Right now, the construction site near Saddle Creek Road and Pacific Street in south-central Omaha has grass and weeds on it instead of apartments. That may be about to change.
WOWT reported on Oct. 13 that the long-planned apartment and retail project there might soon get the go-ahead to start construction. City officials told the station that if everything checks out, building permits should be issued in a couple of weeks or so.
What's planned
The plan calls for about 200 apartment units with retail space, at a cost of around $44 million. The developers told WOWT they're still working through the city's permit review.
Earlier plans gave a bit more detail. When the Omaha City Council approved rezoning ordinances for the project in December 2023, District 3 Councilmember Danny Begley told WOWT it would be "about 195 apartments and about 293 parking stalls." He said there might be a coffee shop or a credit union at the base of the building. Back then, officials expected construction to start in early summer 2024 and were aiming to finish by 2026. Neither happened, which is why this is news.
Why it slowed down
In a statement quoted by WOWT, the developers said they remain committed to the project.
"We remain committed to the Saddle Creek project and are excited to move forward," the statement reads in part. "Rising construction costs and higher interest rates have extended the timeline and prompted a careful review of construction costs and long-term maintenance."
WOWT reports the developers made minor changes to the plan, which meant new cost estimates. Omaha Planning Director Dave Fanslau said the city was waiting on them.
"It's on them to tell us they're going to tweak something, amended something and so we just waited for the building permits, which again just came a few weeks ago because they were making those tweaks," Fanslau said.
His wording leaves it a little unclear whether he meant the permit applications or the permits themselves came in a few weeks ago. Either way, the station's bottom line was that city officials expect permits in a couple of weeks if everything checks out.
The neighbors haven't changed their minds
This project has had opposition from the start. WOWT covered neighbors fighting it back in 2022, when the planning board approved it and the City Council then passed it 5-0 over their objections. At that point it was described as a 195-unit apartment complex with commercial space, and the plan involved changing a stretch of Saddle Creek Road north of Pacific Street.
Debbie and Mark Rushlau were in that fight, and they still are.
"We're still against it, we're happy right now there's no apartments, there's no apartments although it is a disaster there over the hill, and we're losing some of our property. Keeps washing out with all the rain and stuff," the Rushlaus told WOWT.
Debbie Rushlau said the quiet has been nice while nothing's going on. "We know it's not done, you know I don't even know what will happen, it's nice to just sit back and not think about it when nothing's happening up there," she said.
Why it matters for Contractors
This is a mid-size, mixed-use job. A $44 million building with about 200 units and ground-floor retail means a long list of trades: site and concrete work, framing or structure, roofing, MEP, drywall, finishes, and the build-out for whatever retail tenants come along. The 293 parking stalls mentioned in 2023 mean paving and site work too, if that part of the plan still holds.
Pay attention to why it stalled. The developers blamed rising construction costs and higher interest rates, and they redid their cost estimates after making changes. That points to a project watching every dollar. Subs who bid it should expect value engineering and tight pricing, and should be ready to explain their numbers.
There's a site lesson here too. Neighbors say rain keeps washing out the hillside next to their property. Whoever gets the dirt work should expect erosion control and drainage to get a close look from both the city and the folks next door, who have been watching this lot for years.
Permits aren't issued yet. But if the city's estimate holds, this one could move from paper to bid in a hurry.