Omaha, Neb., November 17, 2022 – The Greater Omaha Chamber won the Neighborhood Revitalization Laurels Award from the local nonprofit Omaha by Design. The award recognized the Greater Omaha Chamber’s Urban Core Strategic Plan.

The goal of this strategic plan – released in March 2022 – is to maximize the economic development and overall vitality of Greater Omaha’s urban center, stretching from midtown Omaha to the western edge of Council Bluffs. The creation of this strategic plan was all-encompassing, with 30 individuals from the city, private enterprise, development and philanthropic organizations involved in the process.

“We are honored to win this prestigious award. The Urban Core Strategic Plan was a result of involvement by all levels of our community and we would like to thank everyone involved in this important and ongoing project,” said Veta T. Jeffery, President and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber. “The Chamber was so excited to release this plan, and we are even more excited now about seeing it come to fruition. We know that people-first investments will be key assets to Omaha’s growth and it is a cornerstone of our vision for the future.”

The strategic plan highlights several key initiatives for Omaha to pursue:

• 11 “Big Move” projects designed to catalyze additional economic development throughout the Core and broader region.
• A Total Mobility System that weaves together shifts in parking management, street reconfigurations, active transportation, and dramatic improvements to public transit to enliven the Core and drive development.
• Small-area plans to illustrate the potential for development in several important neighborhoods distributed across the district.
• The nucleus of an attainable housing program to ensure equitable access to the benefits of urban development. 
• An implementation plan to guide the Chamber’s ongoing business attraction efforts in recruiting businesses to the Core.
• Overall goal of 30,000 new jobs and 30,000 new residents in the Core in the next 20 years.

 The Urban Core Strategic Plan also recently won an award from the Nebraska/Dakotas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Greater Omaha is a “top 20 best place to live”, a “top 3 city for first time homebuyers” and one of the “best cities for young professionals” according to SmartAsset. Greater Omaha is home to more than 30 communities and over 1 million people. The mission of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to champion a thriving business community and a prosperous region through visionary leadership and collaboration.