OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – People living in a north central Omaha neighborhood have started a petition to stop more than 200 apartment units from being built nearby.
Sean and Patty McGhee have lived around 54th Street and Kansas Avenue for years — and for years, a big empty field has been the view outside their front window.
Now, the city planning board has given the green light to build a 210-unit apartment complex in that field, and the McGhees don’t think it will fit in their neighborhood. They say the area is already oversaturated with apartments.
“There’s an apartment complex just over here and there’s a newly developed complex just off 60th and Sorenson,” said Patty.
The McGhees are also concerned about the traffic that 210 apartments will bring to the street, which is one-lane each direction. The parking lot of the unit will face their Kansas Avenue home.
“We have kids that stand on this street here,” said Sean McGhee. “There’s no sidewalks. They catch the bus in the morning, in the dark, and now we’re going to have traffic flowing in and out of here.”
Omaha Planning Director Dave Fanslau tells 6 news that the project is consistent with the city’s master plan, and city officials have made adjustments to make sure the complex will fit into the neighborhood.
“This project is being built at those lower densities, so while the product itself looks like multi-family, and they are multi-family buildings, the number of units-per-acre equals what a single-family subdivision would be.”
The McGhees are also concerned about the out-of-state developers that plans to construct the complex, which will feature eight separate buildings, a clubhouse, and a swimming pool. The couple says when they checked the internet, they were not happy with he review and complaints they read from the developer’s current tenants.
“If they’re not managing their properties well, if they’re not being honest and open and supportive of their tenants, that’s going to be a problem. The development company, when they sent out a letter to the community for a meeting, it was very vague and misleading.”
Fanslau says the planning department doesn’t typically vet developers.
“This is an out-of-state developer,” Fanslau said. “I believe it’s their first project in Omaha, so no, we don’t do that kind of research. We don’t seek people’s opinion on if they’re not a good operator or not. We look at them from the codes we’re tasked to enforce.”
But Sean says he would rather see affordable, single-family homes on the site instead of apartment units. He also told 6 News that people in his neighborhood are older and have lived in the area for decades, and they’re also worried about what could get built across the street.
“We’re not just speaking of ourselves,” Sean said.
The project must now gain approval from the Omaha City Council. There will be a public hearing on the matter. 6 News checked with officials today and so far, the project is not set to be put on the next city council agenda.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
link