master plan - omaha cso adams park master plan is an outgrowth of the north ... mately 68 acres,...

ADAMS PARKM A S T E R P L A N

p r e p a r e d f o r

D E P A R T M E N T O F P A R K S ,

R E C R E A T I O N & P U B L I C P R O P E R T Y

2 0 1 2

C I T Y O F O M A H A

J I M S U T T L E , M A Y O R

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ADVISORY COMMITTEEBen Gray Omaha City CouncilEd Cochran Omaha Chamber of CommerceWillie Barney Empowerment OmahaMichael B. Maroney Omaha Economic Development CorporationDr. Rick Kolowski Learning Community of Douglas & Sarpy CountiesJohn Winkler Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources DistrictGerry Bowen Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources DistrictFred Conley Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources DistrictTanya Cook Nebraska State SenatorPhyllis Brooks Howard Kennedy Elementary SchoolSandra McGee Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary SchoolSharif Z. Liwaru Malcolm X FoundationWalter V. Brooks Malcolm X FoundationDelia Hill Butler-Gast YMCAAddie Kinghorn Metropolitan Community CollegeSusan Whitfield No More Empty PotsRoberta Wilhelm Girls, Inc.Cary Turner Adams Park Senior ProgramAddie Donald-Hendrick Edmonson Youth Outreach CenterBob Knudson Metro Omaha SoftballTammie Dodge Activate OmahaRoxzanne Feagan Trails Have Our RespectKerri Peterson Livewell OmahaAugust Willis BMX Bike Trail Advocate

CITY OF OMAHA PROJECT TEAMBrook Bench Acting Director, Department of Parks, Recreation & Public PropertyMelinda Pearson, AIA Former Director, Department of Parks, Recreation & Public PropertyPatrice Slaven, ASLA Park Planner II, Department of Parks, Recreation & Public PropertyKim Harman, CPRP Recreation Manager, Department of Parks, Recreation & Public PropertyTom Lebeda Recreation Coordinator, Department of Parks, Recreation & Public PropertyMichael F. Ruma Contract Administration Manager, Department of Parks, Recreation & Public PropertyOrentheian Everett Adams Park Community Center Program ManagerAdam Wilmes Public Works DepartmentJames Theiler Public Works DepartmentTodd Pfitzer Public Works DepartmentDerek Miller Planning DepartmentJames Thele Planning DepartmentCarlos Morales Planning DepartmentKenneth Johnson Planning DepartmentMichael Schonlau Douglas County GIS

PLANNING CONSULTANTSJohn T. Hoal, Ph.D., AICP H3 Studio Founding PrincipalTimothy Breihan, A.AIA H3 Studio Project ManagerBryan T. Robinson, AICP H3 Studio Senior PlannerCarolyn Gaidis, ASLA H3 Studio Landscape ArchitectKevin Molczyk, CPE MCM Services President

A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO...Pastor Selwyn Bacchus and the staff of Salem Baptist Church for hosting the project Advisory Committee meetings and Oren-theian Everett and the staff of the Adams Park Community Center for hosting the project Public Charrettes.

The ADAMS PARK MASTER PLAN has received generous funding from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District

Ac k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

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INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................4

HISTORY & CONTEXT...........................................................................................6

EXISTING CONDITIONS.........................................................................................8

VISION & GOALS..................................................................................................10

MASTER PLAN.......................................................................................................12

URBAN FARMING & GARDENING CENTER...................................................14

30TH STREET FIELDS............................................................................................16

PARK AMENITIES & FACILITIES.......................................................................18

PARK LANDSCAPES.............................................................................................20

IMPLEMENTATION...............................................................................................22

Co n t e n t s

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I n t r o d u c t i o n

The Adams Park Master Plan is the result of a com-

munity visioning and planning process for Adams Park, a

park located on the historic Omaha boulevard system in

North Omaha. The planning process is joint effort between

the City of Omaha Department of Parks, Recreation, and

Public Property and the Papio-Missouri Natural Resources

District, who generously provided funding for the project.

The Adams Park Master Plan is an outgrowth of the North

Omaha Villages Revitalization Plan for the East Village (lo-

cated around 24th Street and Lake Street) and West Village

(located around 30th Street and Bedford Avenue.) The Vil-

lages Revitalization Plan called for a renewed focus on Ad-

ams Park and the adjacent Malcolm X Birthsite & Interna-

tional Center as the heart of the West Village community

and a catalyst for urban growth and revitalization.

