant, the team was able to develop the Southside Terrace - Indian Hill Transformation plan. This plan provides a blueprint for site and neighborhood revitalization. Hundreds of hours of community engagement were conducted to ensure the team was communicating with Southside Terrace and neighborhood residents across a spectrum of topics that would impact their lives once the plan was finalized. Through this grant, a small building located at 3031 Upland Parkway was saved from demolition and it will be reused to benefit the community. A troubled property along South 30th Street will be improved in an effort to increase safety and to beautify the neighborhood. In September, 2022, the team then received a $50 million 2022 Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant from HUD. These funds, along with LB 1024 funds, will ensure the redevelopment effort will start more quickly and that the work will be done more efficiently.
Southside Terrace - Indian Hill Transformation Plan
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Capital project
This proposal supports the redevelopment of the Southside Terrace - Indian Hill Neighborhood which is located near South 30th and Q Streets. The primary focus of this effort is to redevelop the century-old Southside Terrace Garden Apartments into a vibrant mixed-income housing development. Eight housing phases are proposed at this time, some on site and others off-site, which will effectively triple the number of households living in this area. Some of the buildings have a purely residential use while others will have a mixed use that will provide professional or retail sapce. While Southside Terrace is indeed the focus of the proposal, the surrounding Indian Hill neighborhood will also receive support through improved infrastructure and neighborhood beautification. The redevelopment of Southside Terrace has been discussed and planned for years, but with the award of a $50 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant from HUD, the time for redevelopment is now. LB 1024 funds will ensure the redevelopment and revitalization efforts start strong and are completed quickly which will reduce the amount of time the neighborhood is impacted by construction activities. LB 1024 funds will also help leverage other needed funding sources. Our funding request will already leverage nearly $6 for every $1 of LB 1024 funds, and will likely leverage close to $8 when all is said and done. This transformation effort is in alignment with community needs. It is in alignment with community visions. It is in alignment with the priorities presented in LB 1024. The effort is a once in a century opportunity to invest in the South Omaha community.
All of the projects listed in this application can be completed prior to July 2026. A schedule showing start and completion dates is included in the Uploads section. Many of the funding sources supporting projects in this application are subject to internal timelines that will terminate prior to July 2026. It is with a certain amount of confidence that we can say these projects will be completed on schedule.
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Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development) Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)
Multimodal Transportation (i.e., enable connectivity through driving, biking, taking transit, walking, and rolling) Other Infrastructure (i.e., develop or improve broadband, business districts, roadways, sewer, etc.) Quality of Life (i.e., create or enhance natural spaces, mixed uses, parks, safety, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
The projects presented in this application, housing and community impact, address the Sustainable Community, Multi-modal Transportation, Other Infrastructure, and Quality of Life needs. Perhaps the biggest impact these projects have is on Sustainable Communities. Affordable, workforce, and market rate housing will be created to provide housing choices for a wide range of household incomes. There will also be a wide range of housing options for various household sizes. The housing provided through this effort will support existing residents and draw new residents to the neighborhood. Some of the mutli-family housing units will have ground floor commercial space that can be used for professional or retail spaces. Depending on the space, they could also be used to serve the community or house a service based non-profit organization. Improvements to Upland Park will complement new infrastructure at MIguel Keith Park, further benefiting the neighborhood. Canopy South follows the Purpose Built Community model, and they are working with Indian Hill Elementary School as part of their mission. Multi-modal transportation is perhaps not as strongly addressed as the other categories, but this proposal touches on it. The improved lighting along South 30th Street will address safety concerns for pedestrians walking along that street. Y Street will be constructed between South 31st STreet and South 33rd Avenue, and this will include sidewalks for pedestrian and cyclist use. Streetscaping along South 30th Street will improve the pedestrian experience along the corridor. Other Infrastructure includes construction of Y Street between South 31st and South 33rd Avenues, as previously mentioned, and a reconfiguration of infrastructure at Southside Terrace itself. With redevelopment will come a massive reconstruction of existing infrastructure to serve the new facilities. This will include broadband access in the common areas of buildings. Returning to Y Street, sewer lines, sidewalks, and intersecting streets will need to be built or rebuilt to accommodate the new street. Quality of Life improvements are plentiful in this plan. Southside Terrace will see new, decent housing that is far superior to what exists. Y Street and site improvements on Southside Terrae will improve neighborhood connectivity. A by-product of this improved connectivity will be increased patrolling by Police and easier access for the Omaha Fire Department. Former Brownfield sites have been evaluated and are not ready for redevelopment or reuse. Improvements to Upland Park will activate underutilized space. Even though density will be increased at Southside Terrace, there is more planned and purposeful green space available to residents than before. The Southside Terrace - Indian Hill Transformation Plan (https://planninghcd.cityofomaha.org/images/CNP/Transformation_Plan/TransformationPlan_Final.pdf) provides a wealth of information on the activities in this proposal.
