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The Lux Life
by Nick Schinker
B2B Omaha
Winter 2005
Years ago, Curt Lane liked what he saw of the original proposal for the Riverfront Place development so much that he signed on as an investor.
Now, as groundbreaking nears and design plans for the lavish condominiums and townhomes have been tweaked and polished, Lane has signed on once again – this time as a buyer.
Lane is among the first people to purchase luxury condos in the first of two towers planned for Riverfront Place, a progressive and stylish residential development along the Missouri River south of the Gallup University campus.
To say he is eager to make the riverfront his view each day is an understatement.
“I’d say that 80 percent of the fun things my wife and I like to do take place downtown,” he says. “From the Orpheum Theater to the Durham Western Heritage Museum to the new arts center and the market and restaurants, downtown has so many attractions for us.
“We’re very excited about being able to live within walking distance of all that. We want to get down there as soon as we can.”
Riverfront Place will offer extraordinary views of the river and downtown Omaha, as well as features found in classy metropolitan areas including Vancouver, B.C., and Tempe, Ariz.
“This project has a lot of assets,” says developer Ross Robb, “and so does this city.”
The developers are counting on individuals and companies with expendable assets to be interested in the residential portion of the development, which includes 110 units that will range from 1,000- square-foot condos that sell for about $200,000, on up to top-dollar units; four, 4,000-plus-square-foot penthouses with a price tag of $1 million each.
The units will be in twin 13-story towers that are framed by contemporary-styled townhomes, a parking facility that is practically hidden from view, a commercial/retail store of approximately 12,500 square feet, and a public plaza – all overlooking the Missouri River.
Lane says the 1,700-square-foot condo he and his wife, Carol, have purchased will face the riverfront. “There are plenty of quality features, from the high-end appliances to the choices for cabinetry to the granite countertops. But the most unique feature is the almost floor-to-ceiling windows. We love those.”
The project is to be built in two phases. Phase I is 52 units divided between the first tower and a block of townhomes.
There would also be a parking garage, which is designed to be screened from view by the townhomes. Phase II includes a second tower, more townhomes and a restaurant situated “right on the water.”
In their current form, the towers of Phase I and Phase II are designed to offer every living unit a deck/balcony.
“If you look closely at the design, you’ll see it’s not a perfectly rectangular building,” developer Robb says. “The design allows each unit to have a corner, which not only allows for a deck but also a grand view, and that is a very valuable combination in mid-high rise development.”
The designs illustrate the forward-thinking ways of the developers, Riverfront Partners LLC, a trio of individuals who emphasize their commitment to Omaha’s new riverfront. Riverfront Partners LLC includes Robb and Omaha natives Kim Maguire and John Kinnear. Robb described the trio as “partners and longtime friends.”
The development incorporates the vision and preliminary designs of Jim Hancock of HBEW Architects in Vancouver.
“Jim is a world class architect who got the ball rolling for us and has since handed it off to RDG,” Robb says.
RDG Planning & Design in Omaha has worked on the Gallup riverfront campus and on the day care facility and the interiors at the First National Bank tower.
John Sova, RDG principal, says the firm is very pleased to again be a part of the riverfront development. “The effort to add a residential area to the riverfront was extremely attractive to us,” Sova says. “We’re very committed to Omaha redevelopment.
We have 60 people working on projects all over the nation, but our roots are here.” Others Omahans involved in the project include Terry Atkins of Lamp Rynearson & Associates, Nelson Hymans of Thompson, Dreessen & Dorner; Steve Johnson of Stinson Morrison Hecker; Greg Peterson of G.A. Peterson Consulting; Loretta Carroll of Carroll Communications; and Brad Knuth of Smith Hayes Financial Services Corp.
Peterson is a former Omaha city planner. He is the project manager for Riverfront Place.
Although groundbreaking isn’t planned until spring with completion of the first units no sooner than 2006, reservations are being taken at the Riverfront Place sales office and at the development Web site, riverfrontplace.com. Garrison Partners, a national residential sales and marketing company, is staffing the sales office.
At the sales office, prospective buyers may view scale models of the project and take interior and exterior “virtual tours” via a computer presentation. They can also check out a design center that will assist buyers in creating the specific aspects of their riverfront home.
The virtual tour demonstrates to prospective buyers not only the options for the condo interiors but also the view from different floors, Lane says, “which I think is kind of nifty.” The Lanes own a house in the Regency area but are considering selling it and making the Riverfront Place condo their permanent Omaha home.
“If you plan to be doing things downtown, what better place to be than right in the middle of everything?” Lane asked. “We think it would be just terrific to invite friends to our condo before an event at the Orpheum or the new Holland arts center, have cocktails and then all walk over together.”
Ross says previous emphasis has been on attracting businesses to the Riverfront. That’s a great idea, he says, but only half the equation necessary for a successful downtown and riverfront redevelopment.
“The trouble is, those people tend to go home at 5 p.m.,” he says. “The residential aspect of redevelopment creates a 24-hour environment. That in turn creates economic development by making the cash registers at nearby businesses and restaurants ring at noon and in the evening.”
Lane, 57, was born in Atlantic, Iowa, and says he has always considered Omaha to be his “home base.” He is a board member of the University of Iowa, and much of his family lives here.
He and Carol returned to Omaha in 2001 from Minneapolis after building and then selling a successful asset management company. They also lived in New York for eight years.
He says that whenever he told coworkers and friends he would be traveling to Omaha, their reaction was always the same.
“They’d say, ‘Omaha? Omaha? Why Omaha?’” he says. “It happened so often we started calling Omaha, ‘the echo city.’”
When he lived in Minneapolis, Lane witnessed the dynamic development of the downtown area.
“I see some of the same effects starting to happen here in Omaha,” he says. “Maybe Omaha is finally at a point where downtown is ready to really start growing dramatically.”
Robb agrees. With the new Holland Performing Arts Center, the Qwest Center, the Old Market and other downtown redevelopment, the city is becoming more attractive for relocating employees who seek a wealth of nearby amenities, he says.
“I believe downtown Omaha is poised not for a few hundred units but a few thousand. With the city’s emphasis on the arts, the quality of its schools and the low crime rate, Omaha is a very attractive place to live.”
Phase II depends on the market demand for the units in Phase I, Robb says. “But it is our belief that absent something drastically altering our economy, we’ll fill a unique need.
“It’s my opinion that construction will begin on Phase II before Phase I is complete. We are very optimistic.” Lane thinks the day will soon come when Omaha isn’t “the echo city” anymore.
“Once people see what’s happening here,” he says, “when we tell them we’re from Omaha, I think we’re finally at the point we could stop apologizing for it.” Virtual images of Riverfront place bring to life the $36 million project that will transform Omaha’s riverfront. Two elegant condominium towers framed by contemporary town homes make up Omaha’s only riverfront neighborhood.
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