- Almost abandoned apartment homes where tenants were forced out.
- Neighbors are fighting to keep the history and character of the neighborhoods
- The tenants are expected to leave the property by September 30th
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Apartments here in Blackstone with dozens of tenants told to move out by the end of the month. Reporter Nolan Bulmahn is in Central Omaha And the place they've called home will soon be flattened.
In 2021, Omaha Planning Board approved a new apartment complex to be built on the corner of Dodge Street and 38th avenue.
3 years later, Point Guard Management tells tenants in the current buildings, it's time to go.
Theodora Undergrove, who lives in this building until the September 30th, tells me how difficult it has been to get a hold of Point Guard.
"To communicate with them, it has been difficult to say the least," she explains. "They're phone number that is registered on Google is not connected to them."
Now, she is planning to just leave Omaha, saying "I felt like i was finally going to get somewhere in Omaha, like a higher paying job. Then, suddenly, that came in, and i had to rethink my entire plan."
Undergrove took me inside the historic building, split into multiple apartments. The notice tenants received says in one paragraph, the building needs a face-lift. But look a little further, and there's sentence that says demolition of the buildings will start once everyone's out.
"It's sad to see these go. This has been on our radar for quite some time,"
says Omaha preserve president Tim Reeder, who has been fighting this development since the approval, trying to keep the character of Blackstone in tact. "Don't get me wrong, Preserve Omaha is all about sustainable housing and we need more housing. Housing is a problem. But it isn't solved by tearing down and destroying the fabric and character of the neighborhood already."
Only a few renters remain in the decades-old buildings, still trying to find a new place to live.
Reporter Nolan Bulmahn reached out to Point Guard Management regarding the properties, and did not receive a response.
