Revitalizing Florence seen as draw

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Downtown Florence business owners hope that a plan to improve traffic and parking will bring more visitors to the historic district near Omaha's northeast boundary.

Omaha City Councilman Pete Festersen, who is spearheading plans to revitalize the neighborhood, said the work could help boost retail development and create more jobs in the area.

The improvements would cost at least $500,000 and focus on a two-block strip of 30th Street between Clay and Willit Streets in the heart of the Florence business district.

“Florence is a historic part of our city and a major tourism destination,” said Festersen, whose district includes Florence as well as Benson and part of Dundee. “We can capture that tourism element with more retail and jobs in that community.”

Florence prides itself on being a tourist attraction. In June alone more than 6,000 people visited the Mormon Trail Center just west of downtown Florence.

But some neighborhood and business leaders say Florence is often forgotten by Omahans themselves and ignored by city leaders.

“There haven't been very many improvements in the last, I don't know, 40 or 50 years, so this is welcome,” said Connie Rose, owner of Prairie Piecegoods at 8611 N. 30th St. and president of Florence Futures, a group that works to promote the neighborhood. “The time is right.”

Similar improvements have been attempted in the past. When Mayor Jim Suttle represented Florence on the City Council, before being elected mayor in 2009, money that had been earmarked for Florence was stripped in a dispute between Suttle and former north Omaha Councilman Frank Brown. The money instead was given to two ongoing projects on 24th Street.

Florence businessman Rick Minturn, who owns the longtime Zesto restaurant at 8608 N. 30th St., said he hoped the improvements would boost his business and draw more shops and restaurants to the strip.

Currently, he said, some people avoid Florence because they are worried about crime in nearby north Omaha.

“A lot of people are scared to come down this way,” Minturn said. “This would be beautiful for business. We'll hope for the best.”

Councilman Ben Gray, who represents north Omaha, could not be reached for comment.

The changes to downtown Florence would be done with $500,000 in federal transportation bonds allocated by the city for capital improvement projects. Rose said neighborhood leaders plan to seek private donations to help cover any additional costs of the project. The city does not plan to use local tax dollars to pay for the work.

Festersen said the changes would address several concerns voiced by Florence residents and others, such as traffic along 30th Street. Festersen said the hope is to slow traffic by installing speed bumps, crosswalks and other features.

Changes to street parking also would be made along 30th Street. More than 20 parallel parking spaces would be added in front of businesses. Existing spaces would be widened.

Rose said the work would “make it easier to shop” in Florence.

Festersen said the project would represent the city's first use of curbside infiltration beds for “green” stormwater management. The grassy beds would double as landscaping along the sidewalks and absorb runoff. New trees also would be planted.

Festersen said the Florence improvements are similar to beautification efforts under way in Benson and Dundee.

The Florence plan goes to the city's Urban Design Review Board for approval July 21. The seven-member design board provides recommendations to the City Planning Board, which also must review the proposal.

If approved by those groups, construction bids would go before the City Council next spring.

“The Florence community is very welcoming and very diverse,” Rose said. “Even people who don't live in the area notice a sense of community. This project will enhance all of that.”

Contact the writer:

402-444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com

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