Fourth 'Good Life" District approved in Bellevue

BELLEVUE, Neb.– Bellevue has been approved for a 575 acre development full of businesses all centered around a water park.

• Bellevue is starting plans on the newly approved Good Life District
• The district will surround the 60-million-dollar water park
• Ground work on the project starts this fall

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Plans of Bellevue’s 60-million-dollar waterpark project is moving forward.

The interchange of highway 34 and highway 75 is where the Bellevue Good Life District was just approved to be built.

The City of Bellevue is making plans for Nebraska’s fourth and newest Good Life District. The 575-acre development will be centered around an 100,000 square foot city owned indoor waterpark.

It will also include hotels, climate control walkways to different buildings from the waterpark, restaurants and an entertainment center.

"What drives you to come to a community,” City Administrator Jim Ristrow said. “This is something that will be that game changer, for the state too. Why come to the state, it will take away from other attractions around us. This will be something they will come here for. It will have a significant impact on the economy here."

The new district will have to bring in three million annual visitors each with a certain percentage coming from in and outside the community.

And the community members are already planning on visiting the new development in their city. Rachel Westerlond lives in Bellevue and she likes to see the city grow.

"I think it's awesome I mean Bellevue has been here for a while and our community is building up a lot,” she said.

Rachel takes her kids to the splash pads on hot days so an indoor waterpark is something her and her family is excited for

"My kids love swimming so we won't have to come to a splash pad we can actually cover our whole bodies and swim around. To have like a complex that is like a swimming place has food areas and has fun for all ages I think that will be a good addition to our community,” Westerlond said.

The waterpark will be open all 12 months out of the year which gives families a new activity to do when the weather gets cold.

"I don't know what to do in the winter time so it’s really exciting to hear it is year around,' Rebecca Saunders, a Council Bluffs neighbor said.

City officials say the district will brings thousands of jobs to the area and the city will make around a 2-million-dollar profit from the water park.

The water park will be city owned but the rest of the Good Life District land will be sold off to private developers.

According to city officials groundwork on the project will start this fall and the project will be completed by late 2026