OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A storm is brewing in a south-central Omaha neighborhood. Residents there don’t want their community to be labeled as blighted — a designation that typically comes when a developer wants tax incentives to build businesses or homes.
The proposal
Near 42nd and Center, in the vicinity of the Center Mall, there are plans to designate the area as blighted. People who live there don’t believe their neighborhood or their homes are blighted.
“I wouldn’t think so, but you know, I guess so. There’s meetings going on, that’s why everyone’s got signs all over the neighborhood,” said Ed Zuehlke, an area resident.
Signs are posted throughout the south-central neighborhood, calling attention to the Center Mall development proposal, which would replace the mall with 500 market-rate apartments and office space. The developer wants tax increment financing, or TIF, to help fund the project. One of the first steps to obtain that incentive is labeling the development area as blighted…