OMAHA — The nearly $35 million Dizzy Mule project — poised to turn both new and historic structures into 172 apartments and space for artists and retailers — is about to transform another downtown city block.

Dizzy Mule’s lighthearted name is derived from the old Disbrow millwork operation and mule barn that operated as far back as the late 1880s on the project site bounded by 12th, 13th, Nicholas and Izard Streets.

Planned to span more than an acre, rise up to five stories and include 160,000 square feet of building space, the mixed-use project will be the latest addition to the broader Millwork Commons district.

Millwork Commons is a roughly 50-acre neighborhood sprouting on a forgotten industrial tract of north downtown, not far from popular Omaha entertainment and cultural attractions such as TD Ameritrade Park and Hot Shops Art Center.

With an overall and updated projected price tag of $370 million, the Millwork neighborhood of more than 60 companies and nonprofits is designed to be a home for entrepreneurs, techies and innovators. It’s an effort led by Paul and Annette Smith of Omaha’s Black Dog Management.

Christian and Debra Christiansen of Bluestone Development are partners on key elements such as the new Hello apartments and, now, the Dizzy Mule.

The public can check out the latest developments and businesses in the evolving neighborhood this weekend. An open house event Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. will feature property tours, live music and performances, art displays, skating demonstrations, talks about technology, design and more.

Food vendors and shops will be selling their fare.

Among the tenants in the neighborhood’s roughly 200,000-square-foot Ashton warehouse is anchor WP Engine, which acquired Omaha-founded Flywheel in 2019. WP Engine  is celebrating its official move-in this week.

The WordPress technology company’s more than 200 employees are on the third and fourth floors of the Ashton, along with 47 conference rooms, multiple lounges and an outdoor patio.

If all goes as planned, construction on the Dizzy Mule project south of the Ashton is to begin this summer.

The development team seeks a public financial boost from the City of Omaha: $4.9 million in tax-increment financing. TIF is a Legislature-approved tool that allows increased property tax revenue from the new development to be directed toward a developer’s loan.

After the TIF period, which generally extends 20 years, that tax revenue will start flowing to traditional government coffers such as public schools, the city and the county.

The Omaha Planning Board on Wednesday recommended approval of the Dizzy Mule TIF request, which still requires an official green light from the City Council.

Designed by Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, the first floor will house about 18,000 square feet of commercial space, amenities and parking for residences.

Upper floors will contain the 172 market-rate apartments, ranging in rents from about $1,750 for a three-bedroom unit to about $825 for dwellings smaller than 500 square feet.

Christian Christensen of Bluestone said the blend of styles and sizes makes the apartments stand out.

“If a customer desires brick, Dizzy will be able to deliver brick walls. If a customer wishes to live in a modest-size unit that costs less, Dizzy will be able to deliver such, all the way up to customers who desire a larger three-bedroom unit with great views of the downtown skyline,” he said.

Apartment amenities include conference rooms, gyms, art studio bays and a rooftop deck.

Sharing the overall city block is a 26,000-square-foot building, erected around 1886, which was the primary base of the former M.A Disbrow & Co. millwork operation. The cluster of Disbrow buildings were part of a hub of millworkers and furniture-makers that occupied the area generations ago.

While the larger Disbrow building is not part of the current Dizzy Mule initiative, developers have envisioned the historic, three-story structure as a key piece that eventually will top off the block’s transformation.

Christensen said that the rehab of that final building is expected to start during Dizzy Mule construction and that developers are talking to potential anchor tenants.

A highlight of the overall block is an alleyway (Christensen calls it a spine) between the Dizzy Mule and the Disbrow offices, where shoppers and residents will be able to dine and socialize amid pop-up art, food and cultural vendor booths.

According to a city document, “The alley will allow for ever-evolving, intimate public spaces just outside the doors of the varied commercial tenants who will occupy the first floor, bringing together local businesses, makers and sellers, and art of all kinds.”

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.