LINCOLN, NEB — Federal, state and local leaders gathered in North Omaha on Thursday to highlight redevelopment efforts and discuss housing affordability challenges. HUD Secretary Scott Turner joined Gov. Jim Pillen and Omaha Mayor John Ewing at the Highlander Accelerator Neighborhood, a redevelopment project official now describe as a national model for community investment.
Leaders toured several sites in the neighborhood, including the Charles Drew Health Center, a community greenhouse and local small businesses. The visit focused on housing affordability, economic development and Opportunity Zones, a federal investment program created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to encourage investment in underserved communities.
Gov. Jim Pillen said the goal of Opportunity Zones is long-term investment in low-income communities. “The whole goal of this time and this Opportunity Zone have no sunset, and so the incredible difference we’re gonna make because the focus is on lifting up people in poverty to the American dream of homeownership,” Pillen said…