OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Come 2027, the twin-tower office complex near 15th and Farnam Streets could be home to hundreds, something the developer attributes to the streetcar.
- NuStyle Development will redevelop the towers on South 15th St. between Farnam and Douglas Streets.
- The apartments will be one, two- and three-bedroom units ranging in price from $900 to $2,350.
- Sullivan's Steakhouse will stay and developers are working to fill other retail spaces, such as the location of a former Starbucks.
- Watch the video to see what the additions will look like and hear from neighbors about what they hope it means for business in the area.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
'The Duo' will be home to one, two and three-bedroom market-rate apartment units ranging in price from $900 to $2,350.
"I feel like it's amazing you know more residential, more traffic, you know," said Jordy Ruiz, who works at Exclusive Kicks, a sneaker shop on Farnam St. "We've got a lot of local businesses that are not known yet and hopefully the traffic will help small businesses."
That's a shared feeling with Alex Harrington, who owns Untamed Kitchen and Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe on the corner of 15th of Farnam Streets.
"Anytime you have a city block that has that much density, you know I think the impact on any business within a few blocks is tremendous," Harrington said.
NuStyle Development will redevelop the buildings in phases — starting with the south tower. When the remaining tenants leave in June 2026, they will redevelop the north side. The goal is completion in 2027 alongside the streetcar.
"I don't know if we would be standing here today if it wasn't for the streetcar, I am pretty sure we wouldn't because when you start talking about 700 units, you know in that area, you have to look at 'okay, where are all the tenants coming from,' " said Todd Heistand, president of NuStyle Development.
More people means more cars. So where will they park?
A new city-owned parking garage will be built on the corner of 16th and Farnam with apartment units on top and commercial space below.
It is a $163 million project, not including the garage.
The two towers will be connected in between to provide easier access to both sides.
"You can actually see on top, we are taking that penthouse, the very top of it, down, to where we can build amenity space, two-story amenity space on top, along with some really nice apartments up above there," Heistand said.
Sullivan's Steakhouse will stay, and they are working to fill the old Starbucks space with a new coffee shop.
Downtown has living options, a growing headquarters, parks, businesses and restaurants. But there is still no grocery store.
I asked Mayor Jean Stothert about the status of that, and she says it is in the works, but where it would go is unknown right now.
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