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Board delays Bethany Lutheran daycare expansion after neighbors raise traffic, access concerns
Summary
City staff changed its recommendation and the Planning Board voted to lay over the Bethany Lutheran Church daycare expansion so staff and the applicant can resolve access, traffic and code-affiliation questions raised by neighbors and public works.
The Omaha Planning Board voted to lay over a proposal from Bethany Lutheran Church to build a separate 17,000-square-foot daycare building at its 204th Street campus after residents and staff raised traffic, access and code-affiliation concerns.
Applicant representative Kyle Hazy said the proposal is a church-operated daycare building separate from the existing church, and that the daycare would be "licensed to serve up to 164 children, with 28 staff members." He said the operator already runs preschool programs at the church and that funds and staffing are in place.
Several neighbors objected to the plan on traffic and access grounds. One resident, Ray Selenus, told the board, "You're going to put 165 more vehicles coming into our neighborhood and trying to get out," and said congestion on nearby Ames and 204th Avenue already makes exits difficult during peak periods. Felix Reac, president of a nearby homeowners association, and other neighbors described local traffic backing up and said losing an existing access point could force more vehicles into residential streets.
Ryan Hos of the Public Works Department told the board the driveway at issue is a "grandfathered existing condition" that does not meet current standards and that a new or amended special-use approval could trigger a requirement to bring the driveway into conformance, which might mean closure. City staff also said they needed to clarify whether the daycare is accessory to the church (which can change permitting requirements) and recommended a layover so the applicant and staff could resolve affiliation and access issues.
The applicant agreed to the layover; the board voted to table the item so staff, public works and the church can continue conversations and produce any necessary engineering or written clarifications before the case returns.
Why it matters: the project would add a high-capacity child-care facility in a growing part of Omaha but raised neighborhood concerns about vehicle stacking and safety near a nearby fire station. Staff and public works asked for more time to confirm whether the use is accessory to the church and whether the driveway must be closed or redesigned.
Next steps: the applicant will work with planning staff and public works; if needed, the item will return to the Planning Board with updated engineering or permit information.
