OMAHA, Neb. — GreenSlate Development Partners has purchased approximately 1.2 acres at 24th and Dodge Streets and plans to redevelop the site into 186 apartments priced for Omaha's workforce. The $39.1 million project sits at the most transit-connected corner in the city, one block from the Joslyn Art Museum and within a short walk of Creighton University, Omaha Central High School, and the many businesses and civic amenities downtown offers.
The project is founded on the goal of increasing access, in two forms: connectivity and affordability.
Of the 186 apartments, 178 units, or 96 percent, are targeted to rent at levels considered affordable to households earning below the Omaha metro's area median income. Of those, 159 units, or 85 percent of the building, are targeted at or below 80 percent of that median. The mix includes studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments.
GreenSlate aims to achieve those rent levels through disciplined design and engineering, together with innovative financing programs, rather than by cutting the quality of the building.
"Some of the best opportunities in this city are hiding in plain sight. Across the street from The Joslyn, at the corner where Omaha's two busiest transit routes cross, we have a vacant building and a parking lot. That's a lot of opportunity going unused,” said Scott Dobbe, Partner and President of GreenSlate Development Partners. “We want this to be a place for abroad cross-section of Omahans to call home, from teachers and firefighters to healthcare workers, tradespeople, students and young professionals. Housing here, at rents more Omahans can afford, is the highest and best use of this land.”
This is transit-oriented development in the most literal sense. The site sits at the intersection of Metro Transit's two busiest routes. ORBT, Omaha's bus rapid transit line, runs east and west between the Westroads Transit Center and The RiverFront, with stops directly adjacent to the site on both Dodge and Douglas. Route 24 runs north and south, connecting the North Omaha Transit Center to the MCC SouthTransit Center and linking North and South Omaha with downtown. The Omaha Streetcar will add a third layer when service begins in 2028, with stations one to two blocks south.
The location carries a Walk Score of 81, rated "Very Walkable," and an existing Heartland Bike Share station sits at the corner. Heartland Bike Share offers free rides on bikes and e-bikes to Omaha metro residents.
That combination matters to household budgets. AAA puts the average annual cost of owning and operating a new car at $11,577, roughly $965 a month. For residents who choose to live car-free or car-light, a location this well connected functions as a second layer of affordability on top of the rent itself.
The building will rise six stories at its tallest and five along Dodge Street, above an enclosed parking podium that uses roughly 25 feet of natural grade change across the site to tuck the parking into the slope. Massing and materials take their cues from The Joslyn and the building’s immediate neighbors.
A double-height lobby anchors the main entrance at 24th and Douglas, and a secondary resident entry at 24th and Dodge acknowledges pedestrians arriving from the north. Planned resident amenities include work-from-home and study spaces on every floor, a 24-hour fitness center, outdoor terraces, and a top-floor lounge with views toward downtown.
The building is designed by Holland Basham Architects.
GreenSlate has applied for tax-increment financing with the City of Omaha, without which the project would not be feasible. That financing would also help fund improvements along the site’s public edges, including new sidewalk and curb, landscaping and street trees, and pedestrian safety improvements. Subject to City approvals, the company expects to break ground in early 2027 and welcome its first residents in mid-2028.
For more information, visit www.greenslate.co.
