Council OKs funding for Park Avenue Plan

BY MAHALIA ASANAENYI
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A redevelopment plan for the Park Avenue area could be completed by the end of this year after the project received a $31,800 boost from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

The City Council signed off Tuesday on using state funds for the plan, which is estimated to cost less than $60,000. A $30,000 grant already secured from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority also will help pay for the plan.

The Park Avenue area is bounded by Interstate 480, 32nd Avenue, Turner Boulevard and Martha Street.

The Omaha Planning Department and Destination Midtown have been working to create and fund a redevelopment plan for the area, which has many vacant buildings and rundown houses.

"This is a priority area," said Tawanna Black, executive director of Destination Midtown. "We hope this will guide development in an area that has so much potential."

Black said the midtown revitalization group and the city will hire a consultant to prepare the plan by August. The plan should be completed by December or January.

This is the first of several smaller development plans that could grow out of Destination Midtown's master plan. The Gifford Park and Park East neighborhoods each could have their own studies. Ultimately, the smaller plans would be put in the city's master plan and used as guides for future development, Black said.