Business park project boundary change approved

Lawmakers passed a bill May 28 intended to provide greater flexibility in the siting of a proposed North Omaha business park.

The Economic Recovery Act, passed by the Legislature in 2022 and updated in 2023, provided funding for pandemic recovery projects in North and South Omaha and other communities that were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the act, the state Department of Economic Development has granted $90 million to a nonprofit economic development organization for the development of a business park located within the boundaries of a metropolitan class city and within two miles of a major airport. Omaha is the state’s only metropolitan class city.

LB290, introduced by the Urban Affairs Committee, instead requires the project to be located within the boundaries of an inland port district in Omaha. Grant funds may not be used in the downtown or northern downtown areas of Omaha.

The bill passed on a vote of 31-18.