The City of Omaha contracted with H3 Studio, Inc., a plan-

ning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm in Saint

Louis, Missouri, to lead the planning effort. H3 Studio was

involved with the Villages Revitalization Plan. The result

has been an 18-month community outreach and public vi-

sioning process in which the City has Omaha has worked

closely with community residents, stakeholders, and part-

ners to create a visionary yet implementable Master Plan for

Adams Park that represents best practices in sustainable

urban landscapes while achieving the needs and desires of

the North Omaha Community.

Gabrielle Union Lake

Existing playground

This meadow was the historic route of John A. Creighton Boulevard Vista from the Adams Park promontory

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A D A M S P A R K V I S I O N & M A S T E R P L A N

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In order to a create and help implement this vision, the City

of Omaha and H3 Studio (the Project Team) have worked

closely with an assembled Advisory Committee for the

planning process. The Advisory Committee consists of rep-

resentatives from community service organizations, neigh-

borhood schools, Metropolitan Community College, the

Malcolm X Birthsite & International Center, neighborhood

organizations, sports and active living associations & non-

profits, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the Papio-Mis-

souri Natural Resources District, and City Staff. The Project

Team met with the Steering Committee on four occasions

throughout the process for approval of work completed,

guidance, and feedback.

In addition to working with the Steering Committee, the

Project Team conducted over a dozen focus group inter-

views with community residents, service providers, institu-

tional representatives, and other stakeholders. These inter-

views constitute a major portion of the consensus issues

and ideas that underlie the analysis of Adams Park’s ex-

isting conditions. Finally, the Project Team conducted two

Public Workshops at the Adams Park Community Center in

which neighborhood residents were invited to provide their

ideas and feedback on the development of the Adams Park

Master Plan. This comprehensive public engagement pro-

cess, summarized in detail to the right, has resulted in a

Master Plan developed with absolute transparency and sup-

ported by a broad base of community input and consensus.

P R O J E C T S C H E D U L E

Week of March 14, 2011: On-Site Field Survey

March 29-30: Stakeholder Focus Groups

April 20: Advisory Committee Meeting #1

Technical Committee Meeting #1

June 1: Advisory Committee Meeting #2


June 14: Public Charrette #1

June 15: Advisory Committee Meeting #3


August 24: Technical Committee Meeting #4

September 13: Public Charrette #2

September 14: Advisory Committee Meeting #4


Lowland meadows in Adams Park

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H i s t o r y & C o n t e x t

Located on a promontory that overlooks the Missouri River, Adams Park was founded by the Omaha

Parks Commission in 1948. Originally called Bedford Park,

Adams Park was renamed in 1955 in honor of Omaha busi-

nessman Frederick J. Adams. The western edge of the site is

bounded by Union Pacific Railroad tracks, which have since

been abandoned. The property as a whole was simply an

undevelopable tract surrounded by residential neighbor-

hoods. The most distinguishing historic feature of the site

is the route of John A. Creighton Boulevard, a series of pic-

turesque switchbacks winding around a broad hill that of-

fer striking vistas to the north.

Creighton Boulevard is part of the City of Omaha’s histor-

ic park and boulevard system. This system dates back to

1889, when Omaha civic leaders, led by Dr. George L. Miller,

forcefully and successfully lobbied the Nebraska State Leg-

islature to pass a law enabling metropolitan-class cities to

acquire, develop, and maintain a systems of public “parks,

parkways, and boulevards.” Between 1880 and 1890, Oma-

ha’s population more than tripled from thirty thousand to

over 100 thousand residents. At the same time, Omaha had

only two official publicly owned parks—Jefferson Square

and the yet-undeveloped Hanscom Park. As a result of the

1889 legislation, the Omaha Board of Park Commissioners

(later the Parks Commission) was appointed and convened

by the judges of Omaha’s District Court. George L. Miller

was subsequently named President of the Board of Park

Commissioners.

One of the first acts undertaken by the Commissioners was

to hire landscape architect Horace W. S. Cleveland from

Minneapolis. Cleveland conceptualized of a system for

Omaha consisting of a series of small parks—”pleasant and

easily accessible resorts for pedestrians”—integrated and

connected with “broad ornamental avenues, known as bou-

levards or parkways.” H. W. S. Cleveland worked on the sys-

tem for only five years. Nevertheless, Cleveland’s writings

and design concepts guided the development of new parks

and boulevards in Omaha for the next five decades, includ-

ing Creighton Boulevard.

