Omaha’s growing a paid parking empire. It’s costing the city almost as much as the streetcar

At the foot of Mutual of Omaha’s nearly complete downtown headquarters, a sparkling 15-floor parking garage awaits the company’s move-in day.

A block west, another garage goes up next to a new apartment complex. Across Douglas Street, a decades-old garage completes the triangle of parking.

All of it, 3,386 spots when completed, belongs to a single owner: the City of Omaha…