Omaha Streetcar: City Council to vote on property acquisition options

A streetcar could soon run along Farnam and Harney streets. The Omaha Streetcar Authority voted on three more agenda items Monday. But the streetcar conversation carries over to City Council on Tuesday where another vote will happen involving eminent domain.

• In this case though, although the ordinance gives the city the ability to use eminent domain, Stubbe says the city is not acquiring entire properties.
• "We only want small components of potentially as part of temporary easements or permanent easements," said Bob Stubbe, director of Omaha Public Works and vice president of the Omaha Streetcar Authority.
• If City Council votes to approve this, Stubbe says conversations with property owners could happen in the next couple of weeks.
• City Council will vote on the consent agenda at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"Essentially we are still kind of in that early stages of the project itself," said Bob Stubbe, Omaha Public Works director and vice president of the Omaha Streetcar Authority.

In a 7-minute meeting, the Omaha Streetcar Authority authorized MUD work to move forward along the route, funding for Krebbs Consulting for their cost estimate services and an agreement for the vehicle maintenance facility.

"We are a little bit away from actually doing some of the large construction activity when it comes to the water work, sewer work, the vehicle maintenance facility and also the bridges," Stubbe said.

But, what might catch the eye of neighboring businesses and properties along the route, is this discussion on Tuesday's city council agenda.

City council will vote on what Stubbe says is a standard process, but uses the language of eminent domain.

In this case though, although the ordinance does give the city the ability to use eminent domain, Stubbe says the city is not acquiring entire properties.

"We only want small components of potentially as part of temporary easements or permanent easements so that we can access the property and that way they know that we are there when the construction activity is taking place," Stubbe said.

City Council approval allows the process to move forward.

"Then the engineers actually go through and identify based on the design that is taking place just exactly what we need and why we need it in those particular areas," Stubbe said.

If city council votes to approve this, Stubbe says conversations with property owners could happen in the next couple of weeks.

"We will talk to them about, you know, that activity that is going to take place and again it allows for us to be able to sit down and negotiate with those private property owners," Stubbe said.

But actual construction likely won't happen until later next year or early 2026.

City Council will vote on the consent agenda at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.