Top Priority

Brannen said both the rising cost of housing and the housing shortage are major concerns. He said the city must revise its zoning code and update its future land use map, noting that the “burdensome nature” of current zoning regulations has affected the city’s ability to respond to Omaha’s evolving needs. The city also needs to expand programs that preserve and enhance the existing housing stock. Also, Brannen said, the city must ensure that rental properties comply with Omaha’s rental registration ordinance.

Festersen said the lack of affordable housing is a major issue. He said he was a key vote in adopting the city’s first affordable housing action plan and pushed to target millions of dollars in federal and private funds to expand affordable housing. The council also has adopted zoning measures that encourage accessory dwelling units as affordable options, Festersen said. Moving forward, he said public-private partnerships, changes to tax increment financing policy and issuing community housing bonds can help address the issue.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Festersen said TIF has played a major role in the redevelopment of Omaha’s downtown. Every project must meet the requirements spelled out in state law in order to move forward, he noted. Still, Festersen said he would support changes to TIF policy to incentivize, require or create a financial set-aside for affordable housing projects.

Brannen said TIF can be a valuable tool in promoting economic growth, but city officials have strayed from the initial intent of the state law that established TIF. Omaha should regularly reevaluate community redevelopment areas to ensure that the blighted and substandard designations are warranted; if not, the designations should be removed. The council also needs to confirm that each project could not move forward without the use of TIF, Brannen said. 

Major projects and council’s relationship with mayor

Brannen said the large-scale development projects that have been approved by the city moved forward rapidly without enough community input, saying that council members put their trust in Mayor Jean Stothert and forfeited their “power of the purse.” He said council members were not fully aware of all the financial implications of the streetcar project or the relocation of the city’s main library. 

Festersen said the initial public engagement surrounding the city’s recent major projects was inadequate. He said the City Council did push for accountability and transparency, including by requiring a third party financial analysis of the proposed public and private commitments. The projects represent significant new investment and jobs, he said, but developers still must be held accountable as the projects progress. Festersen said the city also must invest in parks, streets and business districts.

Housing

Festersen said the city must aggressively implement its affordable housing action plan in cooperation with for-profit and nonprofit developers in a strategy that includes zoning changes, reduced regulations, additional financial incentives and new tools such as community housing bonds. Officials also must support efforts to build new housing stock and preserve the current housing stock while holding landlords accountable for basic housing standards

Brannen said the council must ensure that the Omaha Planning Department’s Housing Enforcement Division is fully staffed. In addition, he said, the penalties for noncompliance should be increased. The city could boost the availability of affordable housing by changing zoning codes to make it easier to build a variety of building types, such as triplexes, Brannen said. The city also should issue housing bonds to create a revolving loan fund focused on the creation of affordable housing.