Commission declares Cornhusker redevelopment study area blighted and extremely blighted; residents urge further review

The Lincoln–Lancaster County Planning Commission on July 23 voted 8–0 to declare the Lincoln Cornhusker redevelopment area — roughly 2,065 acres bounded by N. 50th/56th, Colfax Ave., N. 27th/30th and Holdrege Street — blighted and, in a separate motion, extremely blighted under the Nebraska Community Development Law. The declarations cover a large study area that includes portions previously designated in earlier actions.

City urban development director Dan Marvin and consultants from Marvin Planning Consultants presented a blight study that, they said, documents infrastructure deficiencies, an aging building stock and other statutory criteria that support blight and extreme‑blight findings. Marvin described multiple objectives for the designation, including creating access to a state homeowner tax credit program for owner‑occupants and positioning the area for future redevelopment plans that could use tax‑increment financing (TIF) if a redevelopment plan is later adopted.

Marvin said a prior state change requires reexamination of areas that were declared blighted more than 30 years ago. Consultants said the study relied on county assessor records, LTU infrastructure data and field observations; Spencer Lemon of Marvin Planning Consultants said the average age of structures in the study area is about 67.8 years and that the study met the statutory tests for substandard and blight.

Several Clinton Neighborhood residents and board members testified and urged greater community engagement and suggested errors in the study’s data. Speakers raised concerns about perceived data errors, mapping discrepancies, the adequacy of notification and the risk of displacement or demolition without sufficient environmental safeguards. One resident cited concerns about lead paint and asbestos in older homes and asked for an audit and stronger protections against displacement; another urged a community‑supervised forensic audit of city spending and service delivery prior to designation.

City staff said the blight declarations do not by themselves authorize demolition or immediate redevelopment. City staff and consultants said designations can unlock programs such as a state $5,000 homeowner tax credit that has helped hundreds of owner‑occupants in prior designated areas and can provide additional points for applications to state affordable‑housing programs. Staff said any TIF or redevelopment plan would require a separate public process; the city pointed to prior examples where designations helped assemble funding for neighborhood rehabilitation and rental‑rehab programs that included anti‑displacement requirements.

The commission approved both miscellaneous items (25008 and 25009) declaring the area blighted and extremely blighted, 8–0 on each motion. Commissioners and staff acknowledged resident concerns and said subsequent redevelopment proposals would come back for public review and could include anti‑displacement measures and environmental and health protections.

Clarifying details: the study area is approximately 2,065 acres; consultants reported an average structure age of 67.8 years; staff noted about 460 households citywide have claimed the state homeowner tax credit in prior rounds and said the current tax credit program is due to expire at the end of the year; the blight designation itself does not trigger immediate demolition or automatic use of TIF without a separate redevelopment plan and council approvals.