OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Developers plan to transform nearly 500 acres of primarily farmland in west Omaha to accommodate retail property, thousands of homes, and a lake and miles of trails.
Lead developer Jay Noddle told the Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/2ds84rG ) it could take up to 20 years to build the development on the property owned by Boys Town, a village in Douglas County.
"The powerful growth that is going to be here, the shops, the homes, the vitalization of this area of Omaha — this is just going to go through the roof with people's excitement," said Rev. Tom Bauwens of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church.
The St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church will receive 15 acres of the farmland for its own expansion.
The plans call for 2,000 homes, 2.3 million square feet of commercial space, a lake, pedestrian bridge over Pacific Street and 10 miles of walking and bike trails.
Construction will begin with a 55-acre campus for the company Applied Underwriters next summer, with projected completion in late 2019.
The Omaha Planning Board could begin reviewing plans related to the project this week, and crews could begin grading the property by next spring.
Noddle predicted the completed development will have an assessed value of at least $1.2 billion.