A ULI Advisory ServicesReport Panel A ULI Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa November 2–7, 2014 Advisory ServicesReport Panel A ULI Omaha2015_cover.indd 2 6/24/15 4:22 PM Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa Activating the Missouri Riverfront November 2–7, 2014 Advisory Services Panel Report A ULI A ULI About the Urban Land Institute THE MISSION OF THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE is ■■ Sustaining a diverse global network of local practice to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in and advisory efforts that address current and future creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. challenges. ULI is committed to Established in 1936, the Institute today has more than ■■ Bringing together leaders from across the fields of real 34,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spec- estate and land use policy to exchange best practices trum of the land use and development disciplines. Profes- and serve community needs; sionals represented include developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, ■■ Fostering collaboration within and beyond ULI’s real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, membership through mentoring, dialogue, and problem financiers, academics, students, and librarians. solving; ULI relies heavily on the experience of its members. It is ■■ Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, regen- through member involvement and information resources eration, land use, capital formation, and sustainable that ULI has been able to set standards of excellence in development; development practice. The Institute has long been rec- ■■ Advancing land use policies and design practices that ognized as one of the world’s most respected and widely respect the uniqueness of both the built and natural quoted sources of objective information on urban planning, environments; growth, and development. ■■ Sharing knowledge through education, applied research, publishing, and electronic media; and Cover photo: Robert Lewis © 2015 by the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW Suite 500 West Washington, DC 20007-5201 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission of the copy- right holder is prohibited. 2 A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Advisory Services THE GOAL OF THE ULI ADVISORY SERVICES pro- and to provide recommendations in a compressed amount gram is to bring the finest expertise in the real estate field of time. to bear on complex land use planning and development A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique ability projects, programs, and policies. Since 1947, this program to draw on the knowledge and expertise of its members, has assembled well over 400 ULI-member teams to help including land developers and owners, public officials, sponsors find creative, practical solutions for issues such academics, representatives of financial institutions, and as downtown redevelopment, land management strate- others. In fulfillment of the mission of the Urban Land gies, evaluation of development potential, growth manage- Institute, this Advisory Services panel report is intended to ment, community revitalization, brownfield redevelopment, provide objective advice that will promote the responsible military base reuse, provision of low-cost and affordable use of land to enhance the environment. housing, and asset management strategies, among other matters. A wide variety of public, private, and nonprofit or- ULI Program Staff ganizations have contracted for ULI’s advisory services. Gayle Berens Senior Vice President, Education and Advisory Group Each panel team is composed of highly qualified profession- als who volunteer their time to ULI. They are chosen for their Thomas W. Eitler knowledge of the panel topic and screened to ensure their Vice President, Advisory Services objectivity. ULI’s interdisciplinary panel teams provide a holis- Beth Silverman tic look at development problems. A respected ULI member Director, Education and Advisory Group who has previous panel experience chairs each panel. Daniel Lobo Director, Awards and Publications The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is intensive. It includes an in-depth briefing day composed of a tour of Caroline Dietrich the site and meetings with sponsor representatives; a day Logistics Manager, Education and Advisory Group of hour-long interviews of typically 50 to 75 key commu- Kathryn Craig nity representatives; and two days of formulating recom- Senior Associate, Education and Advisory Group mendations. Long nights of discussion precede the panel’s James A. Mulligan conclusions. On the final day on site, the panel makes an Senior Editor oral presentation of its findings and conclusions to the Christine Stinson, Publications Professionals LLC sponsor. A written report is prepared and published. Manuscript Editor Because the sponsoring entities are responsible for Betsy Van Buskirk significant preparation before the panel’s visit, including Creative Director sending extensive briefing materials to each member and Deanna Pineda, Muse Advertising Design arranging for the panel to meet with key local community Layout Artist members and stakeholders in the project under consider- Craig Chapman ation, participants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments are Senior Director, Publishing Operations able to make accurate assessments of a sponsor’s issues Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, November 2–7, 2014 3 Acknowledgments THE PANEL THANKS Mayor Jean Stothert of Omaha, participated in various efforts with the panel. Representing Nebraska; Mayor Matt Walsh of Council Bluffs, Iowa; and both city and regional government agencies and a diverse David Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha and informed public, these stakeholders provided valuable Chamber of Commerce, for their support of this process. information and perspectives through their passion and Most specially, the panel thanks Kristin Gochenour of the understanding of the issues, greatly aiding the panel in its Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce; Steven N. Jen- analysis. sen of Steven Jensen Consulting; Ryan D. McClure of the Last, through the generous support of the following Omaha Planning Department; and Rose E. Brown of the sponsors, this panel would not have been possible: city of Council Bluffs Community Development Department, who Omaha, city of Council Bluffs, Greater Omaha Chamber helped organize many of the logistics and participated in of Commerce, Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tour, working dinners, and briefings. In addition, the BNSF Railway, ConAgra Foods Inc., Husch Blackwell LLP, panel thanks Donn Seidholz for his personal participation Gallup Inc., Heistand Family Foundation, Allen & Company, in this panel. Omaha’s Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention As this event was a joint effort between two communi- Authority, the Sherwood Foundation, Back to the River, ties, many individuals and organizations were involved Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, and the Iowa West in the effort to educate and make information available Foundation. to the panel. The panel acknowledges and thanks the more than 80 individuals who were interviewed and who 4 A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report Contents ULI Panel and Project Staff ...............................................................................................................................6 Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment ...................................................................................................................7 Market Overview for Prospective Growth ...........................................................................................................9 Riverfront Development Principles ...................................................................................................................13 Links to Opportunities ....................................................................................................................................15 Panel Recommendations ................................................................................................................................17 Priorities and Stewardship ..............................................................................................................................30 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................31 About the Panel .............................................................................................................................................32 Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, November 2–7, 2014 5 ULI Panel and Project Staff Panel Chair Alan Mountjoy Principal James A. Cloar NBBJ Principal Boston, Massachusetts Downtown Advisory Services Tampa, Florida Jeff Sanford Jeff Sanford Consulting Panel Members Memphis, Tennessee Kevin Farrell Marcia Tobin Principal Vice President, Design + Planning Kevin Farrell Associates AECOM St. Louis, Missouri Knoxville, Tennessee Donna Lewis Planning Director ULI Project Staff Mercer County Alison Johnson Trenton, New Jersey Program Manager Robert Lewis Caroline Dietrich Principal Director of Operations, Advisory Services Development Strategies St. Louis, Missouri Jan Minami Principal AMI Concepts Reedley, California 6 A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report UNION PLYMOUTH Lewis and Clark L. 29 Vermillion 75 BUENA CHEROKEE VISTA KNOX CEDAR DIXON Sioux City 20 DAKOTA