ConAgra moving to Chicago

daveoma · Post by **daveoma** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:34 am

Joe_Sovereign wrote:There is a ton of green space and surface lots on the ConAgra campus that could be sold. It would bring in a lot of revenue for Con Agra and be prime real estate for new projects. The City could restore Howard, Harney, and 9th streets in the Con Agra Front Lawn and open up two full City blocks in the Old Market for new development.

The current Con Agra surface lots and low rise parking lots could be consolidated into a taller parking structure with ground level retail and apartments on top. There is basically six full city blocks of surface parking and low rise (2 story) parking on the Con Agra Campus.

The City could make a deal with Con Agra to build two new City run multi-use parking structures that Con Agra employees can park at for free on the Con Agra land and restore the street grid as much as possible. Then Con Agra could sell 6 complete city blocks of land to developers and the city could put 6 full blocks of Downtown Omaha back on the tax rolls.

I totally agree! There is lots of potential here.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:06 am

If ConAgra flips us the bird and packs its bags, this place would make a fabulous college campus, minus the severe shortage of parking. All the buildings are connected underground, and there's two large cafeterias that I know of. UNO could always get it's downtown campus after all.

Post by **Brad** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:24 pm

I got it!

There is an article in the paper today that says there is a small chance that First Data could move its HQ Back to Omaha....

ConAgra leaves, First Data moves its HQ to ConAgra, Aksarben Village can take over the First Data Aksarben Campus and expand the Aksarben footprint, and First Data gets the suburban campus they always wanted...

Lol, I don't want ConAgra to leave, but it would be cool to see First Data to move back.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:55 pm

I think Joe_Sovereign has the best idea so far...why not open up development of the wasted ConAgra "front lawn" space next to the Old Market? Re-create 9th street and extend Harney & Howard with strategically located parking garages for ConAgra or whomever could occupy the office space.

Not sure why there would be any need for UNO to start a DT campus, with all of the recent expansion in and south of A/V. If they did, they could always move hockey back down to the CLINK.

Joe_Sovereign · Post by **Joe_Sovereign** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:16 pm

GetUrban wrote:I think Joe_Sovereign has the best idea so far...why not open up development of the wasted ConAgra "front lawn" space next to the Old Market? Re-create 9th street and extend Harney & Howard with strategically located parking garages for ConAgra or whomever could occupy the office space.

Not sure why there would be any need for UNO to start a DT campus, with all of the recent expansion in and south of A/V. If they did, they could always move hockey back down to the CLINK.

I don't know why Con Agra wouldn't be looking at doing this on their own. That is a lot of money in idle real estate for a company going through the kind of turmoil that Con Agra is.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:33 pm

The DT Master Plan suggests developing that land.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:29 am

Why did First Data leave anyways?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:01 am

Just a quick note on this topic...ConAgra does not own this property. They sold it years ago and have been leasing the property back. So there is no financial benefit to CAG in selling the land.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:20 pm

Huh. Yet another chain that's no longer holding them down anymore.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:24 pm

Guest wrote:Just a quick note on this topic...ConAgra does not own this property. They sold it years ago and have been leasing the property back. So there is no financial benefit to CAG in selling the land.

DCA doesn't really support this claim.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:58 pm

I thought the city owned the land

Post by **Coyote** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 11:41 pm

ConAgra owns all ten of these parcels:

daveoma · Post by **daveoma** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 2:22 am

So they don't own that one building on Jones or the parking lot just north of the UP dispatch center?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 5:28 pm

ConAgra owns building five, the building 11 parking structure and most of the undeveloped land. The building 1 garage, as well as buildings 1, 6, 9 & 11 are owned by others and leased.

Midwestern · Post by **Midwestern** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:36 pm

I would really like to see 9th street re-created, and then have some new buildings along 10th street. That way, we can keep the ConAgra buildings, keep Heartland of America park, but make better use of the undeveloped land around there.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:52 pm

Midwestern wrote:I would really like to see 9th street re-created, and then have some new buildings along 10th street. That way, we can keep the ConAgra buildings, keep Heartland of America park, but make better use of the undeveloped land around there.

Master plan suggestion.

Midwestern · Post by **Midwestern** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 11:09 pm

Works for me. Would prefer 5-8 story buildings though.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 12:46 am

If they are trying to make the clock the center piece I don't think they would make the buildings that tall.

Midwestern · Post by **Midwestern** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:06 am

The clock tower would still easily be visible because of that middle courtyard area. But that clock tower isn't super amazing or anything, so requiring it to be a focal point makes little sense...

Joe_Sovereign · Post by **Joe_Sovereign** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:54 am

Coyote wrote:ConAgra owns all ten of these parcels:

Who owns all the parking lots to the south of Jones Street?

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:25 am

U.P. owns the surface lots south of Jones from 9th to 7th, for their Harriman Dispatch Center. ConAgra owns the one east of 7th.

Another tidbit, for what it's worth...the ConAgra bell tower lines up perfectly with the mid-block east-west alley between Harney & Howard, to dumpster-diver's delight. It was probably by accident...since nothing else east of 10th St. relates to the OM or street grid in the least bit.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:20 am

Master Plans are merely suggestions. Development actually rarely looks exactly like the ideas floated in the master plan. That being said there is nothing wro with highlighting some features like the clock tower in development. It isn't a work of art, but could make for a nice focal point if the buildings were designed right. I really like he idea of a town square here though. Would be a cool opportunity for something new to the city. All those buildings could have resturants with chairs sprawling out into a large pedestrian area.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:45 am

I think I'd like the proposed plaza shown in Fig. 17 if it actually better acknowledged the bell tower with an axis relating to the street grid. Also, if there was a large, nicely paved hard surface plaza (like St. Mark's in Venice or similar European cities) it would allow for larger gatherings. Love the idea of restaurants with movable chairs bordering a plaza. If the "town square" plaza could be aligned with Howard St. and be seen from the OM, all the better. (of course part of the existing Embassy hotel is in the way.) So maybe the axis off the Harney-Howard alley and bell tower or Harney St. would do.

