OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — There isn’t one issue that consistently brings large groups of people to Omaha City Council than controversial development projects.
This phenomenon is called NIMBY, short for "not in my backyard."
Wendy Sarkissian has spent much of her life in community engagement and planning across the world and said people will give a number of reasons, but really they’re just trying to protect their home.
“I have to talk in the language everything is framed in but actually, at the gut level, I’m just moaning because something is being violated in my environment,” said Sarkissian.
But here’s the deal: the City of Omaha needs housing. Almost any city official will tell you that. There is, however, limited room to grow.
The Missouri River blocks the east, Sarpy and Washington County deflect growth north and south, and new and expensive sewer lines would need to be added out west.
“So we have a finite space currently where the city of Omaha is going to be able to grow,” said Planning Director Dave Fanslau.
City leaders believe, as the city grows, the solution is to build vertically on the land the city has.
Former Councilmember Chris Jerram gave a similar argument when he voted to approve a controversial west Omaha development last year.
“What’ll happen is, the cost to live here, the taxes will be so high and have to increase exponentially to cover those costs. That’ll drive people out of the city,” said Jerram.
Danny Begley, a councilmember for about a year and a half, doesn’t recall voting 'no' on any development project.
“So far there are projects that I have supported and I have not seen one that I have not, but it doesn’t mean in the future that I won’t,” said Begley.
Begley said one reason for his consistent approval, is faith in the process. He said loads of work with planning and other city agencies go into projects to mitigate potential issues before it ever goes to the council.
He also often finds himself in a role as a mediator between the developer and neighbors in his district.
“Behind the scenes over coffee, or neighborhood groups, to have those conversations and do the best we can with what questions that aren’t being answered that we can work on,” said Begley.
Begley, in part, represents Blackstone, which has seen a wave of development in recent years. With the expected arrival of a streetcar, it’s likely even more people are going to want to live there.
Blackstone Neighborhood Association President Mark Maser has lived in the neighborhood for decades. He’s seen plenty of change and knows more is coming.
“It’s not like ‘we love Blackstone the way it is, it will never change.’ We can see the handwriting on the wall. Things are going to change in our neighborhood,” said Maser.
And so Maser finds himself at plenty of meetings with developers and has seen developers genuinely trying to find consensus — and he’s seen the other end of the spectrum.
“We’ve had some developers come and talk with us and say 'we don’t really have to talk to you, we’re just doing this as a courtesy,'” said Maser.
Actions like that could be enough to get a ‘no’ vote from Councilmember Begley.
“If I’m not getting the answers that I want from my constituents, then that’s going to be a problem for the developer that I would look to not support it,” said Begley.
Sarkissian said even developers giving neighbors food during meetings can go a long way to actually finding a solution.
She adds that if developers give something back, such as bringing in a small public area or space for a coffee shop, it can actually get neighbors to embrace the project.
“Think about the sweeteners that would make the neighborhood happy,” said Sarkissian.
There is one other option used. Master said they’ll look at "locally landmarking" buildings they consider historic and want to save. He cites it as one way they can go on offense and keep the wrecking ball away.
“We’ll do what we can to mitigate the loss of historic gems in our neighborhood and sometimes we’ll chain ourselves to a building if necessary,” said Maser.
Ideally, with the city’s long planning process, developers and neighbors actually work together so neighbors aren’t tied to buildings.
SEE PREVIOUS STORY: A deep dive into city development issues as Omaha residents continue to say 'not in my backyard'
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