A large project would put commercial development, including retail stores, on the north side of Interstate 80 at the 27th Street exit.
Stone Bridge Creek LLC is proposing about 700,000 square feet of commercial space, including a hotel, and several hundred apartments.
The development, which covers about 150 acres north and west of the 27th Street interchange, mentions some pretty specific uses, including a 185,000-square-foot home improvement "superstore," a 204,000-square-foot shopping center, a new-car auto dealership, a pharmacy, a bank and several restaurants.
But those uses are just examples of what could go there, said Leo Schumacher, president of Lincoln Federal Savings Bank, and a principal of Stone Bridge Creek LLC.
"We're just speculating about what we might get," Schumacher said.
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Lincoln Federal, which has developed a number of large projects around town, including the Wilderness Hills shopping center at 27th Street and Yankee Hill Road, has owned the land through the subsidiary company for "some period of time," Schumacher said, and feels it's time to bring the project forward.
"It's just time to move it along and have something ready," he said.
According to county property records, Stone Bridge Creek LLC bought the land in 2001.
Schumacher said he's had interest in the site from potential tenants, "and the question always is, 'when can we start?'"
"We're just being a little bit proactive to get all our ducks in order if somebody does come along," he said.
Schumacher said the area, which sits between 14th and 27th streets and I-80 and Arbor Road, does have sewer and water infrastructure in place, which means the land is basically "shovel-ready" for any potential tenant that might want to locate there.
Lincoln Federal is requesting a Comprehensive Plan amendment, annexation and zoning change on the land, and a hearing before the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled for March 6.
Schumacher said that the development would be built in phases and could take years before it is completely built out.
While the city grew its way north to the 27th Street exit several years ago, this is the first time that a commercial development has been proposed on the north side of the interstate in that area.
It is estimated that the development could bring 13,000-15,000 cars to the area daily at full build-out, something that nearby homeowners are concerned about.
Ryan Burger, treasurer of the Stone Bridge Creek Homeowners Association, said the developers presented the plans to the association at a meeting last month.
He said the development appeared well-designed and "forward-thinking," but the main concern of neighbors is potential increased traffic, especially on the streets that run through their neighborhood, which is west of the proposed project.