Riverview Park Lily Pond

Horace W. S. Cleveland

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Named after Omaha land developer John A. Creighton,

Creighton Boulevard was platted in 1910. It extends north

from Bemis Park through Adams Park, winding around Ad-

ams Park’s central hill. Continuing north, Creighton Boule-

vard replaces 31st Street north to Sprague Street, at which

point it heads west and is renamed Paxton Boulevard. Pax-

ton Boulevard continues west to Fontenelle Park, one of the

city’s original parks, and intersects Fontenelle Boulevard

running north and south. While Adams Park was not part

of the original parks and boulevards, today it is one of only

twelve of Omaha’s 181 public parks located on the historic

boulevard system. It also has what is arguably one of the

most striking vistas in Omaha. The location of the park and

its signature landscape make Adams Park one of the most

remarkable public space amenities in all of Omaha.

NORTH OMAHA PARKS &BOULEVARDS

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E x i s t i n g C o n d i t i o n s

Adams Park currently suffers from a number of diffi-

culties that negatively impact its potential to function as a

significant community amenity. The park covers approxi-

mately 68 acres, with a total perimeter length of 7,980 feet.

However, only 2,575 feet of this perimeter (32 percent) is

publicly accessible; the remainder is located behind private

development. This results in several issues. First, the “blind

edges” of the park—particularly the western edge and the

southeast corner—are perceived as unsafe for local and

neighborhood users. Additionally, poor visibility and lack

of pedestrian access result in a general lack of identity for

Adams Park. Throughout the public engagement process,

many community members who lived or worked nearby in-

dicated that they had never visited the park and did not

know what facilities are even present in the park.

Adams Park also faces a more fundamental issue of a

lack of a daily park user base. Adams Park was built as a

walk-able neighborhood park designed to serve an imme-

diately-adjacent population. This was at a time when the

population of the surrounding neighborhoods was 40- to

50-percent greater than it is today. Declining populations in

North Omaha—as in inner-city neighborhoods throughout

the United States—mean that many neighborhood parks no

longer have the surrounding daily user base necessary to

ensure that a park is well-utilized. This decline in popula-

tion and city tax revenues means that there are less park

users and less funds for park maintenance and operations.

This results in parks that feel vacant and look run-down.

Despite these challenges, Adams Park possesses some key

strengths and opportunities. The Adams Park Community

Center is popular with neighborhood residents and is well-

used. Adams Park is the site of a major landscape initiative

as part of Omaha’s combined sewer outflow (CSO) update.

Finally, Adams Park is the subject of a health impact as-

sessment (HIA) by the Douglas County Health Department

to explore ways in which the park can contribute to improv-

ing public health in North Omaha. These opportunities can

and should be leveraged in order to maximize the potential

positive impacts of future investment in Adams Park.

A D A M S P A R KS T A T I S T I C S

• Park Area: 68 Acres

• Perimeter: 7,980 feet

• Public Edges: 2,575 feet

• Total Elevation Change: 135 feet

• Vehicular/Pedestrian Entrances: 4

• Pedestrian-Only Entrances: 1

• Surface Parking Spaces: 238 Spaces

• Parallel Parking Spaces: None

• Restrooms: 2

• Picnic Areas: 1

• Playgrounds: 1

• Softball Diamonds: 3

• Basketball Courts: 2

• Tennis Courts: 2

• Community Meeting Rooms: 2

• Indoor Gym: 1

• Indoor Fitness Center: 1

• Walking Paths: 0.56 miles

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1. With the exception of the Adams Park Community Center, Adams Park ap-pears to be highly under utilized with no identifiable daily user base.

2. Over 60% of Adams Park’s perimeter boundary is located behind private buildings and development and does not front onto public streets.

3. The primary street frontages of Adams Park are located on secondary rather than primary streets, limiting visibility and pedestrian access.

4. Lack of street frontage, particularly on the east and west sides of the park and the southeast corner, result in negative perceptions of safety for local and neighborhood users.

5. The general reputation of the sur-rounding neighborhoods, particularly to the west of Adams Park, results in negative perceptions of safety for Omaha residents and city-wide users.

