ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — Cedar Creek Coffee and Art opens in Olde Towne Elkhorn while navigating a massive stormwater construction project blocking their parking lot.
- Owners Joey and Tyra Kaplan started construction on their space at the beginning of 2025, hoping the city's stormwater project would be finished by their opening.
- The construction issue stems from undocumented drainage changes made during the 2016 Elkhorn Streetscape project that weren't discovered until crews tried to connect the building last summer.
- Neighboring nonprofit COPE has also been impacted, with people getting lost when GPS directions lead them to the construction site instead of the organization's location.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A new coffee shop in Olde Towne Elkhorn is navigating an unexpected challenge as a massive construction hole sits where its parking lot and outdoor patio should be.
Cedar Creek Coffee and Art officially opened its first storefront location after starting as a mobile coffee van in 2024. Owners Joey Kaplan and his wife Tyra chose this location because they fell in love with the historic area.
"We even moved into Old Town Elkhorn," Kaplan said.
The couple started construction on their space at the beginning of 2025, hoping a city stormwater project outside would be complete by their opening. Instead, they're dealing with a massive excavation that sits in the middle of what will become their outdoor patio, parking lot and a through-road to the nonprofit COPE.
"From my mindset, I don't have control over it, so I am making do with what I can," Kaplan said.
The construction project has been ongoing since at least summer 2025, according to Nancy Lary, executive director of COPE. The nonprofit has experienced difficulties with people getting lost trying to find their location.
"When you put it into your phone, 'I wanna go to Cope', it's gonna bring you to this which is which is a problem," Lary said.
Omaha Public Works Assistant Director Austin Rowser explained the problem was discovered after a change to stormwater drainage went undocumented during the construction of the Elkhorn Streetscape in 2016. When crews attempted to connect the building that now houses Cedar Creek to the stormwater system last summer, they encountered the issue.
Public works now must re-design the stormwater system to connect to the building. The city expects to hire a contractor in March with construction beginning in April.
Despite the challenges, Kaplan remains optimistic about the future.
"I know for us we're praying that we're able to have the patio finished before it gets nice out," Kaplan said.
Visitors to Cedar Creek Coffee and Art and neighboring businesses can find surface parking along Elkhorn Drive, 206th and Main Street, plus a public parking lot in the area.
