Heartland 2050 is offering mini-grants to fund special projects that align with its Regional Vision and Action Plan.
Karna Lowenstein, Project Coordinator of Heartland 2050, says this is the first time they’ve been able to do this. The money comes from state transportation block grants, which is used for planning activities.
After getting the necessary approvals, Lowenstein says Heartland 2050 put out a call for proposals in December.
She says they ended up choosing four different projects, including a City of Omaha 13th Street Corridor Walkability Study, from I-480 to 80.
"And that’s an area that’s ripe for redevelopment and there’s a huge opportunity for walkability there and cycling. We like that it’s a fairly compact area but they’re going to do a study there. And our hope is that there are things we learn from that. And if we start making some changes in that area, then we have opportunity to replicate in other areas.”
Lowenstein says the other projects are a Metro Transit Development Plan, a Council Bluffs Walkability Master Plan and a Sarpy County Arterial and Collector Road Location Study.
She says they awarded a total of $300,000 amongst the four projects.
For more information, the number is 402-444-6866, extension 225.