OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Last year, several groups in Omaha applied for a national grant to help revitalize and improve the North 30th Street corridor area. In February, it was announced that the city was one of four finalists that would be receiving the grant. Today, community leaders are meeting to provide more information about the project.
A $25 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant is being given to Omaha by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
According to a release from the city, the grant will help launch the North 30th Transformation Plan which hopes to "improve the quality of life for Spencer Homes residents and residents of the Target Neighborhood by":
- Transforming Spencer Homes into a vibrant, mixed-income, mixed-use community, referred to as Kennedy Square;
- Completing the Highlander mixed-income, mixed-use development to provide residents relocation housing opportunities prior to the demolition of the Spencer Homes;
- Connecting the Kennedy Square and Highlander communities along a multi-modal 30th Street corridor, providing all neighborhood residents with better pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access;
- Partnering with the philanthropic community to magnify the impact of the Housing, People and Neighborhood Plans
- Uniting the Choice Neighborhood Program goals and strategies with Highlander’s Purpose Built Communities goals and strategies for a holistic approach to housing, people and neighborhood.
Omaha says the North 30th Street Transformation Plan has three components:
- The Housing Plan led by Brinshore Development, LLC,
- The People Plan led by the Seventy Five North Revitalization Corporation, and
- The Neighborhood Plan led by the City of Omaha.
As redevelopment and demolition begin, the city says strategies are in place to assist those who will be shuffled during the project:
- Strategy 1 - Maximize the opportunities for Spencer Homes residents to either remain in or return to the neighborhood.
- Strategy 2 - Minimize the disruption of families by expediting replacement housing.
- Strategy 3 - Expand workforce and market-rate housing opportunities in the neighborhood.
- Strategy 4 - Provide residents real choices to live in a variety of apartment units and building types.
- Strategy 5 - Fully integrate housing, people and neighborhood through the Purpose Built Communities model.