6. The types of active recreation facili-ties currently located in the park are generally perceived as not adequately serving the needs and desires of local neighborhood residents.

7. The number of active recreation facili-ties currently located in the park are insufficient to make the park a desti-nation for particular programming.

8. While Adams Park has a striking and picturesque landform and topogra-phy, this limits the type of facilities that can accommodated in the park, results in what is perceived as a “lot of unused space,” and makes the park visibly inaccessible from the main entrance at J.A. Creighton Boulevard.

9. Large portions of Adams Park are not accessible by existing pathways, particularly the northeast and eastern sections of the park.

10. There are no parking facilities in the northeast and eastern parts of Adams Park.

11. While it is consistently and heavily used, Adams Park Community Center is outdated in terms of universal ac-cessibility and undersized for desired future use and programming.

12. J.A. Creighton Boulevard is a major ve-hicular thoroughfare that runs through Adams Park and carries relatively high volumes of high-speed, cut-through traffic through the park; this traffic inhibits pedestrian comfort in the park and does not encourage motorists to stop in the park.

13. It is perceived that there is a general lack of programming and activities to encourage children and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods to

utilize Adams Park, particularly in the evenings, after dark, and during the winter season.

14. There is a lack of a significant recre-ational/ deep pool in North Omaha.

15. There are no picnic pavilions or high-quality family gathering spaces in Adams Park.

16. Adams Park has no sense of identity in the neighborhood or in Omaha Parks system as a whole.

17. The neighborhoods surrounding the park are under utilized and character-ized by extremely low density; this results in an almost complete lack of immediate surrounding population and a daily user base.

18. There is a lack of both vehicular and pedestrian entrances to Adams Park.

19. Adams Park has a lack of landscape diversity and horticulture.

20. The tree population of Adams Park is aging and approaching a monoculture condition.

21. There is a general lack of tree and landscape maintenance and manage-ment in Adams Park.

ADAMS PARK CONSENSUS ISSUES

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Building upon its striking

landscape and location on

Omaha’s historic boulevard

system, ADAMS PARK will be

recreated as a safe, vibrant,

and signature part of Omaha’s

Park System, serving as a

regional destination, a catalyst

for continued neighborhood

revitalization, and a heart of

community identity and well-

being.

Vi s i o n & G o a l s

P R O J E C T G O A L S

• Distinguish Adams Park within North Omaha’s park and boulevard system.

• Redevelop Adams Park as a destination that supports and leverages the Malcolm X site and other neighborhood recreational, arts, and cultural districts and institutions.

• Utilize Adams Park as a catalyst for continued neighborhood revitalization and community building.

• Restore the comfort, perception of safety, and image of Adams Park by improving the visibility of and accessibility to the park.

• Redevelop and implement design features, facilities, and programming that serve the needs and desires of the surrounding community.

• Expand the size and geographical scope of Adams Park’s user base.

• Redesign Adams Park based on its unique topography, natural features, and potential for landscape diversity and beauty.

• Redesign Adams Park to address issues of sustainability, food deserts, eco-education, eco-jobs skills, and nature deficiency.

• Improve park maintenance, operations, and programming.

• Create a sense of ownership for and partnerships for implementation and programming of Adams Park.

Multi-use trails and native prairie landscapes

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ADAMS PARK FRAMEWORK PLAN

Informal playscapes and park water systems Savannahs and upland forests

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M a s t e r P l a n

The Adams Park Master Plan intends to fulfill the

community Vision for Adams Park and achieve the project’s

Goals through a comprehensive and implementable strate-

gy of capital improvement projects, public-private partner-

ships, and programming initiatives. All components of the

Master Plan are coordinated with the recommendation of

the Villages Revitalization Plan and the Malcolm X Birthsite

& International Center Master Plan. The Adams Park Master

Plan achieves the following key objectives for Adams Park:

INCREASE THE VISIBILITY & ACCESSIBILITY OF ADAMS PARK:

Currently, over 70 percent of the Park’s perimeter is hidden

behind private development. The Master Plan expands Ad-

ams Park one block east to N. 30th Street—a major arterial,

south to Maple Street, and northwest to Bedford Avenue at

N. 38th Street. Seven new vehicular/pedestrian entrances

and four new pedestrian-only entrances are added.