The projects presented in this application address many of the community needs presented in the Visioning Workshop Summary. The housing plan will spur construction of a significant amount of rental housing units which will be available to a wide range of income levels and household sizes. The housing units produced through this effort will be of a much higher quality than what currently exists and will significantly improve housing conditions for hundreds of households. Housing was strongly represented in the needs section of the Vision Statement Summary for South Omaha. These multi-family housing units will also provide free broadband internet access in common areas which addresses the need for improved internet access for neighborhood residents. Commercial space which will be located in some of the mixed-use buildings will provide much needed space for professional or retail opportunities that will enhance the commercial presence in the neighborhood. Construction jobs will be generated by these projects. Most importantly, perhaps, is that these efforts are being built in this community, and not outside, which would force people to relocate. Community Impact addresses a wide range of Needs identified by community members. The construction of Y Street addresses concerns about roads and sewers. The proposed changes to the streetscape along South 30th Street creates a better environment for pedestrians. The place making fund will promote cultural and artistic opportunities within the neighborhood, such as sculptures, murals, and plantings to enhance the visual quality of the neighborhood. The Curb Appeal program will improve existing housing with the neighborhood.
LB 1024 states that funds should have an emphasis on housing needs, assistance for small businesses, job training, and business development within such communities and neighborhoods. The projects in this application strongly support housing development, which is by far the largest part of this grant application which focuses on both mixed-income multi-family rental housing and single-family homes for home-ownership in the North 30th Street corridor. Generally, the neighborhood does not have a strong commercial component, but some of the mixed-use buildings will have commercial space for professional or retail businesses.
We expect this project to have a significant economic impact on the neighborhood and in South Omaha overall. This is based on our experience with a similar project in North Omaha, where the execution of the Highlander Neighborhood Revitalization project and the adjacent North 30th Street Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant program has already resulted in a North Omaha investment of more than $115M, with an estimated $50M of future investment planned through 2025. The projects in this proposal will produce a number of targeted programs that support critical improvements to public safety, the built environment, and broad economic development, which has and will continue to position the Q Street and South 30th Street corridors for future growth and revitalization. These improvements not only expand mixed-income housing access and commercial development opportunities, they also improve pedestrian, bike and public transportation accessibility, connectivity infrastructure, green space and recreational amenities, and homeownership access and reinvestment. The economic impact of this initiative will be far-reaching and maximize the growth potential of a once disinvested community. Fundamentally, the renovation/expansion of a formerly blighted site improves the property value for the subject property and the properties in the surrounding area. Increased property values generate equity for property owners and remove the barriers to accessing capital or improving their property. The increased density will benefit surrounding businesses and draw more businesses to the area.
At this time we cannot predict the number of jobs created.
The Associated Builders and Contractors website (https://www.abc.org/News-Media/Newsline/entryid/16185/the-construction-industry-needs-to-hire-an-additional-440-000-workers-in-2019) cites a report that 6,300 jobs are created for each $1 billion spent on construction. That means one job is created for approximately every $160,000 spent on construction. Through this request and using that ratio, LB 1024 funds alone will create approximately 150 construction jobs. The total budget for the projects in this application is approximately $279 million, which means approximately 1,700 construction jobs will be created. This will have a tremendous impact on the South Omaha community.
Construction jobs will meet or exceed Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements.
The City, OHA, and Brinshore Development will join with Canopy South to hold contractor events for projects in this proposal. Each event will focus on the CNI construction schedule and available bids, review federal contracting requirements, and allow time for contractors to meet with local contracting resource providers. Events will include participation from the Greater Omaha Chamber's REACH Program, the Nebraska Enterprise Fund, the Nebraska Business Development Center, Heartland Workforce Solutions, Catholic Charities, and other organizations.
