the kids are allright...

Saddle Creek Proposes Civic Development in Omaha

Zach Vowell reports:
In 2004, Saddle Creek owners Robb Nansel and Jason Kulbel failed to convince the good citizens of Omaha, Neb.'s Metcalf Park neighborhood that a Saddle Creek-owned music venue and bar would be anything but an unwelcome nuisance. The project lost political support and practical viability in that original location (on North Saddle Creek Road, natch), but Nansel and Kulbel didn't give up. As recently as a March interview with Lazy-i.com, Nansel proclaimed, "It's very much alive. It'll happen. I'm not telling you where, though."

Now the beans have been spilled: According to the Omaha World-Herald, the city planners seem to feel that a prospective Saddle Creek venue fits right in with their idea of a revitalizing "fun zone" in downtown Omaha. The city had solicited development proposals for a two-block area bounded by Webster, Cuming, 13th, and 14th Streets; Saddle Creek, in conjunction with local group Bluestone Development, submitted the only proposal.

And while that makes us wonder how much trouble the poor city fathers of Omaha have getting anyone to talk to them, Saddle Creek's substantial investment in this project is pretty impressive. Beyond the obligatory concert hall/bar (which will be named Slowdown, after early Saddle Creek band Slowdown Virginia), there will be a pizza shop, a two-screen arthouse film theater, retail stores, and residential areas under the benevolent thumb of Nansel and Kulbel. Saddle Creek's development partner Bluestone Development will use their chunk of the space for a 36-unit apartment building and even more retail space.

All told, the two groups will buy 40,000 square feet of city-owned property, while land marked for parking will also be made available to other developers. The president of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, David Brown, said, "It's a great step for the attraction of young people to downtown." And though the lone proposal hasn't been, like, approved or anything, mayoral aide Jennifer Mahlendorf was quoted in the World-Herald as saying, "This concept is going to set the precedent for what north downtown is all about." They'd better get to work, then-- the proposal has Slowdown et al. opening in June 2006, while Bluestone's development would finish sometime in 2007.

* Saddle Creek: http://www.saddle-creek.com