Planners OK nine potential West O projects

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BY MATT OLBERDING / Lincoln Journal Star

The city’s decision last year to blight a large swath of West O Street is starting to pay dividends.

On Wednesday, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission approved nine potential redevelopment projects in the 1,361-acre area, which stretches from 10th Street to half a mile west of Northwest 70th Street.

Although it’s possible some of the projects may never happen, city Urban Development Director Marc Wullschleger said the city wanted to “pave the way” and get the process going.

The most prominent of the sites is the former Lincoln Steel plant at 545 West O St. The site, which has been vacant for more than two years, is owned by B&J Partnership, the commercial real estate division of Speedway Motors. Speedway CFO Mike Tavlin said the company is working on redeveloping the site but has no specific plans.

Darl Naumann, the city’s economic development coordinator,  said some of the property owners have specific plans in mind and will be bringing them forward soon.

Redevelopment agreements for each property must be negotiated with the city and approved by the Planning Commission and City Council. Those agreements will address, among other things, how much tax-increment financing each property will qualify for.

Tax-increment financing, the main economic incentive tool associated with the blighting process, allows the additional property taxes generated by redevelopment projects to be used for site-specific improvements.

In other business Wednesday, the Planning Commission:

* Approved an annexation and zoning change to allow approximately 265 homes and town homes on 70 acres at 84th Street and Nebraska 2.

Homes in the development, called Grand Terrace, will start around $200,000, said developer Steve Champoux.

The project must still be approved by the City Council, and Champoux said construction will begin immediately after that.

* Approved a zoning change  that will likely bring a Starbucks coffee shop to 15th and South streets.

The site is being developed by B&J Partnership, which is planning a development at 10th and Van Dorn streets that also would have a Starbucks. A public hearing on that development, which was scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed because some minor changes have to be made to the plan.

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.