City’s Office of Sustainable Development hosting an Open House on final draft of the Comprehensive Energy Management Plan

Omaha’s Office of Sustainable Development invites Omaha citizens to attend an open house regarding the final draft version of the Comprehensive Energy Management Plan (CEMP).

The city, along with the consultants who developed the plan, will be available to provide an overview of the CEMP and answer any questions. Over the past year, Brendle Group, a professional energy management firm based in Colorado, has been compiling energy, greenhouse gas, and ozone-related data to create a baseline for Omaha’s current energy use, at the community-wide level and as a municipal organization.

The CEMP includes a full Energy Profile for the city and several components critical for strategic implementation of Omaha’s Environment Element. The CEMP Open House is scheduled for Thursday, July 28, 2011, at W. Dale Clark Library, 215 S 15th Street, Omaha NE 68102. Interested citizens are invited to stop by anytime between the hours of 1–3 pm and 5–7 pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Please call 402-444-6731 if you have any questions, or visit http://www.cityofomaha.org/ecomaha/services/projects/comprehensive-energy-management-plan-cemp.

Green Living Workshop: Do Your Own Energy Audit

Call 402.457.5231 to register by this Friday.

Taught by OPPD's Energy Solutions Specialist, this class is a great start to cutting your energy bills at home.

Home Energy: Do Your Own Energy Audit
Have you wondered what energy upgrades you could do in your own home? Learn how to improve comfort and health and save energy in your home. Learn how to conduct your own home energy audit to identify energy saving opportunities in your home and what you can do to cut your energy use and utility bill while improving comfort. This class is taught in partnership with OPPD’s Energy Information Center

Date: Tuesday, July 19
Time: 6-8PM
Cost: $19
Location: Westside Community Conference Center, 3534 S. 108th St.
Course Number: 175885 (HOMI-046N-01)

Nebraska Green Jobs Report

The Office of Labor Market Information has released the Nebraska Green Jobs Report. You can obtain the Report, along with other green jobs research conducted by the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, on the Office of Labor Market’s website at http://neworks.nebraska.gov/analyzer/default.asp. The Green Jobs Report is under the drop down menu of Nebraska Green Jobs Research under the Publications section of the website.

Urban Village Launching Major Park Avenue Redevelopment Project

OMAHA, Neb., July, 5, 2011 - A key player in the push to revitalize Midtown Omaha is outlining plans - and earning high praise - for its latest redevelopment project. Omaha-based Urban Village Development has purchased eight distressed buildings along Park Avenue (from Mason Street to St. Marys Avenue) with the aim of giving them second life as upscale apartment houses.

"We started doing this three years ago. We buy distressed or vacant buildings and rebuild them from the inside out. The shell is the historic building, but inside you have everything you'd see in new construction - from new framing and plumbing to new electrical and mechanical systems. We're not knocking down buildings. It's basically rebuilding a building inside a building," explained Scott Semrad, partner, Urban Village Development.

The Park Avenue project will eventually yield 137 market rate apartments. Semrad, who runs the company with partner Jerry Reimer, expects the first buildings to be tenant-ready in December with the entire build out completed between early to mid-2013.
"What we're really doing is taking the biggest liability on the street and, hopefully, turning it into the biggest asset," said Semrad.

To date, Urban Village has renovated 15 buildings and completed 210 apartment units in Midtown Omaha, all within a half-mile radius of the new Midtown Crossing development. Just last year, Urban Village received one of Destination Midtown's "Best of Midtown" awards for its revitalization efforts.

"I consider us part of a partnership with Destination Midtown, Mutual of Omaha, the city's code enforcement teams, the neighborhood associations, and the Midtown Business Association. All of these entities have created the conditions of change in these neighborhoods that allow developers like us to come in and do market-rate projects where three or four years ago it would've been hard to justify spending the capital," said Semrad.

Those same entities are praising the development company's latest endeavor.

Words can't describe how excited we are about the work being done in the area. This is a very uplifting project because it exemplifies so many facets of the original Destination Midtown plan such as community reinvestment and revitalization. It will be the sort of catalyst that can breathe new life into a district that is conveniently located near many great amenities in the Midtown and downtown areas," said Jim Champion, a member of the Destination Midtown advisory board, owner of midtown's Charlie Graham Body and Service, and former executive director of the Midtown Business Association.

He added, "Once people explore the Park Avenue district, there will surely be other projects and opportunities in the future."

"Residents, small business owners and nonprofits in the Park Avenue area are invested in the community's future," said Jamie Grayson-Berglund, director of community development for the Greater Omaha Chamber. "While a number of challenges have faced the neighborhood, many positive things have happened and are planned for the future. Projects like St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church's expansion, the new streetscape on St. Marys Avenue, the Kent Bellows Studio renovation, and the plans for the new inCOMMON Community Development community center - all indicate that this is a great place to live and grow."

In reference to the Urban Village project, she added, "It is so gratifying to see what was once a concept in the Park Avenue Redevelopment Study actually come to fruition." The study, guided by community input, was completed in 2008 and has served as a master plan for directing investment in the neighborhood.

Jim Thompson, president of the Leavenworth Neighborhood Association, described Urban Village's Park Avenue project as "fantastic."

"These properties have been an eyesore for too many years," he said. "Even when they were active with tenants years past, the living conditions and negative effect on the quality of that part of the neighborhood was horrible. The efforts of the neighborhood association and the Omaha Police Department were continually burdened with the nasty lifestyle that permeated these buildings. Change has taken too long, but we are most grateful that it will be a positive and enduring adventure."

Both Thompson and Semrad credited the $325 million Midtown Crossing development with serving as a catalyst for positive change in the area.

"The domino effect from Midtown Crossing is being felt at all corners of the Leavenworth neighborhood, and it is all good," said Thompson.

Semrad said, "One of Midtown Crossing's goals was to create a ripple effect of investment. I think we were a ripple effect around Midtown Crossing, and as we've gone and done projects, we've seen ripple effects around us."

Ken Cook, the president of East Campus Realty LLC (the Mutual of Omaha subsidiary that owns Midtown Crossing) has praised the work of Urban Village.

"Through Urban Village, the efforts of Scott Semrad and Jerry Reimer have truly exemplified a fervent commitment to the Midtown neighborhood as well as the entire Omaha community. We are very gratified by their work," he said.

Semrad said he and Reimer feel very fortunate to be contributing to Midtown Omaha and its rebirth.

"There's a lot of passion from all those groups that are working to revitalize Midtown, and we're just lucky to be included in a piece of it," he said.In addition to its impact on the neighborhood, the Park Avenue project will have a significant impact on the local economy. Semrad estimates construction will entail more than 125,000 labor hours. With all of its projects, Urban Village handles the development, the general contracting and all of the property management. To view the company's portfolio of properties, visit http://uvomaha.com.