Car enthusiasts could have new home in La Vista

Dinsdale, a member of the Omaha Motoring Club, has received a conditional use permit from the City of La Vista to build industrial condominiums at Harrison Hills, northeast of 118th Street and Peel Circle. Upon completion, there will be six buildings with 88 total units.

“It’s a development catered toward car enthusiasts,” said Dinsdale, a president of Pinnacle Bank in Elkhorn. “It’s a place for them to keep their toys.”

Dinsdale said they aren’t your basic storage units for vehicles. Each one measures 1,000 square feet and will have 22- to 25-foot ceilings with mezzanine capabilities.

“These are a little more glorified than just garages,” he said. “We are basically creating a man cave where people can hang out, stare at their cars, watch TV or do whatever.”

Dinsdale and his partners, Mark Madsen and Sid Dinsdale (his father) got the idea from seeing other units across the country. They even visited a similar project in Minneapolis.

“It’s not original to other parts of the country, but it is to this area,” Dinsdale said. “We visited the one on Minneapolis and it kind of gave us the warmth and comfort that we could make this work in this area.

“We’ve been to car shows in Omaha and you see cars that people will bring out only for the weekends. It was really through a lot of word of mouth that we thought this could work.”

Dinsdale said the La Vista location was a perfect one to attract car enthusiasts from across the area.

“It’s really 15 minutes from anywhere in the metro,” Dinsdale said. “The location is ideal because it’s easily accessible from the interstate and although it’s close to Omaha, it’s also out on the perimeter. Even for guys in Lincoln, it’s really about a 40-minute drive.”

Dinsdale said the plan is to begin work in the fall. The first phase of the project will feature just a single building with 16 units and Dinsdale said about half of those units have already been sold. The asking price is about $135,000. He is targeting an early spring opening.

“Cars are a hobby for me and this has been a really fun project,” he said. “We are excited about it.”