The Antelope Creek flood plain won’t be erased for a couple of years, but already projects are emerging on the fringes of the flood plain, where city officials hope the Antelope Valley Project will inspire redevelopment once the threat of flooding is reduced.

The Lincoln City Council gave its stamp of approval Monday to four projects within the Antelope Valley Redevelopment Plan, affirming that they fit the city’s vision for the massive flood control, roads and bridges project. The projects are:

n The demolition of three old homes used for businesses on the north side of O Street between 25th and 26th streets and conversion into a new 10,000-square-foot office or retail building.

n Conversion of an old, two-story, brick manufacturing building on the corner of 21st and Y streets into a business incubator, where startup or fledgling companies can share ideas, space and resources. The city calls this project “the pioneer of the new research and development corridor.”

n The renovation or replacement of a home at 1546 N. 14th St. and construction of up to two new homes that fit in with the historic North Bottoms neighborhood. This is around the corner from the recently relocated historic homes called Triplets, which had to be moved out of the heart of the Antelope Valley Project.

n Improvements to the streetscape – decorative lighting, new sidewalks, trash cans, bike racks and landscaping — along 10th Street from about Charleston Street to Military Road.

The Preservation Association of Lincoln opposes the demolition of the three homes on O Street, saying they should be renovated instead.

“These frame four-square homes, when rehabilitated with a beautiful three-color paint scheme, would make a very lovely entrance to downtown,” wrote PAL President Jo Gutgsell in a letter to city officials. “They would tie into the history of the area and be a more natural gateway to the neighborhoods in the area – much better than just ripping them down and building a new Burger King.”

She said the Antelope Valley Project is not dedicated to “what is unique in Lincoln.”

“It is a mistake to envision new as being special,” Gutgsell wrote. “New in this country is now homogeneous and is in no way special. … We are not, nor do we want to be, an Omaha or any large city in this country. Unless, of course, one has in mind the painted ladies of San Francisco.”

But Urban Development manager Wynn Hjermstad said the homes’ foundations are failing and the owner of the homes could demolish them and do whatever he wished, but wanted to work with the city. And since the homes are in the entryway to downtown and Antelope Valley, this gives the city input into what they become.

“They are just really in awful condition,” she said. She said they will try to replace them with “historic-looking houses.”

Hjermstad said the owner of a North Bottoms home was inspired to embark upon his project by the nearby Antelope Valley Project and Triplets.

“It’s a very strategic location,” she said.

And while the city doesn’t have funds to do the North Bottoms streetscape work yet, the neighborhood association is interested in private fund raising, she said.

In other business, the City Council authorized the use of tax increment financing to fund public improvements to the former Central Plains Millwork building on the corner of Eighth and S streets. The former sawmill is being converted into an office and retail building called The Sawmill Building by WRK, a development company headed by twin brothers Will and Robert Scott.

A new restaurant has already opened in the area.

The $3 million development should generate about $254,000 in additional property tax revenue, which will be used to pay off bonds that could be used by the city to acquire property and finance public improvements to the site.

In February, the council approved plans to convert the Haymarket District block bordered by Eighth, Ninth, R and S streets into an Arts & Humanities Center with possible art galleries, performance spaces, specialty shops and condos. The block is also home to two University of Nebraska Press book warehouses, the offices of the Nebraska Press Association and Nebraska Press Advertising Service.

Hallie Salem of Urban Development said an agreement has not yet been reached to redevelop the rest of the block.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.