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Omaha Development Foundation (Greater Omaha Chamber)
Greater Omaha Chamber 808 Conagra Drive, Suite 400 Omaha, NE 68102
https://www.omahachamber.org/
Mark Norman
Senior Director, Business Attraction and Expansion
mnorman@selectgreateromaha.com
+1 (402) 595-0488
Yes
The project team is led by the Greater Omaha Chamber in partnership with the City of Omaha. We also have support from Omaha Public Power District and they will be providing site development support for the project through their economic development team. We will also be hiring an engineering consultant to assist with the Master Planning of the sites as well as a property acquisition firm to assist with assembling the land for the Airport Business Park II location. Lamp Rynearson completed the original Airport Business Park II study and the 2021 update and they will be heavily involved in the site engineering and development process. Midwest Right of Way prepared the land acquisition estimates for the Airport Business Park II location. For the Greater Omaha Partnership team, we have three individuals that can assist with the site development process as well as business recruitment for the sites once we have marketable lots. The team consists of Mark Norman, Senior Director of Business Attraction and Expansion; Lisa Scheve, Manager Business Development; and Adrienne Cavill, Manager of Business Attraction and Expansion. We also have the full resources of the Chamber team which includes marketing/Public Relations, Business Intelligence, workforce development and public policy.
The Greater Omaha Chamber consists of 45 full-time staff at the current moment. In addition, there are 15 economic development professionals serving the respective counites that make up the Partnership region. The Greater Omaha Chamber is led by Veta Jeffery who is President and CEO of the Chamber. The Chamber has made a commitment to ensure quality growth in both the North Omaha and South Omaha areas. This project is part of that commitment.
The Greater Omaha Chamber, through the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership serves as the primary economic development organization for the 8-county Partnership area. Through this Partnership, through the first 9 months of 2022, we have been directly involved in 35 projects creating 1,400 new jobs for the region with a capital investment of over $1.5 billion. Over the past 10 years, we have also created and managed the GO Ready Certified Site program for the region. This program helps our County Economic Development Partners in creating “virtual shovel ready” sites through completion of due diligence, master planning and marketing so that the site can be taken from greenfield to fully-served in 1 year or less. We currently have 6 active GO Ready sites across the region. Some examples of successful project locations within the GO Ready program include Fidelity data center in Papillion, speculative warehouse development in Springfield, the Dollar General distribution center in in Blair, and the CyrusOne data Center in Council Bluffs. In addition, the Chamber has worked to take several projects through the entitlement process in several communities.
North Omaha Business Park Development
155626500.0
47201300.0
Capital project
The proposal consists of the acquisition of land and the subsequent master planning and infrastructure development to create a shovel-ready business park that will serve as an employment center for the North Omaha area. The Chamber, in association with the City of Omaha, has identified two areas that are in close proximity for the creation of the business park that combined have will have a transformational impact on the North Omaha area. This impact will be realized through the creation of employment and business location opportunities that residents of North Omaha can access creating generational wealth in the area. The two areas are the Enterprise Business Park located roughly at 13th and Locust Street and the Airport Business Park II located near the existing Industrial area by the airport. The Chamber worked with Lamp Rynearson in 2021 to update a study that identified the appropriate area for acquisition and redevelopment. We project that the Enterprise Business Park would be an approximate 22-month development process that would include due diligence, environmental clean-up, infrastructure engineering and construction and platting. The Airport Business Park II would be a slightly longer development timeline looking at approximately 36 months but we believe we can condense this. The Chamber is ready to initiate the process in November of 2022.
We anticipate a 22-month timeline for the Enterprise Business Park. A schedule is attached for your reference. Key milestones would be the engagement of an environmental firm to assess the required clean up of the site. We would be ready to engage this firm by December of this year and would need approximately 3 months to complete the assessment. Clean up would then occur and depending on the required remediation actions that should be complete in about 6 months. We would then be able to construct the internal infrastructure for the site and have marketable lots by summer of 2024. For the Airport Business Park, acquisition of the various lots would take approximately 12-18 months for the whole site. We would however strategically order the acquisition process so that we would focus on those properties first that we would need for the infrastructure development so that we could speed up the overall timeline. Plat development and infrastructure engineering can run concurrently with the acquisition process and site preparation can begin approximately 12-18 months into the process. Infrastructure construction can then begin and be complete within approximately 1 year. We anticipate we cold have marketable lots by the summer of 2025. A project timeline prepared by Lamp Rynearson is attached to this application.
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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 project will definitely be transformational for the North Omaha Community. There are limited site options of any size for the creation of employment centers for North Omaha residents. The Enterprise Business Park and the Airport Business Park II provides the best opportunity to do so. This will create 12+ fully shovel-ready lots for which existing North Omaha businesses could locate and grow their company as well as allow for new-to-area businesses to locate and create good paying jobs for the area. Through this access to the business development and new job opportunities the lives of area resident can be significantly improved by access to higher paying jobs, less travel times to employment and a revitalized economic area that will reduce blight. These projects will be long lasting as we see these structural investments as permanent. The Lamp Rynearson study calls for the development of the Airport Business Park II to be built in an environmentally sustainable manner and allow for multi-modal functionality including mass transit and be bike and pedestrian friendly. The developments will create new roadways which will improve traffic patterns for the area and install new sewer and other infrastructure that is aging and needs replacement. The Airport Business Park II also calls for greenspace that will enhance the beauty of the development and allow for employees of the development to enjoy nature during lunch and breaks. An iHub development is also considering a potential location within the Enterprise Business Park which would provide training and business development guidance to area residents.
