According to the Omaha World-Herald, a condo development in the Blackstone neighborhood of Omaha is getting some pushback from neighbors who believe the buildings are out of scale. “It’s still way oversized for the block,” said Rhonda Stuberg, president of the Blackstone Neighborhood Association. “If nothing else, we’re making an objection that could be helpful to other neighborhoods.”
A month has passed since the Omaha Planning Board delayed a vote to give real estate developer Jay Noddle of Noddle Cos. time to meet with neighbors who objected to the size, style and placement of a $6 million condo building.
The for-sale condos are proposed for the southeast corner of 38th Street and Dewey Avenue, where a rundown house now sits at 501 S. 38th St. Many of the opponents are people who bought and restored mansions and other historic homes in the area when Blackstone and its neighboring business district weren’t as attractive to real estate developers seeking to build close to the fast-growing University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Starting soon after last month’s Planning Board meeting, which featured contentious testimony, Noddle and his team met a few times with residential leaders.
Mark Maser, a homeowner across the street from the project site, said he appreciated the developers making “substantial” concessions that included angling the top floor, reducing the number of units from 15 to 13, relocating an elevator tower and creating inset porches instead of hanging balconies. All made for a more “handsome” building — “hands down” better than the one originally presented, he said.
