Q. What is the cost of the Midtown Crossing project?
A. The current estimate is approximately $300 million.
Q. What is the size of the development site?
A. The site – bordered by 31st and 33rd streets, Dodge to Harney streets – is 15 acres.
Q. What is the size and scope of the development?
A. Here are some key attributes of Midtown Crossing:
- Seven buildings with more than 1 million square feet of new space
- Approximately 220,000 square feet of space for restaurants, shops and entertainment venues
- 297 luxury condominiums
- 196 luxury apartments
- 132-room Element by Westin extended stay hotel
- Furnished corporate extended stay residences
- 31,000-square-foot Prairie Life executive health club
- Upscale five-screen movie theater
- Urban grocery market
- Parking for more than 3,000 vehicles
- Revitalized and expanded Turner Park provides more than 7 acres of green space
Q. What is the construction timetable?
A. Construction is under way. Midtown Crossing will be ready for occupancy beginning fall of 2009.
Q. How tall are Midtown Crossing’s buildings?
A. The buildings that make up Midtown Crossing at Turner Park range from four to nine stories. Most are eight stories tall.
Q. What role does Turner Park play in the Midtown Crossing development?
A. It is the combined vision of both the design team and Mutual of Omaha that a revitalized Turner Park be a central focus of the new development while also serving as the symbolic gateway to the Midtown neighborhood as a whole. The development will help energize the park by creating an organized private sponsorship and programming entity that will administer an ongoing future enhanced maintenance program and schedule of activities. This will re-establish Turner Park as a significant destination point not only for Midtown residents, but all of Omaha as well.
Q. What improvements are planned for Turner Park?
A. Turner Park will be expanded to the west into the actual development area, so Midtown Crossing residents, retail and dining customers will be able to interact with the park’s open landscape. With Midtown Crossing’s buildings serving as the new backdrop, Turner Park will take on a more structured urban scale through a more formal design approach. Specific improvements being planned include greater pedestrian and vehicular access to the park, enhanced landscaping, updated lighting including opportunities for holiday décor, public artwork, and new seating and amenities. The total park area will be expanded by over 1.5 acres to 7.25 acres.
Q. What kinds of retail and entertainment do you envision for the development?
A. Midtown crossing will offer a 24/7 lifestyle for its residents and for those living and working in surrounding neighborhood. Key anchor tenants will be key to creating that lifestyle. Prairie Life will operate a 31,000-square-foot executive fitness center in the development. An upscale movie theater and a 15,000-square-foot urban grocer is also planned. In addition, Midtown Crossing will feature shops, fine and casual dining, entertainment and services.
Q. What does it mean to participate in the LEED Neighborhood Development pilot program?
A.The U.S. Green Building Council has developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. There are LEED guidelines for the construction and renovation of homes, commercial buildings and schools. LEED certification standards are also being developed for neighborhood development. Midtown Crossing at Turner Park is one of 60 projects selected to participate in a pilot program to help develop those standards. LEED in Neighborhood Development will include best practices in smart location and transportation linkage; environmental preservation; compact, complete and connected neighborhoods; high-performance green construction and technology. Midtown Crossing is the only project in Nebraska and Iowa selected to participate in the pilot program.
Q. What is the economic impact of the development?
A. According to a study by Creighton University Professor of Economics Dr. Ernie Goss, the 2006-2009 construction phase of the project will add approximately $420 million to the Omaha economy, support 1,003 full- and part-time jobs annually and generate $16.5 million in state and local tax revenue. Upon completion of construction and opening of Midtown Crossing, the study estimates that 2,312 jobs will be created, $472 million will be added to the city’s economy and $38.5 million in state and local taxes generated during the first three years.