Overall, the projects in this application provide a holistic solution to neighborhood revitalization, an effort that provides housing for new residents while supporting and improving the quality of life for existing residents. This application benefits the community by providing safe, decent mixed income housing opportunities for households of various sizes and income levels. .It will create a denser population that, in turn, will create more demand for local goods and services. It creates professional and retail space to create economic opportunities and support economic growth in the neighborhood. These opportunities will create and support jobs within the neighborhood. It will provide greenspace for recreational activities to support the health and welfare of neighborhood residents. It will improve infrastructure in the community.
Sustainable: The projects in this application introduce hundreds of high quality rental housing units into the neighborhood, which greatly increases density. Population density provides greater opportunities for local and neighborhood businesses to start up and grow. The projects also support professional and retail space development to encourage those local businesses. Although density will increase, it balances density with the natural environment and recreation. Projects in this application also provide much needed, and requested, amenities for green space and recreational space.
This project will follow the Purpose Built Communities model which has a proven record in communities across the nation. (https://purposebuiltcommunities.org/) The approach of Purpose Built Communities, Mixed-Income Housing, Cradle-to College Education Pipeline, and Community Wellness, address many Needs presented by the community in the Visioning Statement Summary. This model is being replicated in North Omaha at Highlander and Kennedy Square and could be replicated in other locations. The project team has done a tremendous job engaging the community on the effort and with contractors to provide information on the project schedule and opportunities for contracting. There are plans to increase engagement based on feedback received from the community and contractors. As we increase engagement, we hope lessons learned and successful practices can be reviewed and used by other developers working in eastern Omaha. Certainly, much of what the team has learned will be implemented in future processes for this project.
Outcomes can be measured in many ways. For housing, we can track the number of replacement, affordable, and market rate units produced. These outcomes are ultimately tracked by the City, OHA, Canopy South, and Brinshore Development. One goal of this effort is to catalyze additional housing construction in the neighborhood through private development. The number of temporary jobs created during construction with an emphasis on the number of hours performed by Section 3 businesses and individuals. Section 3 is a Federal program that encourages contracting participation by people living in the neighborhood in which the project takes place. Davis Bacon compliance ensures workers are paid an appropriate wage for the work they perform. Permanent jobs are subject to the businesses that will locate to the area once construction of professional and retail space is complete. Other measurables may be evaluated over time such as crime reduction, the percentage of owner-occupied housing units, poverty rates and income levels, student performance, etc.
Projects involving public funds will be tracked by the team as these outcomes are also required for other funding sources. Information regarding safety is tracked by the Omaha POlice Department while other outcomes, such as household income, are tracked by the United States Census Bureau.
We believe this project will act as a catalyst for co-investment and secondary investment. In fact, the entire purpose of the Southside Terrace - Indian Hill Revitalization Plan is to act as that reinvestment spark. Reinvestment on a large scale, such as in this case, attracts people. Reinvestment in housing, education, and amenities brings people to the neighborhood who previously had no reason to be there. Creating an environment people want to experience drives a need for housing units, jobs, and recreational opportunities. We believe the projects in this application will increase the rate and degree of reinvestment in this community.
Yes
Canopy South is a community-based organization. Our mission is to “to generate holistic and effective revitalization in South Omaha neighborhoods through strategic partnerships and community-driven initiatives. We prioritize choice by dismantling systemic barriers to reinforce equitable access to opportunity for all.” Our vision is to create “a diverse, thriving community full of choice and equitable opportunity for residents – new and existing – of every generation and culture.” Our main partners in this effort are the City of Omaha, the Omaha Housing Authority, and Brinshore Development. We work with many other community-based organizations. Canopy South and the rest of the team worked with over 30 different community based organizations in preparation of the Southside Terrace - Indian Hill transformation plan. Among those are Kind Can Community Center, Stephen Center, the Simple Foundation, Girls, Inc., and others. We are currently in the process of evaluating how best to continue partnerships with these organizations through the development process.
Partnerships between OHA, the City, Brinshore, and CAnopy South are memorialized through agreements or MOUs. These documents can be provided upon request.