EXPAND THE USER-BASE & MAKE ADAMS PARK A CITY-WIDE

DESTINATION: One of the keys to the future success of

North Omaha’s parks is specialty programming. This will

help ensure that each park expands it user population by of-

fering unique programming and facilities. The Adams Park

Community Center will be expanded as an Urban Farming

& Community Gardening Educational Center. Seasonal com-

munity agriculture programs provided by Metro Commu-

nity College have proven to be very popular, and this new

facility will provide a dedicated home for future program-

ming. These facilities and activities are unique in Omaha

and will help make Adams Park a city-wide destination.

MAKE ADAMS PARK A CATALYST FOR ON-GOING NEIGHBOR-

HOOD REVITALIZATION: Adams Park possesses a significant

potential to generate ongoing revitalization of surrounding

neighborhoods. In order to realize this potential, the Master

Plan must fulfill the two aforementioned objectives as well

as provide programming for daily users that supports the

needs and desires of the community.

The components of the Adams Park Master Plan are pre-

sented in detail on the following pages.

A D A M S P A R KM A S T E R P L A N

• Park Area: 90 Acres

• Perimeter: 9,585 feet

• Public Edges: 9,585 feet

• Total Elevation Change: 135 feet

• Vehicular/Pedestrian Entrances: 11

• Pedestrian-Only Entrances: 5

• Surface Parking Spaces: 188 Spaces

• Parallel Parking Spaces: 440 Spaces

• Restrooms: 6

• Picnic Pavilions: 10

• Toddler Playground: 1

• Adventure Playground: 1

• BMX Pump Track: 1

• Basketball Courts: 2

• Community Meeting Rooms: 6

• Greenhouses: 6

• Indoor Gym: 1

• Indoor Fitness Center: 1

• Walking Paths: 2.5 miles


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ADAMS PARK MASTER PLAN

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Ur b a n F a r m i n g & G a r d e n i n g C e n t e r

The Urban Farming & Gardening Center is the cen-

terpiece of the Adams Park Master Plan and Community Vi-

sion. Conceived as a partnership between the City of Omaha

and Metropolitan Community College, the Community Col-

lege is currently adding a Specialist Diploma in Urban Farm-

ing as part of its Horticulture department. Metropolitan

Community College is also considering either constructing

a new horticulture facility on the Fort Omaha campus, or

utilizing an off-campus facility as a satellite location. Ad-

ditionally, the City of Omaha Department of Parks, Recre-

ation, and Public Property is pursuing a strategy of co-locat-

ed community centers with other facilities and community

services to lower operational costs and enhance program-

ming flexibility.

The Urban Farming & Gardening Center consists of a 20,000

square foot indoor facility co-located with the existing Ad-

ams Park Community Center. This is proposed as an expan-

sion of the existing Community Center building that pre-

serves the existing Community Center facilities and uses

while adding four new classrooms and community rooms,

a professional teaching and catering kitchen, two outdoor

basketball courts, and outdoor agricultural plots. In ad-

dition, the facility will have approximately 17,500 square

feet of adjacent greenhouse space with a 9,000 square foot

outdoor service yard. This will allow the facility to func-

tion as a small-scale production-level agriculture facility for

community-supported agriculture (CSA) in addition to pro-

viding educational and community outreach programming.

The Urban Farming & Gardening Center provides a needed

community amenity in Adams Park that is supported by the

surrounding community while also providing a facility that

is unique to the City of Omaha park system as a whole. This

creates a true city-wide and regional draw in Adams Park

with a specific, dedicated daily user base.

I N I T I A T I V E S &

S T R A T E G I E S

• Construct expansion of existing Adams Park Community Center building.

• Construct new urban farming & gardening center greenhouses and service yard.

• Pursue partnerships with the Metropolitan Community College Horticulture & Culinary Arts Departments for facility and program development.

• Support community gardening & community agriculture outreach and education programming in conjunction with existing Metropolitan Community College programs.

• Establish and support production-level volunteer agriculture community-supported agriculture (CSA)programs.

• Establish and support volunteer horticulture programs.

• Support partnerships with Howard Kennedy Elementary School and Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School.

• Support partnerships with community service and recreation organizations and programs, including Butler-Gast YMCA and Girls, Inc.

• Support community-based tree planting and landscaping programs.

• Support community-based park and neighborhood clean-up and beautification days.

