Neighbors again made their opposition known regarding a proposed commercial development between 9th, 10th, Hill, and Van Dorn Streets. Developers want to built a Starbucks, dry cleaners, and sandwich shop; neighbors want green space.
I said it once before and I'll say it again: done well, the proposed development is much more likely to raise property values than to harm them. The neighbors' resistance to the change is understandable, but ultimately uncompelling. Their demand for additional green space is difficult to support considering the ample park space available just across Van Dorn Street in Van Dorn Park. Instead, I am swayed by the developer's willingness to do something productive and tasteful with the property. That anybody wants to do anything with the property, rather than maintaining the current state of weeds and dillapidated housing, is good news.
The plan isn't perfect -- I don't like that both the exits and one of the entrances place traffic pressure on Hill Street, for example -- but it's solid. Lincoln already threw away a perfectly valid development at another entrance to Downtown, furthering the city's reputation for being bad for business. Let's not screw up this one, too.
Comments
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I agree, this will raise property values for neighbors and the developers’ apparent willingness to modify their plans to appease residents is noteworthy.
I take exception to bringing traffic to a slow-down/halt on this major artery to downtown. I travel 10th Street into downtown in the mornings and it is congested at that intersection the way it is, adding businesses that cause traffic to slow down to pull in or wait for people pulling out onto 10th Street only exacerbates the problem.
I see the City plans to improve the intersection and I think I read that a turn lane(s) will be added. I still don’t see how this helps keep traffic moving.
I’m not opposed to the businesses or the development, I’m opposed to hampering the flow of traffic when this is the only way into and out of downtown to the south.
Good points on the traffic angle. I haven’t seen a drawing of the project in the context of traffic flow at 9th/10th and Van Dorn, so I can’t say whether or not your concerns have been addressed.
And just to quibble, 9th and 10th Streets aren’t the only southern entrance/exit. 13th Street and 16th/17th Street are also on that side of Downtown.
Actually, 13th Street is the only street that connects to Highway 2 and it’s just a two-lane road for a good portion of the commute to downtown. I’ve taken it in a pinch and it works fine but it’s slower going.
You’re right about 16th and 17th streets too. They are great ways for people coming from the east, but those are out of the way for me since they don’t easily intersect with Highway 2 from the south (I’m commuting from near 14th and Pine Lake Road). It would probably add five minutes or so to my commute to snake over to 16th/17th from 10th Street.
Highway 2 dumps all its westbound traffic either onto 10th Street or further west to Highway 77. In the mornings that I’m on 10th Street, most of the Highway 2 traffic continues downtown on 10th Street.
I travel that route to work every day, and I hope it gets approved. It certainly will imporve the appearance of that area. I also certainly have my doubts about its passage with this council. Where was the opposition when the issue was before the planning commission? I’ve somewhat followed it since it first came before the planning commission, and I don’t recall there being any opposition, ever, until this week.
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