Lincoln officials have unveiled a new rendering for a larger South Haymarket Park at Seventh and N streets, which will no longer be anchored by a mixed-use building.
COURTESY IMAGE
Construction on the proposed South Haymarket Park at Seventh and N streets is scheduled to begin in fall 2024 with many major components completed in late 2025.
New plans for South Haymarket Park at Seventh and N streets include 2.3 acres more parkland that will replace a planned $47.5 million mixed use building that was to anchor the new downtown park.
City officials on Friday unveiled new plans for the park, which will now be 8.5 acres, including a larger skate park, a hearth feature, a community building and an expanded playground.
"South Haymarket Park presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build an iconic public space that will support the growth of residential living downtown, catalyze economic development and spark tourism here in the quality of life capital of the country," said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird.
The city plans to buy two properties adjacent to the park: 540 L St., which is owned by Bison Inc., which is moving to a new location, and 215 S. Seventh St., which is owned by the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency and was the spot for the mixed-use building.
The West Haymarket Joint Public Agency will sell the 1.5 acre lot at 215 S. 15th St. to the city's parks and recreation department and the department will buy it using money from an anonymous donor. The sale price will be determined at the JPA meeting in April, said Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross. That land is assessed at $1.9 million.
The city will use tax-increment financing to buy the Bison property at 540 L St. for $500,000, city officials said. The city also will buy the Bison-owned 600 L St., said Stuckey-Ross. The park will use just the 540 L St. land.
Tax-increment financing, or TIF, allows developers to use future property taxes the redevelopment generates to pay for certain upfront costs. In this case, the City Council in December approved spending up to $3.6 million in additional TIF from the 8N student housing park for the South Haymarket redevelopment project, which includes the park.
The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation will raise money to pay for the $25 million park. The $9 million already raised includes $4.4 million in city funds and a $2.1 million federal stimulus grant from the state.
The goal includes funding two endowments, one for park maintenance and repair, the other for programing, said Randy Gordon, foundation executive director.
The new plans are a significant change for the city, which, in January selected East Downtown Development Corp. — EaDo for short — as the developer of the mixed-use building.
Nelnet and Speedway Properties formed EaDo LLC when they partnered to develop the Telegraph District, a complex of retail, residential and office space centered near 21st and L streets. They’ve worked together on several other projects.
This one was to be a five-story building with retail and office space as well as apartments. At the time of the announcement, Speedway Properties owner Clay Smith said they had been working with a prospective nationally known business as the anchor tenant. They'd also developed preliminary designs.
Listen now and subscribe: | | | |
EaDo representatives did not return calls seeking comment.
But Gaylor Baird and Stuckey-Ross said it was a mutual decision to abandon the building project for additional green space.
The idea began last fall, when an anonymous donor interested in more park space offered to buy the land where the building was planned, Stuckey-Ross said.
“It definitely changed the game,†she said.
Gaylor Baird said the city and EaDo had spent months discussing plans, but a number of factors played into the decision not to proceed with the building, including rising construction costs and finding a tenant.
“There’s always a mix of decisions that factor into building a development project,†she said. “In this case, the mutual negotiations and conversations have led us to this place where people feel really good about this being green space. (The developers) have properties around the park. I think they can see the benefits of even more vibrant green space.â€
EaDo was going to buy the land, but a price hadn’t been set, nor had a redevelopment agreement been reached or approved by the council, Stuckey-Ross said.
The new plans include the community room, or pavilion, which will include shaded patio space, as well as a parking lot for parkgoers. Parking will be accessible off of Sixth and L streets, as will the new connection for the Chris Beutler Trail. The Jamaican North Trailhead will be at Fourth and J streets.
Other elements, including a dog park, will remain.
The skate park will move from the southern tip of the park to a central location just off N Street, Stuckey-Ross said.
Jason Ball, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said the skate park will draw people to Lincoln.
“This will be the largest skatepark in between Denver and Des Moines in the Midwest,†he said. “It is going to be a unique asset that is going to put us on the map in yet another way to bring visitors into this community.â€
The city plans to break ground on construction next year and open the new park in 2026.
Lincoln officials have unveiled a new rendering for a larger South Haymarket Park at Seventh and N streets, which will no longer be anchored by a mixed-use building.
Construction on the proposed South Haymarket Park at Seventh and N streets is scheduled to begin in fall 2024 with many major components completed in late 2025.