When the city last formulated a Downtown Master Plan in 2005, it identified a number of "catalyst" projects that were expected to help spur further development.
Among them were a new arena and development of the West Haymarket area, a civic square at 13th and P streets, and a mixed-use project including a parking garage at 13th and Q streets.
Those projects all came to fruition over the past 13 years, along with numerous others, as downtown saw more than $1 billion in development during that time.
As city officials work toward a new master plan for downtown, catalyst projects are again a main focus.
The 2018 plan that's under development includes seven catalyst projects that officials hope will spur additional development.
Most prominent on the list is the site of the now vacant Pershing Center on the block bounded by M and N streets, 16th Street and Centennial Mall. A draft of the plan includes several redevelopment possibilities for the block, almost all of which include a potential new downtown library.
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Other catalyst projects in the plan are:
* A 10-acre "West Park" that would extend from M to J streets west of Sixth Street and would include a dog park, which is one of the big things people have indicated they want downtown, said city planner Andrew Thierolf.
* An O Street "corridor" stretching from Ninth Street east to 21st Street. Possible projects could include streetscape and facade improvements, as well as redevelopment of buildings, such as the current Lincoln Electric System headquarters building at 11th and O streets.
* Greenways along 11th Street and M Street that would take advantage of those streets' wider-than-normal rights-of-way to allow room for planting of greenery.
* Street improvements to 13th, 16th and 17th streets, including converting sections from one-way to two-way.
* A downtown music district that would focus on the 14th and O streets area but would tie in other venues around downtown.
That was not something on the city's radar but was suggested by the consultants, who were "really impressed" by Lincoln's music scene, Thierolf said.
* A renewed focus on completing unfinished projects from the 2005 plan, including further developing the West Haymarket area and converting the K Street building, owned by the city and county, to private use.
City staff have been working on the plan since January along with consulting firms Progressive Urban Management Associates and Felsburg, Holt & Ullevig, and Civitas, an urban-planning firm, all of which are based in the Denver area.Â
The process has included an online survey, a couple of open houses and briefings with government officials. Tuesday, Thierolf and Long Range Planning Manager Paul Barnes briefed members of the Urban Design Committee.
The consultants have recommended that Lincoln market itself as an "Opportunity City" to capitalize on a wave of millennials leaving larger "superstar" cities such as Austin, Texas; Denver and Portland, Oregon, where housing and other necessities have become unaffordable, for smaller cities such as Lincoln.
A market assessment shows downtown needs anywhere from about 500 to 1,000 new non-student housing units over the next five years, as well as about 200,000 to 300,000 square feet of office space, about 50,000 to 85,000 square feet of retail space, more boutique hotels and a convention center of about 150,000 square feet.
Thierolf said neighborhood meetings are planned the week of Oct. 22, with a City Council briefing Oct. 29 and a public open house in The Railyard planned for Oct. 30.
He said the Planning Department hopes to have the plan finalized by mid-December, at which point it would have public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council for approval and adoption.