City negotiating plan to build new public parking garage in South Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Rosa Alvarado has worked at Alondra along South 24th Street in Omaha for 20 years. It’s a small business that sells clothes, shoes, along with other accessories.

“We were on the first Latinx businsses along 24th streets,” Alvarado said.

It‘s an area that’s grown over the years, welcoming big and small businesses along the way. Alvarado said there‘s never a day when it isn’t busy.

“There’s always traffic on the weekends,” Alvarado said. “Even though we work here, it’s always a challenge finding a parking spot.”

The City of Omaha is hoping to provide more parking in the area. They want to build a public parking garage at a private parking lot near South 23rd and N Street.

“South Omaha is growing,” said Omaha City Councilman Ron Hug. “It’s a thriving business community and parking has been a huge issue for years.”

Hug told 6 News the idea of a parking garage has been in the works for quite some time. In early October, the city council approved negotiations for the plan.

“We have to get to those negotiation stages to where the city can do its due diligence,” Hug said. “We’re hoping this is the location, but until we can get to that due diligence stage we really don’t know.”

Hug said the full details of the garage are still preliminary and they have a lot of work to do before it becomes a reality. Those like Alvarado hope it does.

“I think the new parking garage is great and it will help us all,” Alvarado said.

6 News also reached out to the owner of the private parking lot, but didn’t get a response.

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