I’ll be live-tweeting today’s Omaha City Council meeting, starting shortly. You can follow along here: https://www.youtube.com/live/o1oHVOKdpe8?feature=share
02:00 PM Apr 18, 2023 CDT
CM Aimee Melton said today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and that it’s important to learn from history to not let tragedies happen again
Before getting to the agenda, Council President Pete Festersen welcomed visiting students from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative
Now starting with liquor. First is a license for Muchachos at 1258 S 13th St., approved 7-0
License for The Backline Comedy Theatre at 1618 Harney St approved. The applicant said they’re upgrading the license to serve wine and liquor in addition to beer
License for The Brunch Box at 1308 Jackson St approved. Applicant Stephanie Goodrich said they will serve brunch food at “non-brunch” times. They’ll also serve frozen yogurt infused with alcohol
The applicant for Frank’s Pizzeria ar 1170 Capitol Avenue said he wanted to bring pizza in for the City Council but couldn’t. The Council approved the license anyway
License for Omaha Sports Academy at 21015 Cumberland Drive approved
License for The Brokedown Palace to host an outdoor concert on May 11-13 approved. Council President Festersen said he won’t be available to perform
Now moving onto planning items. Final plat for the Harris Addition at North Post Road and 40th St approved
Next is a $1 million TIF plan for a new four-story apartment building on a vacant lot at 3612 Leavenworth St. The building will have 24 market rate units
Opponent Larry Storer said the Reader had “quite an article” on TIF (by @ChrisMBowling) back in 2021. He said the city needs to explain the effects of TIF to residents
Special use permit for a daycare at 4102 and 4110 S 13th St approved 7-0
Next is a permit for a 62-ft tall structure at 120th and Fort St.
An opponent from the neighborhood said there’s been a lot of construction in the area, which has become a nuisance. He’s also concerned about the impact on property values
Denise Dolezal from the project said MUD is upgrading equipment for the liquified natural gas plant. She said construction hasnt started yet, and it won’t affect the neighborhood in any new ways
Joe Gay, also from the project, said the new “cold box” will actually be slightly shorter than the existing 66-ft structure
Resolution consent agenda approved, including over $5 million for street resurfacing contracts, which Festersen said is badly needed
The City Council approved special tax assessments for sidewalk construction, litter removal, and cutting and clearing of weeds and grass
Next is resolution to rename a portion of 21st St as “Vivian Strong Street.” Strong was killed by a police officer at 14 years old in 1969
Preston Love Jr said “While we can’t reconcile her death, we surely can recognize her death. We can memorialize her.”
He said her legacy makes her a part of the North Omaha community today
Former city HRR director Franklin Thompson, representing the Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, said he’s a proponent of the renomination
Thompson said he lived blocks away from Vivian Strong, and he was only a few months older. He said her death had a long lasting effect on race relations at the former Tech High School
“The Vivian Strong murder had a far wider reach than the average American or average Omahan understands,” Thompson said
Sherman Wells, a relative of the Strong family, thanked CM Juanita Johnson for helping them through this process. He said the community needs this healing in order to move past it
Tameka Mease from North Omaha Community Partnership said the memorial is a form of healing and a step forward for the community.
Vivian Strong’s sister, Carol Larry, said the community hasn’t been the same since her death
CM Johnson said this is long overdue, and she thanked everyone who made it happen. Resolution approved 7-0