OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A south Omaha redevelopment project has drawn plenty of enthusiasm over the years with the idea that the new space will serve the community.
The plan would replace a parking lot in the business district with a green space, amphitheater, and playground.
However, one nearby business owner says it is forcing him out.
The project is years in the making.
“We just haven’t had a lot of development money in South Omaha,” said Marcos Mora, Latino Economic Development Council Vice President. “There’s a lot of old infrastructure that’s underdeveloped, so I feel like South Omaha’s not complete yet, because we never finished this project here.”
Mora has been involved with planning the project for five years. He says it’s scheduled to break ground in the spring and breathe life into the neighborhood.
Erik Washkuhn, the owner of a nearby health clinic, has run his business out of the area for a decade. He says there’s a big downside to the lot.
“We rely on this parking lot next door,” Washkuhn said. “Now there’s some plans to potentially take that away and build a park in the spring, and if they do that, we’re gonna have to figure out a solution for my customers to park.”
The problem is, with the parking lot gone and parking on the street already full, where would Washkuhn’s customers go?
“We do physical therapy, chiropractic and occupational health services, so imagine you’re coming in for physical therapy, you have a bad back, you have a bad knee,” Washkuhn said. “You don’t want to park a block or two away, walk in the snow, potentially walk when its hot out.”
Washkuhn says the new park doesn’t include a plan for a parking situation.
“We have analyzed looking at additional lots, what’s available for free,” Mora said. “There is works of a parking structure.”
Mora says there’s no solid plan for what adding parking will look like.
Washkuhn says he’s actively exploring other options.
“It is hard to predict the future, so I’ve been considering moving,” Washkuhn said. “I want to be close to south Omaha because it’s the community we serve.”
He’s currently on the hunt for a new building. Meanwhile, a solid solution to the parking problem is still elusive.
Back in May, the plan was to break ground on the “Plaza de la Raza” project by the end of August.
Those involved with the project say the delays are because of red tape and paperwork they’ve had to get through to access the funding set aside for the project.
They say even the new spring date they have set could be pushed back.
Copyright 2025 WOWT. All rights reserved.