Omaha council directs planning staff to craft TIF policy aimed at boosting affordable housing

Council members approved a resolution directing the city Planning Department to work with the Affordable Housing Task Force and the Tax Increment Financing Committee to develop recommended policy for use of TIF to support affordable housing and redevelopment projects.

Housing advocates and developers urged the council to act. "We need more housing supply of all types at prices that residents can afford," said Jody Holston, executive director of Front Porch Investments, citing the city's Housing Affordability Action Plan and Front Porch's local investments. Scott Dobby of Omaha by Design said, "TIF has been an essential part of Omaha's urban renaissance," and urged a careful, improved approach that aligns investment with housing needs.

Supporters including Habitat for Humanity and several developers told the council that TIF is one of the flexible tools available to layer funding for deeply affordable units. "TIF is a powerful tool," Amanda Brewer, CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Omaha, said, adding that the tool has enabled projects that otherwise would not have happened.

Opponents raised concerns about concentrating poverty and the absence of a clear, enforceable numerical target. Louis Humanis argued that relying on TIF within existing TIF-eligible boundaries could concentrate low-income housing in limited areas and suggested alternatives such as an "exclusionary fee" to fund affordable housing more broadly.

Councilmember Festerson, who sponsored the resolution, said the measure is intended to prompt a transparent process rather than adopt an immediate mandate and noted the urgency around supply targets: "These need to occur throughout the city," he said, referencing the council's housing goals. Festerson also said the resolution provides six months for the Planning Department's review with proposed public hearing on or before September 1.

Council debate acknowledged both the promise and the limits of the tool. Councilmember Rowe moved to lay the item over until April 7 to allow absent members to participate; that motion received no second. The council then moved forward and approved the resolution by roll call 5–0.

What happens next: the Planning Department will convene stakeholders, analyze options and bring recommended policy proposals back to the council and TIF Committee for public hearings and further consideration on or before the resolution's timeline. The resolution does not itself change ordinance language or immediately require specific affordable-unit numbers; it directs study and recommendation.

The council then continued with the remainder of its agenda.