Developer shares new timeline for ‘Good Life District’ in West Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The 200-acre plot of land at 192nd and West Dodge Road looks much like the rest of west Omaha: ripe for development.

That area is called Avenue One.

Developer Curt Hofer envisions it as a "western gateway" to Omaha.

"Believe it or not states like Kansas, Iowa, and even South Dakota, are attracting more tourism dollars than Nebraska," said Hofer.

Avenue One is Omaha's only "Good Life District."

It's a distinction given by the state to encourage economic development and attract out-of-state visitors. The vision is to go from barren, flat land to walkable development with restaurants, retailers, entertainment, and residential life.

Developers broke ground five years ago , but its lofty goals have yet to come to fruition.

"Instead of quickly going out and finding a Quick Shop, a few fast-food joints, and maybe a car dealership. We've resisted doing that," said Hofer. "We really did want to create a transformational project."

Hofer provided 6 News with a timeline. He said in 3-6 months, they'll name additional developers to make the project happen. In 6-8 months they'll name retailers. After that, construction should start in mid-2025 and wrap up a year later.

As of now, Avenue One's Good Life District is just a title.

In November, Omaha voters can decide if they want the title to come with a tax break. If so, that would cut the state's sales tax within the district in half from 5.5 percent to 2.75 percent and allow tax revenue to flow back into Avenue One.

"If they vote 'yes,' we're going to be able to get those dollars from the state we wouldn't have otherwise been able to get to use on a project like this," said Hofer. "A 'no' vote would be tragic. That would mean the residents of the City of Omaha want to push those dollars away and let them be used somewhere else in the state."