Council approves $48.2 million TIF plan for downtown soccer stadium; project depends on $25 million state 'turnback'

The Omaha City Council voted 7–0 to approve a redevelopment plan that includes up to $48,214,614 in tax‑increment financing for a proposed downtown soccer stadium and mixed‑use project on a more than 20‑acre parcel currently owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

David Levy, legal counsel representing Union Omaha and Downtown Soccer Stadium, Inc., told the council the parcel is a single legal site where several phased projects will be located: the stadium, a combined sewer overflow (CSO) grit‑screening facility required for Clean Water Act compliance, and a connector road to improve north–south access. Levy said the city is accelerating CSO design work so federally required infrastructure can proceed regardless of the stadium schedule.

Levy and city staff underscored the project's financing sensitivity. Levy described two major changes in the updated sources‑and‑uses table: a developer equity contribution to stadium construction (a direct monetary contribution that is not TIF or EEA money) and an increased contingency line. Council discussion repeatedly referenced a $25 million state 'turnback' application; Levy said he did not “see how this project proceeds” without that $25 million piece of funding.

Councilmembers pressed staff about environmental risks. City and project representatives said existing environmental reports and prior assessments indicate constraints on some types of development — notably an absence of ground‑floor residential and an inability to support natural grass youth sports fields on certain lots — but they did not describe a need for large‑scale soil removal. The project budget includes roughly $10 million identified for remediation and site work, split between contingency and site‑work budget lines, and the city said the stadium developer would ultimately absorb remediation costs through project financing if included in the project budget.

Councilmember Festersen — who moved approval — characterized the package as roughly a $332 million reinvestment in downtown, with about $140 million stadium‑related, and mentioned a $24 million private‑equity contribution tied to the stadium. He and other council members expressed caution about the timing of the city's land closing and the state turnback decision; council discussion indicated the city planned the land purchase close to the expected turnback decision timeframe.

Before the vote, staff emphasized that site acquisition and many design components are contingent on coordination with Union Pacific and environmental regulators, including the EPA. The council approved the redevelopment plan and the TIF allocation 7–0; council members said the project will return for further approvals and that many elements remain contingent on state funding decisions and required regulatory coordination.

Next steps noted in council discussion included timing the land closing with the turnback decision and continuing coordination on remediation, CSO design and connector work so construction can proceed, subject to funding.