When I was a kid and my sister or brother were allowed to have something or do something I couldn’t, my father said it wasn’t fair.  His go-to response to that every time was, “Life isn’t fair.”

I was reminded of that as I looked at what was happening in East Omaha.  The Inland Port Authority Board is a project that will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the 300-acre area near the airport.  While it would be beneficial to Omaha to have this development that will include a 90 million dollar industrial business park, a 30 million dollar innovation hub, and approximately 150 new housing units, not everyone is on board. 

You see, this project will displace a number of families who live in the proposed area. 

If you’re like me, you’ve probably driven past that area numerous times and didn’t realize people were living there. Many have lived there for generations.  Many have raised their families there. They’ve celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and more. They’ve enjoyed the solitude that living off the beaten path can bring you.  They are not too happy about this development and the possibility of losing their homes.

It’s not like some big bad government entity is going to come in and kick them off their property.  They will be offered a fair price for their homes.  But not everybody who lives there owns their home.  A large percentage of them rent. And if the landlords sell their homes out from underneath them, where do they go? 

As my dad told me years ago “Life isn’t fair.”

I’m not trying to be smug or dismissive of their concerns, but I don’t know how to accommodate both sides of this issue.  How do you keep these homes that may be the only ones that these people have known or can afford and still promote the growth that Omaha needs?

A city needs to keep moving forward or it dies.  This project that is being spearheaded by Burlington Capital, The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and the non-profit Omaha Economic Development Corporation, will provide jobs for North Omaha and I believe that is something the city desperately needs. 

But, something else the city desperately needs is safe, clean, affordable housing and there isn’t much of that to be had around here. 

The residents of this area won’t just be kicked to the curb.  They will be offered fair market value for their homes, and those who own their homes could make a decent profit.  But as I said not everyone owns their home.  And not everyone will agree with what’s fair.

This has the potential of being a very emotional situation, with the general population probably siding with the homeowners and renters.  The evening news will show angry residents that will make the Chamber, Burlington Capital, and the Omaha Economic Development corporation look like the bad guys.  But they’re not.  They are working to ensure that Omaha continues to prosper for decades. 

The powers that be need to listen to the residents’ concerns.  They need to be sympathetic, they need to make concessions when possible, and last but not least they need to make sure that the 150 housing units proposed for this development are affordable. 

There is still a long way to go before these families are displaced, but the wheels are in motion and it’s going to happen. 

I feel sorry for these residents.  It’s David against Goliath.  They don’t have deep pockets to hire high-priced lawyers and tie this up in the courts for years.  They might not have a place they can afford when the bulldozers start knocking down their houses.  I do hope that they are all treated fairly when the time comes. 

But as we all know… Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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