Assemble Lincoln committee endorses Garfield Site for proposed convention center, will seek state turnback tax

The Assemble Lincoln Standing Committee voted unanimously March 20 to recommend the Garfield Site as the preferred location for a proposed downtown Lincoln convention center and to forward that recommendation to the Lancaster County Board. The committee also directed its consultant team to finalize an application to the State of Nebraska to seek a turnback-tax financing incentive under the Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act.

Kenneth Zoeller, reporting for the Site Recommendation Subcommittee, summarized the subcommittee’s work and the history of the convention-center proposal. Deb Schorr said the Garfield Site “ranked first in all the judged categories,” describing the selection as the culmination of a process that has developed over two decades. Sean Flowerday and Beau Ballard both expressed support for the recommendation; Ballard highlighted the role of public input in shaping the decision and called out the project’s potential economic-development benefits for Lincoln. Rich Herink thanked the County Commissioners and private donors who contributed to the startup fund, including the Lincoln Community Foundation, Rotary Club, Lincoln Downtown Association and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.

The committee’s motion, made by Kenneth Zoeller and seconded by Deb Schorr, directed that the recommendation be submitted to the County Board and that the consultant team finalize an application to the State of Nebraska for the turnback tax consistent with the committee’s recommendation. The motion passed on an 8-0 roll call vote.

The action sends the site selection and a request for state assistance to the Lancaster County Board; the committee did not authorize construction funding or final project approvals at the meeting. The committee’s next procedural step is submittal of the state application and County Board consideration of the recommendation.