The Visioning Workshops found that insufficient infrastructure exists within the community. This project provides the opportunity for community businesses to locate, expand and grow their businesses within the region where they may not have had the opportunity to do so since there are very limited sites available within the North Omaha region. By providing fully shovel-ready sites for the area it fulfills a needed gap within the region. It also leverages many community partners to achieve the development. The Chamber, along with the City of Omaha, Omaha Public Power District as well as private business will bring additional resources to the area that otherwise would not occur.
This project aligns directly with the intent of LB 1024. LB 1024 specifically calls for the creation of a new business park that will provide long-lasting economic benefit for the North Omaha community. This project accomplishes that goal and also provides business development opportunities and employment opportunities for a region that has had historically higher than average unemployment and a lack of investment.
We project that this project could create between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs to the region at full build-out with an economic impact to Douglas County of over $650 million annually and a payroll of over $160 million annually. An Implan economic impact analysis for the Airport Business Park II is included with this attachment.
More than 2,000 full-time jobs are projected to be created at full build-out.
During construction of the various projects which will locate at the two business parks, those projects will support over 1,100 construction jobs.
We project that the wage levels for the eventual projects will be at market rate or higher at the time of hiring.
We will work with the REACH program at the Greater Omaha Chamber which provides contractor training and capacity expansion as well as working with the City to access registered Small and Emerging Businesses.
By providing fully shovel-ready sites for businesses to locate and expand, the number and variety of business opportunities will expand. By increasing payroll in the area by $161 million annually, more money will be circulating throughout the local economy benefitting all residents. This economic activity will result in increased investment throughout North Omaha.
Once in place, the buildings that are built in the business parks will be sustainable employment centers. The projects will be built in a sustainable manner allowing for green space, multi-modal transportation and a pedestrian and bike friendly environment.
The business parks will be developed in a sustainable manner incorporating green spaces and amenities designed to benefit the workers employed in the development. An iHub is also considering locating in the Enterprise Business Park.
We will be able to measure number of new jobs created, wages, and capital investment. We can also look at the skill level of the jobs created and compare that to average wages in that particular sector. We will also seek out companies to locate in the business parks that want to give back to the North Omaha community.
The Chamber would work with those companies to measure the above outcomes and their impact.
Yes, the creation of these full shovel-ready sites would result in multiple projects locating on the sites making significant capital investments and creation of jobs.
Yes
The City of Omaha will partner with the Greater Omaha Chamber on the project. They will participate through the development of infrastructure of the sites. We will also engage several private engineering firms to assist with master planning, project management, site acquisition and entitlements. We will also be working with Omaha Public Power District for site development participation the specifics of which are currently under discussion.
No MOUs currently in place. We will negotiate these agreements over the next 90 days.
Yes
In the proposed Airport Business Park II location, there are residents that will be displaced. We will work with an experienced company for the acquisition process.
The two areas are the Enterprise Business Park located roughly at 13th and Locust Street and the Airport Business Park II located near the existing Industrial area by the airport. The Enterprise Business Park is located within a Qualified Census Tract and is zoned appropriately for the project. The Airport Business Park II is located partially within a Qualified Census Tract and the balance is located in an adjacent tract. The Airport Business Park II will need to undergo rezoning and the City would be willing to rezone once we have the properties under control.
Within one or more QCTs
The sites are not currently under control. Once we receive funding for the project we will begin the negotiation process for the parcels located within the Airport Business Park. Discussion have been occurring with the owner of the Enterprise Business Park on a Purchase Agreement. The Enterprise Business Park does have some environmental conditions that will need remediation.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Engineer's Opinion of Probable Costs have been developed for the Airport Business Park II, last updated in 2021. Cost for the Enterprise Business Park connector road estimated by HDR and the City of Omaha. Other costs are from previous Engineer's Opinion of Probable Costs updated by various entities..
No
Costs for the Airport Business Park II were completed by Lamp Rynearson and updated in 2021. Additional costs for the site development provided by the City of Omaha. Connector road in the Enterprise Business Park developed by HDR and the City of Omaha.
For the Airport Business Park II project, we plan to utilize the 1024 Qualified Census Tract grant for water, sewer and storm sewer infrastructure. For the Enterprise Business Park, we plan on utilizing the Qualified Census Tract grant for water, sewer, environmental clean-up and grading, and to assist with road construction.
Yes
Fiscal management will be provided by the Greater Omaha Chamber.
Total project costs are $155,626,500. Additional funding sources include: Enterprise Business Park Connector Road – we anticipate about $5,000,000 in private contributions to support this and the City of Omaha will work to provide the balance. The Omaha Development Foundation (Greater Omaha Chamber’s 501c3 development organization) will also be applying for the $60,000,000 in Business Park development funds through LB 1024. The City of Omaha will also be willing to work with us on potential infrastructure costs being worked into their annual Capital Improvement Program. The Chamber is currently working with another party to potentially provide some funding assistance in the acquisition costs. We anticipate having all sources of funding lined up within approximately 150 days.
We expect the $60M in Business Park development funds through LB 1024 to be awarded sometime in November. The awarding entity is the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
LB 1024 funds are required to move this project forward.
For scalability, we see the Enterprise Business Park as the initial “quick” development and starting the process with that component immediately. The Airport Business Park II location is a bit more long-term development and while we would initiate that project immediately, we would focus on the acquisition of the core area first and then the east wing of the development second. That would provide us marketable lots within that development quicker. The Greater Omaha Chamber is committed to implementing and completing this project and will dedicate the appropriate time and personnel to achieve success.
See above.
The Greater Omaha Chamber is committed to implementing and completing this project and will dedicate the appropriate time and personnel to achieve success. We will work with all of our partners to secure the needed financial commitments.
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Data table of uses (breakdown of how the requested funds will be used for your proposal) Schedule