• Support ongoing reinvestment and revitalization of surrounding North Omaha communities.

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URBAN FARMING & GARDENING CENTERDETAIL AREA PLAN

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30 t h S t r e e t F i e l d s

The 30th Street Fields one of the key initiatives to in-

creasing visibility of Adams Park from surrounding neigh-

borhoods and roads is the Multipurpose Field, located at

the corner of 30th Street and Bedford Avenue. Approxi-

mately 6 acres in size, the Multipurpose Field can accom-

modate a single regulation-sized or youth football field, a

softball diamond, or a youth soccer field. This field shall

not be striped or equipped with other permanent facilities;

instead, it is intended for practice or informal neighbor-

hood pick-up games. This provides a desired community

amenity that is not present in Adams Park today.

In addition to daily use for informal sports and recreation,

the Multipurpose Field is designed to serve as a major spe-

cial events venue. The field shall be constructed with a re-

inforced subgrade and subterranean drainage to support

tractor-trailers and other temporary facilities. Water and

power hookups shall be provided. Special events and pro-

gramming that can be hosted on this site include concerts,

outdoor festivals, vendor festivals, fairs, and travelling per-

formance events like circuses. Located on the 30th Street

bus line, Adams Park is a perfectly situated to function as a

major special events venue, and should be actively promot-

ed and used for ongoing and annual events and programs.

The site of the Multipurpose Field represents an expansion

of the current boundaries of Adams Park onto property that

is currently owner by Midwest Box (the former Coca-Cola

bottling plant) and other small landowners. Expansion of

Adams Park east to N. 30th Street will provide a significant

new public face to the park on one of Omaha’s major arte-

rial roads and should be prioritized in the overall Master

Plan implementation.


S T R A T E G I E S

• Acquire and redevelop Adams Park expansion sites, including the Midwest Box Company, Stage II Lounge, and auto repair properties.

• Extend Wirt Street west to J.A. Creighton Boulevard.

• Support streetscape and sidewalk enhancements to N. 30th Street.

• Construct new Multipurpose Fields with subterranean drainage, reinforced subgrade, and water and electrical services.



• Pursue use agreements with annual events and festivals.

• Market Adams Park as a venue for traveling events, shows, and fairs.

• Support community activities and events like movie nights, performance and music festivals, and markets.




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30TH STREET FIELDSDETAIL AREA PLAN

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Pa r k A m e n i t i e s & F a c i l i t i e s

PERIMETER STREETS & PARK EXPANSION: The

Master Plan ensures that the entire perimeter of the park

fronts on public streets. Adams Park is expanded northeast

to the corner of N. 30th Street and Bedford Avenue and

south to Maple Street. The western boundary of the park is

formalized by extending N. 36th Street north from Maple

Street, in coordination with the Villages Revitalization Plan.

Finally, Maple Street is extended southeast to N. 30th Street.

PARK ROAD ENHANCEMENTS: New interior park

roads ensure accessibility to all areas of the park. Creighton

Boulevard is widened with a median and a new park road

wraps the Adams Park promontory, following the historic

route of Creighton Boulevard. Spencer Street is extended

east, N. 31st Street is extended north, and Wirt Street is

extended west to Creighton Boulevard. These new roads are

sized for one-way traffic with parallel parking on both sides.

BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS: A two-way,

multi-use trail is located along Creighton Boulevard as part

of a future, boulevard bike trail system. Walking paths are

expanded to include 2.5 miles of primary loop trails (shown)

with 4.25 total miles of park walking paths.

PLAYGROUNDS: Two playgrounds are provided. A Tod-

dler Playground (ages 5 and below) is located in the park’s

western lowlands. An Adventure Playground, with land-

scape mounds, climbing walls, tunnels, and equipment

(ages 5 and up) is located on the eastern side of the Adams

Park promontory, overlooking North Omaha.

BMX PUMP TRACK: The Pump Track takes advantage

of the Park’s topography and identified community user

groups. The pump track has two loops (1/4 mile and 1/10

mile) and a small support building for bike rental, repair,

and community programming.

PICNIC SHELTERS: Picnic shelters are indicated by the

community as one of the key needs for daily users. The

Master Plan provides nine small shelters (30’ X 40’) and one

large shelter (45’ X 63’) with a fireplace and restrooms.


