- The Airport Business Park is a project that has been discussed since 2011.
- The Omaha Economic Development Corporation (OEDC) was awarded the grant in January.
- Neighbors are looking for answers and are unsure if they could afford a move.
- Michael Maroney, President and CEO of OEDC wants to give neighbors more information but legislation has the project up in the air.
- Video shows homes in the east Omaha neighborhood.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"It's a bunch of secrets like we don't know what is going on," said Racheal Hoefker, a resident in the neighborhood.
She and Justin Ryley live in the path of the proposed airport business park.
They're looking for answers about what lies ahead for them.
One of the men in charge of that huge project would like to give them answers.
“The big concern is the community," said Michael Maroney, president, and CEO of the Omaha Economic Development Corporation (OEDC).
"We would like to be able give them more information, but we don't, we aren't in the position to give more information because we just don't know ourselves."
OEDC was awarded the grant for the business park in January.
But Maroney now questions when -- and if -- that funding is going to come through.
Proposed legislation has the project up in the air.
"They are proposing, as I understand it, to take the money that has been awarded, that we have been awarded for the Airport Business Park and put it in this Inland Port Authority," said Maroney.
He's referring to an amendment to LB 164. It would establish an Inland Port Authority that would have a 9-member board with the authority to oversee investment and coordinate development in the area.
"Once we know what our parameters are, assuming that the award stays intact, then we will certainly begin to immediately reach out to all the neighbors in that area," Maroney said.
Until that's settled, people in this neighborhood are concerned about their homes and whether they'd even be able to afford a move.
To that Maroney said -
"We would be obligated to treat people fairly, that they would need to come out as well off or better off than they currently are," Maroney said.
Maroney said there will be community meetings but also one on one meetings with property owners.
“We are going to do everything we can to make this as smooth and as palatable as possible," Maroney said.
This comes just days after the neighborhood held it's first meeting to discuss the project.
