Omaha Exploration

By 1955 South Omaha was home to the largest stockyards in the world. An operation of that scale required lots of workers – many of whom were immigrants that lived in what is now among the oldest public housing projects in the country.

Prior to its opening in 1940, many of those workers lived in appalling conditions and while they had work, they didn’t make much money. To address the situation, the city built Southside Terrace in 1940. It was located just south of the stockyards from 29th to 30th and from R to W Streets.

To make the units affordable, it had income limits and a rent schedule. The average rent at the time was $13.22 per month (around $300 today) with another $7.82 in utilities. More than 2,000 people called the 51 barrack-style brick buildings spread across 10 city blocks home. The city’s practice of redlining, however, resulted in concentrated poverty which led to an increase in crime that worsened over the years.

In recent years, the city demolished or renovated many of its other public housing projects while its largest became the home to a number of refugees from Somalia and Sudan. Plans to demolish Southside Terrace which was still home to more than 1,300 people in 2016 goes back more than a decade. The buildings lacked modern amenities and were considered too expensive to maintain.

The long overdue plan to replace the 85 year old housing project in five phases started in 2023. Copying the mixed income structure of the Highlander neighborhood in North Omaha, it will consist equally of affordable, moderate and market rate units. The strategy is intended to make the area safer in addition to attracting new business. It is being funded, in part, with a $50M grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Tenants that are displaced while the old buildings are torn down have the option of permanent relocation or to return to the area as units become available. The first phase of the project included the demolition of two buildings as a four story, 92 unit apartment building is constructed in their place. The new building is expected to open in the spring of 2026.

The second of the five phase project includes an additional 115 units across 11 buildings that including another four story apartment building, eight town homes and two walk-up buildings. Most of the units will be two and three bedroom but there will also be single, four, five and even six bedroom units. Amenities include a community room, fitness room, sports field, playground and community garden. Phase two is expected to be completed in 2027.

When the project was announced in 2023, rents were expected to range from $800 to $1,800 per months. When the last phase is completed in 2028, it will consist of around 550 units with another 150 new residences in the nearby Indian Hills neighborhood. The project is being led by Brinshore Development, Omaha Planning Department, Omaha Housing Authority and Canopy South, a nonprofit invested in the people, places, and legacy of South Omaha.

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