S T R A T E G I E S

• Enhance sidewalks, tree lawns, and street trees on all Adams Park perimeter streets.

• Provide parallel parking on all Adams Park perimeter streets and interior park roads.

• Construct ADA curb cuts and crosswalks at all intersections.

• Provide pedestrian entrances to Adams Park at all surrounding streets that intersect perimeter park roads.

• Continue the partnership with Trails Have Our Respect (T.H.O.R.) to construct and maintain single-track mountain bike trails in Adams Park.






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PERIMETER STREETS & PARK EXPANSION

BICYCLE TRAIL

ADAMS PARK COMMUNITY CENTER

PICNIC SHELTERS

PARK ROAD ENHANCEMENTS

PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS

ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND

BMX PUMP TRACK

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Pa r k L a n d s c a p e s

LOWLAND MEADOWS & WETLANDS

SAVANNAHS

UPLAND HARDWOOD FORESTS


S T R A T E G I E S

• Utilize the signature topography and land forms of Adams Park to create specific landscape environments.

• Utilize native plantings and landscape types to reduce maintenance requirements and resource usage.

• Create a park water system that functions both as a landscape amenity as well as high-performance stormwater and water quality infrastructure.

• Make Adams Park a regional showcase for exemplary native landscape installations.




• Establish and support volunteer horticulture programs.



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LOWLAND MEADOWS & WETLANDS

SAVANNAHS

UPLAND HARDWOOD FORESTS

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Im p l e m e n t a t i o n

PLANNING

� Complete Adams Park Combined-Sewer Outflow wet-

lands plan.

� Develop a property acquisition and expansion plan for

the N. 30th Street/Bedford Avenue expansion.


the Maple Street extension and park expansion.


the Adams Park Aquatics Center site.

PROJECTS

� Complete construction of the expanded Adams Park

wetlands.

� Facilitate ongoing property acquisition and expansion

of Adams Park to N. 30th Street & Bedford Avenue.

� Implement the Urban Farming and Gardening Center.

� Implement the 30th Street Fields.

� Facilitate ongoing fund-raising and construction of

new interior park roads and picnic facilities.

� Facilitate ongoing streetscape enhancement and main-

tenance of Bedford Street and N. 30th Street.


Walking Paths and Bike Paths.


Playgrounds and BMX Pump Track.

� Implement Maple Street extension and streetscape

enhancements.

� Implement N. 36th Street extension.

� Facilitate ongoing property acquisition and construc-

tion of the Adams Park Aquatic Center.

O P I N I O N O F P R O B A B L E

C O S T

PERIMETER STREETS

$1,991,827

PARK ROADS

$2,949,717

URBAN FARMING &

COMMUNITY GARDENING CENTER

$3,794,530

MULTIPURPOSE FIELD

$145,196

ADVENTURE PLAYSCAPE

$570,982

BMX PUMP TRACK

$170,215

PICNIC PAVILIONS

$629,173

BICYCLE PATH

$155,979

WALKING PATHS

$1,170,596

AQUATIC CENTER

$5,000,000

23


IMP

LE

ME

NT

AT

ION

PROGRAMS

� Pursue partnerships with the Metropolitan Community

College Horticulture Department for facility and pro-

gram development.

� Support community gardening & community agricul-

ture outreach and education programming in conjunc-

tion with existing Metropolitan Community College

programs.

� Establish and support production-level volunteer

agriculture community-supported agriculture (CSA)

programs.

� Establish and support volunteer horticulture programs.

� Support partnerships with community service and rec-

reation organizations and programs, including Butler-

Gast YMCA and Girls, Inc.

� Support community-based tree planting and landscap-

ing programs.

� Support community-based park and neighborhood

clean-up and beautification days.

� Support ongoing reinvestment and revitalization of

surrounding North Omaha communities.

PARTNERSHIPS

� Develop a program and schedule for endorsement

of the Adams Park Master Plan by necessary City of

Omaha, state, and non-governmental partners.

� Develop a “Friends of Adams Park” organization to

provide ongoing volunteer and other assistance.

� Develop a Technical Partnership Committee that re-

flects the broad constituent group necessary to imple-

ment that plan.

� Develop a Master Plan funding strategy and campaign.

24

No t e s

25


NO

TE

S

master plan - omaha cso adams park master plan is an outgrowth of the north ... mately 68 acres,...

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