Joe_Sovereign · Post by **Joe_Sovereign** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:08 am

GetUrban wrote:U.P. owns the surface lots south of Jones from 9th to 7th, for their Harriman Dispatch Center. ConAgra owns the one east of 7th.

Another tidbit, for what it's worth...the ConAgra bell tower lines up perfectly with the mid-block east-west alley between Harney & Howard, to dumpster-diver's delight. It was probably by accident...since nothing else east of 10th St. relates to the OM or street grid in the least bit.

It depends on how much you wanted to change the Con Agra Roads. If you start with the premise that only the buildings are untouchable you could restore a lot of the grid but most streets would extend a block or two and dead end. Also some roads like Howard from 10th to 9th along the side of the Embassy Suites or 9th between the Harriman Dispatch Center and the Con Agra Building could be pedestrian walkways since their isn't enough room to restore vehicle traffic.

It has great potential but realistically there is so much undeveloped and under-developed space in Downtown today that it isn't currently needed. There is an entire block at 10th and Jackson that is a City Owned 2 story Garage. The block at 13th and Howard with the Chamber and a City Parking Garage is useless. The low-rise State Office building on the mall everyone hates. The block at 10th and Harney is 75% surface parking and across the street a block that is 50% surface parking. The surface lot that holds the Farmers market in the heart of the Old Market. In North Downtown MECA has about 13 full blocks of surface parking even after losing the two blocks to the Capital District development.

Post by **Coyote** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:09 am

Or, if this were the plan, they could actually rebuild a better (iconic) tower at that spot.

Guest32 · Post by **Guest32** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:53 pm

Talking to some people locally it sounds like the Great Wolf Lodge stuff is more than just rumors at this point. Stay tuned...

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:24 pm

Guest32 wrote:Talking to some people locally it sounds like the Great Wolf Lodge stuff is more than just rumors at this point. Stay tuned...

Great Wolf Lodge is planning to buy acres of land downtown that's not even for sale? Sounds legit.

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:27 pm

Linkin5 wrote:
Guest32 wrote:Talking to some people locally it sounds like the Great Wolf Lodge stuff is more than just rumors at this point. Stay tuned...
Great Wolf Lodge is planning to buy acres of land downtown that's not even for sale? Sounds legit.

Especially when the NEX developer mentioned that they have been interested in land near the outlet on Grow Omaha.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:25 pm

Wait a downtown Great Wolf Lodge?

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:16 pm

iamjacobm wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:
Guest32 wrote:Talking to some people locally it sounds like the Great Wolf Lodge stuff is more than just rumors at this point. Stay tuned...
Great Wolf Lodge is planning to buy acres of land downtown that's not even for sale? Sounds legit.
Especially when the NEX developer mentioned that they have been interested in land near the outlet on Grow Omaha.

I think I would rather see it go out there. The Old Market and vicinity have traditionally been limited to mostly home-grown businesses....although hotels have been an exception.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 5:40 am

Linkin5 wrote:
Guest32 wrote:Talking to some people locally it sounds like the Great Wolf Lodge stuff is more than just rumors at this point. Stay tuned...
Great Wolf Lodge is planning to buy acres of land downtown that's not even for sale? Sounds legit.

Where did that turd of a rumor come from??

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:41 am

RNcyanide wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:
Guest32 wrote:Talking to some people locally it sounds like the Great Wolf Lodge stuff is more than just rumors at this point. Stay tuned...
Great Wolf Lodge is planning to buy acres of land downtown that's not even for sale? Sounds legit.
Where did that turd of a rumor come from??

From that person logging in anonymously lying.

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 12:15 pm

iamjacobm wrote:
Midwestern wrote:I would really like to see 9th street re-created, and then have some new buildings along 10th street. That way, we can keep the ConAgra buildings, keep Heartland of America park, but make better use of the undeveloped land around there.
Master plan suggestion.

You beat me to it! :clap:

(EDITED - I posted the master plan pic but didn't see it was already posted)

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 12:40 pm

That looks familiar...

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 4:43 pm

Indeed...

From the master plan.

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:10 pm

A lot of new buildings in Omaha seem to use brick and a gray shade on the top floor. Is this just an Omaha thing or is it nation wide?

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:58 pm

mr. omaha wrote:Indeed...

From the master plan.

I would look towards the middle of this page.... ;-)

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:13 am

Garrett wrote:
mr. omaha wrote:Indeed...

From the master plan.
I would look towards the middle of this page.... ;-)

Oops! My bad... I don't know how the heck I missed that! :roll:

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:22 am

Does anyone know what that GIANT concrete wall was for near the Con-Agra parking garage at the terminus of Leavenworth Street?

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 9:54 am

mr. omaha wrote:Does anyone know what that GIANT concrete wall was for near the Con-Agra parking garage at the terminus of Leavenworth Street?

Might be part of an old levy or big retaining wall. Looking at the 1962 aerial Basemap on the DCGIS site, it appears there were some huge tanks by the power plant on the river side of the wall.