The biggest piece of midtown Omaha’s new Saddle Creek redevelopment site should start rising as early as next spring: a 350,000-square-foot administration facility serving the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Planned for the southwest corner of Saddle Creek Road and Farnam Street, the tiered complex could stretch as high as 17 floors and will house work and office space for clinical faculty as well as shops and retail bays.
Perhaps the most notable feature: The roof of the low-rise parking garage will resemble a small park that extends east and over busy Saddle Creek Road. Serving as a pedestrian crossing, the landscaped bridge could be as wide as 60 feet, and will link the new development to the existing UNMC campus.
There had been talk about relocating the four-lane Saddle Creek arterial to the west and creating a grassy flood-preventing valley, but UNMC has since indicated that was improbable.
When the overall, sprawling Saddle Creek redevelopment site is completely built out — that could take a decade or two — it should contain about 1.75 million square feet of building space, said Brian Spencer, director of facilities and clinical space planning for UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. That adds to the 9 million square feet of buildings already at the medical campus.
People are also reading…
“Super meaningful campus growth,” said Spencer.
Earlier this year, UNMC officials outlined another piece in store for the Saddle Creek redevelopment tract, which formerly was home to the Omaha Steel Castings operation. The “innovation hub” involves repurposing a couple of existing steel mill structures into 140,000 square feet of space where researchers can transform ideas into new ventures. A food hall, event center and more also are planned.
The price tag of the administrative facility has yet to be finalized, Spencer said. The City of Omaha will own the parking garage; developer T&G Investments (Tetrad Property Group and Goldenrod Cos.) and UNMC likely will share ownership of the office structure, he said.
Also working on the administrative complex: Leo A Daly as lead designer, McCarthy Building Cos. as general contractor, and BranchPattern to help meet sustainability goals.
“Delivering a world-class facility that represents UNMC and the community while providing amenities for future generations is a scenario we are excited to invest in,” said Chad Beeson, president of Tetrad Property Group.
Spencer expects the administrative complex to take up to 48 months to complete. A deteriorating industrial building is to be demolished to make way for the facility.
Passersby in the Saddle Creek area might notice a dirt construction area on the northwest corner of Saddle Creek and Farnam. That corner also is controlled by UNMC, Spencer said, but plans for what might rise there have yet to be made public.
He said UNMC is working to assemble other commercial property along the Saddle Creek corridor that could contribute to the expansion of the medical campus.
The growth not only solidifies the medical center campus as a great place to work, Spencer said, “but makes midtown Omaha the best place to live, work and play.”
Photos: Buffett Cancer Center at UNMC
Chihuly art

Chihuly art on display at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. Both the lobby and the Chihuly Sanctuary at the center are filled with art as part of the facility's Healing Arts Program.
Chihuly Sanctuary

Artist Dale Chihuly created a new "glass on glass" art technique especially for the sanctuary — pictures of flowers painted on three sheets of glass with enamel containing ground glass and liquid. “Studies have shown that creating an atmosphere of hope and resilience through artwork goes beyond curing a disease and leads to improved patient outcomes,” said Dr. Ken Cowan, director of the Buffett Cancer Center.
Chihuly art

Art by Dale Chihuly is displayed at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha on May 17, 2017. The center features art from widely known artists including Chihuly.
Chihuly art

Chihuly art is on display at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. The $323 million facility is the largest project in the history of UNMC.
Chihuly Sanctuary

The Chihuly Sanctuary and Leslie's Healing Garden at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. The center features art from widely known artists like Dale Chihuly.
Buffett Cancer Center

A quiet lobby area for discharged patients to wait for rides.
Kaneko tower

An 82-foot Kaneko art piece at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha on May 17, 2017. The center features art from widely known artists including Dale Chihuly.
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

A work of art Mary Zicafoose in the lobby of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at UNMC. The $323 million facility was built mostly with private funds.
Radiation treatment room

A radiation treatment room at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. The center pulls all cancer-related functions — research, outpatient and inpatient — together under one roof.
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

Part of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center lobby. At the lobby’s concierge desk, patients will be able to make one call and get one appointment to see all of their specialists.
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

A 100-seat auditorium at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. The room has seven large monitors and and is big enough to accommodate doctors and researchers at the same time.
Buffett Cancer Center

From left, Deanna Haynes, Krista Burling, Mike Dutt, Michael Wieseler and Jennifer Lempke, radiology staff members at the new Buffett Cancer Center, prepare on May 17, 2017, for the facility's June opening.
402-444-1224