- Central Omaha neighbors gathered at 42nd and Center to protest plans to redevelop The Center Mall into offices and apartments
- The developer said it needs TIF money from the city, which can only be given if an area receives a blighted designation
- The City Council is expected to hold a public hearing and vote on the CRA designation on Oct. 6
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – Neighbors in Central Omaha are pushing back against plans to redevelop The Center Mall, gathering at 42nd and Center on Thursday afternoon to protest a key step in the development process.
The protest began around 4 p.m. Demonstrators carried signs and wore shirts expressing their opposition to Lockwood Development’s plans to redevelop The Center Mall into offices and apartments.
At the center of the dispute is a request to designate the site as a Community Redevelopment Area, or CRA. That designation is necessary for the developer to access Tax Increment Financing, or TIF.
Jon Blumenthal, an attorney representing Lockwood Development, told 3 News Now’s Jeremy Fredricks last month that the project cannot move forward without it…