The Omaha Inland Port Authority (OIPA) is proceeding with plans to deploy $120 million in state funding to develop a business park and innovation district in north and east Omaha, an investment intended to expand industrial growth, attract employers and support new housing.
The funding includes $90 million for an industrial business park near Eppley Airfield and $30 million for a technology-focused innovation district within the authority’s roughly 3,000-acre boundary. State lawmakers approved the money to encourage economic development in areas that have experienced limited large-scale private investment.
Gov. Jim Pillen in January 2024 awarded the $90 million business park grant to a development team led by the Omaha Economic Development Corp., Burlington Capital and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, but a subsequent change in state law required approval from the OIPA which initially released about $7.4 million while seeking additional assurances. The board last week authorized roughly $40 million more to allow the group to pursue acquisition of three proposed business park sites, with the balance to be distributed in monthly installments over the next year, according to Warren.
Leaders say the business park’s location near rail lines, interstate highways and Eppley Airfield puts it in a great position to compete for regional supply chain and advanced manufacturing projects.
The remaining $30 million is set aside for an innovation district that could combine startup space, commercial development and housing. The authority has retained consultants to help design a strategy focused on entrepreneurship, workforce alignment and mixed-use development. The consultants identified construction, agriculture, finance, bio-based manufacturing, media technology and health innovation as priority sectors to attract to the business park and innovation district.
The authority also issued a request for proposals for a long-range master plan to guide development over the next 20 to 30 years. The plan is expected to address infrastructure, freight mobility, land use, workforce development and coordination with local and state partners.
The $120 million allocation represents one of the largest state-backed economic development initiatives focused on north and east Omaha in recent years.
Authority officials say the goal is to prepare sites and infrastructure needed to attract private investment and job growth.
Recent board actions and staff hires mark the next phase of implementation as planning moves toward land acquisition, infrastructure work and project design.
Photo by Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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