Omaha partners with Bloomberg Philanthropies to build more accessory dwelling units across the city

OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha is partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies to build more accessory dwelling units, or ADUs — homes built on the same property as another house.

The city is receiving between $450,000 and $750,000 to increase the number of ADUs, according to Eric Englund, a deputy planning director for the city. He said officials are still working out how to allocate the funds.

"Some of the possibilities would be to produce plans for ADU units for citizens, it could be for technology...for information purposes, for creation of websites," Englund said.

Nick Knihnisky was an attorney for most of his career until around a year ago, when he founded Platte and Pine Construction and Remodel. One of the areas his company specializes in is building ADUs, which are also known as granny flats or in-law suites.

After city zoning laws were changed in 2024, Knihnisky saw an opportunity to serve a new customer base.

"I think over on the coasts you hear a lot about adding income, a rental structure or a tenant of some kind. But here it's more so aging in place...multigenerational living...having your parents closer to you," Knihnisky said.

Englund said no Omaha neighborhoods are being prioritized over others for ADU construction. When asked whether neighbors should be concerned about traffic and congestion from construction, Englund pointed to the limited footprint of the projects.

"What's great about ADUs is that it's a very gentle and minimal way to increase density that isn't as impactful as some of the other residential projects in place," Englund said.

Omaha is joining several other partner cities in the program that are taking inspiration from Austin, Texas, which has been successful in increasing the number of ADUs within the city.

The program could extend even further beyond Omaha. Aside from the cities already chosen, there is potential for another 16 cities across the country to join.

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.