Yes
Residents of Southside Terrace may be temporarily relocated prior to the demolition of those housing facilities. It is our hope that new housing units are ready prior to displacement so that those households do not need to move twice. Displaced households have first right of refusal to return to the newly constructed Southside Terrace. They may also elect to find other housing solutions. We do not anticipate other residents or businesses are being displaced by these projects, but available land is scarce and voluntary displacement could occur.
TThe transformation plan's target area is located in South Omaha. Southside Terrace itself is located south of Q Street between South 28th and South 30th Streets. R Street is the northern boundary and W Street is the southern boundary. All offsite development locations but one are located nearby. There is one offsite location located in midtown Omaha. Maps of the project sites are included in the attachments. Southside Terrace has several addresses. These will all be changed when redevelopment occurs. 5317 South 30th Street 5501 South 30th Street 5701 South 30th Street Offsite Housing Development locations. Again, these addresses may change after development. 3030 Upland Parkway 2510 South 61st Street and 2511 South 61st Avenue (Note that this site is not located in a QCT, but is included for reference) 5408 South 32nd Street 3202 through 3310 Y Street 5305 South 28th Street, 2713 R Street, and 5322 South 27th Street Community Impact Projects 3031 Upland Parkway Upland Park is 3104 Jefferson Other locations may be selected based on availability and need.
Within one or more QCTs
Site maps are included in the uploaded attachments. The sites are owned by a combination of Canopy South, the Omaha Housing Authority, and Brinshore Development. The ownership mix varies at each site. Proof of ownership can be provided upon request. The City is in the process of conducting NEPA compliant environmental reviews. Included in that process is applying for Title 128A Brownfield Assessment funds through the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.
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Costs were determined by Brinshore Development’s past affordable housing development experience in consultations with architectural and planning consultants. ..
No
Brinshore has experienced cost increases of roughly 25% over the last two years for multi-family housing construction projects. As such, we have had to accelerate our use of gap financing to keep projects moving. This project is no exception. The budget submitted to HUD for the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant application just a year ago is now likely under budgeted by 10%. LB 1024 funds will help fill this gap and ensure this project starts off on firm ground. Other proposed projects will use LB 1024 funds to spark new initiatives that will benefit the community. Cost estimates are based on past similar projects.
There is already significant financial support for most of these projects, specifically the projects related to rental housing. LB 1024 funds will help close gaps created by unanticipated rising construction costs and inflation. LB 1024 will unlock the continued progress of these important mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood transformation projects which will simultaneously benefit the neighborhood and residents.
Yes
The multi-family housing and mixed-use buildings will generate cash flow to sustain themselves and they will be managed by a property management company. Most Community Impact projects will be maintained by Canopy South or the City of Omaha. Homeowners, of course, will maintain their own properties.
At this time, the only funding sources promised to the housing phases of this project are Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”), Choice Neighborhood funds, and philanthropic leverage funds. The City’s HOME, CDBG, and SEction 108 funds are on the table. ARPA funding and additional funding through Front Porch Investments may be options, as well. LIHTC offered by NIFA will also be part of the financing structures for these projects. The team will seek leveraging funds for other projects proposed in this application. The LB 1024 will ensure that the projects will not be slowed so that they cannot meet their current schedule goals. Community Impact projects have CDBG, Choice Neighborhood, and philanthropic commitments. A detailed list of funding sources can be provided upon request.
Choice Neighborhood and leveraged funds are already committed to the projects in this application. The timeliness of other funding sources cannot be accurately predicted at this time. Section 108 funds and City or State ARPA funds may be available early next year.
LIHTC funds are probably the most important source of funding for the multi-family housing projects and cannot proceed without an award.
Although each housing project is scalable, they are entangled with one another in such a way that a budget reduction for one project, perhaps resulting in a reduction of units, will impact another. So although the entire housing project is not scalable (having a minimum threshold), the individual projects within the whole are scalable. The community impact projects are scalable to a certain degree. Y Street Improvements, for example, is not a scalable project. The Placemaking Fund is completely scalable.
The proposed budget shows the individual project components.
For every dollar requested in this application, there is already approximately $6 of leveraged funds. Canopy South, Brinshore Development, the City, and OHA acquired a $50 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant from HUD. The City is committed to providing CDBG funds and TIF. CAnopy south has secured substantial leveraging funds for housing development. A detailed list of committed funds can be provided upon request.
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Data table of uses (breakdown of how the requested funds will be used for your proposal) Organizational Chart Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses Schedule