Large amounts of public funds are being poured into a planned Airport Business Park near Eppley Airfield, located on the northeastern edge of the City of Omaha in Nebraska. The priority site contains many residences and small urban farms. Residents have concerns over lack of information about the project and whether they will have to relocate.

On 6^th December 2022 the State of Nebraska awarded US$400,000 in Economic Development Awards funds to the Omaha Development Foundation to help create a master plan for an area near Eppley Airfield. The grant was the first step in implementing the state’s Airport Business Park Program (ABP Program), created by the Nebraska Legislature in 2022 in response to negative economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic drawing grants from Nebraska’s allotment from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Signed into law on 11^th March 2021 the purpose of ARPA is to support the country’s recovery from the economic and health impacts of coronavirus and recession.

In February 2023 the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) elected to double the total amount available through its ABP Program, awarding US$800,000 in Planning Grants. The Omaha Development Foundation and the Omaha Economic Development Corporation each received a US$400,000 grant. Officials have proposed a powerful inland port authority to provide a support structure for the business park; a plan was presented to Omaha City Council on 20^th December 2023. The port authority would focus on bringing large commercial and industrial developers to the city. It would have limited democratic input. A 9-member board, appointed by the Mayor, would co-ordinate developments related to rail, airports and waterways and be given authority to oversee investments in the area. The inland port authority would have legislative powers to issue and sell revenue bonds to construct buildings and infrastructure and be charged with guiding economic development in a wider, approximately 300 acre area, around Eppley Airfield.

The 160-acre priority site, to the west of Eppley Airfield near the northern shore of Carter Lake, contains about 320 mixed-use land parcels. Under the ABP Program about US$90 million in state funds would be used to turn the site into shovel-ready land ready for industrial development. City of Omaha officials are in negotiations with the private owner of the second site, a 70-acre area located west of Carter Lake. The priority site contains homes and small urban farms. Community leaders say affected communities have not been informed about the project. Joe Higgins of Levi Carter Sherman Neighbourhood Association said residents had to research information about the project themselves due to scarcity of detail provided by authorities. He said the neighbourhood had been marginalized since the 1950’s but most homes pre-date that time with residents having deep roots in the area. Some Omaha lawmakers also say there has been a lack of engagement with residents.

One of the urban farms operating in the earmarked site is City Sprouts which grows thousands of pounds of produce for a community pantry. It was established in 2021 and in 2023 it provided 15,000 pounds of food. City Sprouts also teaches agriculture providing internships and other learning opportunities. Manager Ann French said the farm was drawn to the area because of the truck farm and agricultural history. Currently covering 7-acres City Sprouts has plans to grow, building a greenhouse and a barn and quadrupling the produce it shares with neighbours. She said it would be impossible to find a similar site elsewhere in Omaha.

A 19^th February 2024 community meeting, the first to include most of the major players in the business park and give residents clarification about the project, was attended by about 75 people. The key issue concerning residents was whether they would be forced to relocate and, if so, how they would be compensated. Several people voiced concerns over how little information had been shared with residents about the fate of homes they had built and lived in for many years. There were outbursts of frustration and anger. At one point a woman shouted “are they taking your home?” and a man called the discussion a “clown show” then walked out. Information about the proposed inland port authority to oversee the business park project clarified that most members would be appointed, but seats would be offered to two residents, two business owners and one youth.

Large amounts of funding, including public funds, is also being ploughed into expansion and renovation of Eppley Airfield, already the largest airport in Nebraska handling more than 5 million passengers in 2023. On 17^th January 2024 the Omaha Airport Authority announced approval of a US$950 million terminal expansion and renovation plan at Eppley Airfield, funded by federal grants along with airport revenues and future airport bonds. Yet more public funding for Eppley Airfield expansion was announced on 14^th February 2024; a US$3.1 million grant for Terminal Building Improvement Phase 7 will support increased capacity and improvements including a new terminal. The money is part of US$15 billion in funding for US airport infrastructure under the provisions of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $11 million of which was allocated for Nebraska airports.