Creating an environment where economic development can flourish. This is how Joe Gudenrath, a spokesman for Mayor Mike Fahey, describes the city’s vision for the future of North Omaha.

The area north of downtown, commonly called NoDo, is going to see some changes in the upcoming years in retail, business and residential development. Creighton, businesses and other members of the North Omaha community have had the opportunity to add input because of the impact the improvements and changes will have on their community.

Referred to as mixed-use because it will contain all three types of development, this area – spanning from the Qwest Center Omaha on the east, Creighton on the west, downtown on the south and Cuming Street on the north – will create an environment where people can live, work and play, Gudenrath said.

“We are looking to strengthen the entire area and appeal to different populations, whether they’re Omahans, Creighton students, visitors, convention planners, convention goers, etc.,” Gudenrath said.

The City of Omaha and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce released a study in 2005 that originally visualized either a small baseball stadium or a museum district as the main piece that would serve as a catalyst for north downtown.

The ideas in that study changed as ideas started forming for a bigger baseball stadium that would one day replace Rosenblatt Stadium.

This new baseball stadium, which will be located in a current Qwest Center parking lot, will soon be the catalyst for future development, Gudenrath said.

Groundbreaking for the new stadium is tentatively scheduled for next spring, but even now, improvements are taking place to prepare for the new stadium and other developments planned for NoDo. Right now, road improvements are being made to adjust for traffic patterns, additional parking is being added and buildings are being demolished.

Also in the works for NoDo is the possibility of streetcars running from the Old Market to north downtown.

Mayor Fahey, who is leaving office in June, plans to continue studying the viability of this project, producing a financing plan and getting it ready for implementation for the next administration, Gudenrath said.

Other improvements for NoDo include more job opportunities, low-income housing and more opportunities in a part of Omaha that doesn’t get the types of opportunities other parts of the city get, Gudenrath said.

Not only will the city’s improvements and developments leave an impact on Creighton but vice-versa.

“Creighton contributes to the success because businesses that look for growth in the city look for the kind of quality campus and university that Creighton offers,” said Lennis Pederson, associate vice president and director of Facilities Management.

Creighton joined the planning process to discuss the assets of the area and ways to further stimulate the growth of North Omaha.

“You don’t want to create your solution in a vacuum and then try to stick a cookie-cutter approach to an area,” Gudenrath said.

Creighton and the city, he said, have a great working relationship and complement each other greatly.

“Creighton has been an important part of the city and downtown since . . . [Creighton’s] existence and Creighton’s commitment to downtown has helped enable the growth we see today,” he said.

Creighton also plays a role in making Omaha a better city.

“The role of Creighton is to work with the communities and work on the design standards, so it becomes a nice blend of city and the campus into one,” Pederson said.

Creighton’s role in making a better Omaha is to continue what the university is already doing, Gudenrath said.

“Bringing people to Omaha, exposing them to the outstanding quality of life here, providing them with a quality education, giving them the tools to not only benefit themselves but to benefit the community as a whole,” Gudenrath said.

To learn more about the city’s vision for NoDo, go to http://omahachamber.org/nodp/news.asp.

An original link from the City of Omaha’s web site, this site includes drawings and before and after pictures of what the city visualizes NoDo will look life.