Omaha City Council approves settlement over Blackstone building, lowers speed limit, approves SRO contracts

OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha City Council approved a $700,000 settlement Tuesday to purchase the Blackstone building where a hole formed underneath the building and part of Farnam Street three months ago, clearing the way for demolition and a resumption of Omaha Streetcar construction in the area.

The hole formed in June beneath the building that formerly housed Brothers Lounge. Construction on the Omaha Streetcar in that area has been limited since. With the settlement now approved, Omaha Streetcar Interim Director Steve Jensen said demolition work on the building is expected to begin by mid-October.

"We wanted to resolve the issue and be able to move forward, not only for the property owners, but also for their neighbors, who have been impacted," Jensen said.

The council also approved agreements to keep school resource officers in 4 area school districts. The officers come from the Omaha Police Department. Agreements were approved with the Omaha, Westside, Millard, and Elkhorn districts.

Speed limits will be lowered on two major streets in Midtown and Aksarben. The current limit of 35 miles per hour on parts of Leavenworth and 60th will drop by 5 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour.

A vote on a key step toward redeveloping the Center Mall has been delayed until next month. Developers have said they need Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, funding from the city for the project to move forward. To receive TIF, an area must first be designated a Community Redevelopment Area, or CRA.

Hanscom Park neighbor Rebecca Monohon opposes the CRA designation.

"We are really concerned about the displacement of the over 121 small businesses, non profits, faith groups, inside the mall currently," Monohon said.

The Omaha City Council is expected to hold a public hearing and vote on the CRA designation on Oct. 6.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.