Local nonprofits and College of Architecture announce June 2nd groundbreaking for aging-ready OurStory houses
Livable Omaha and Holy Name Housing team up with architect-led UNL design studio to create innovative, small houses aimed at buyers, builders and emerging developers
Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. — Two innovative OurStory home designs are coming to life on a 4,770-square-foot residential lot in the heart of Omaha’s historic Benson neighborhood.
Join us at 5804 Corby St. on Monday, June 2, at 10 a.m. for the groundbreaking of Benson House and Corby House — new OurStory homes that are designed to meet the needs of an aging population, while also appealing to the tastes of younger, first-time buyers.
Omaha is facing a housing crisis. Douglas County needs roughly 100,000 new homes by 2050, with nearly 32% for older adults, according to a recent assessment prepared by ECOnorthwest for AARP Nebraska. Many older adults will be on fixed incomes, needing smaller, affordable homes that don’t exist today. The OurStory project — a joint venture led by Partners for Livable Omaha (Livable Omaha) and the UNL College of Architecture FACT studio — is creating that market.
“Older adults living in Omaha’s established neighborhoods urgently need new housing options for aging in place,” said Jessica Scheuerman, executive director of Livable Omaha. “At the same time, many younger, first-time buyers are priced out of the same market.”
Both demographics are looking for affordable, sustainable, and flexible options. OurStory is answering that call with a design for aging in place, rapid construction, and seamless integration into Omaha’s existing neighborhoods.
“We’re not just designing homes — we’re creating a system. A smarter way to build that’s adaptable, affordable, and built for life’s changing needs,” said Scheuerman.
The first two variations of the OurStory designs are known as the Corby House and the Benson House. Corby House features a 802-square-foot, two-bedroom layout and a list price of $190,000. Benson House features a 618-square-foot, one-bedroom layout and a list price of $150,000.
Rendering of the Corby House (left) and Benson House at 58th and Corby Streets in the Benson neighborhood in Omaha. Courtesy of FACT.
Benefits of the OurStory housing system
Designed for real life — Accessible, durable, low-maintenance, and stylish.
Long-term savings — Energy-efficient technologies help minimize energy waste and are better for the environment. By using less energy, owners enjoy lower utility bills.
Future-proof — All-electric, high-performance, and designed for changing weather risks. Easy to adapt the home to meet the lifestyle and accommodation needs of occupants at all stages of life.
Radically efficient — Prefab SIPs panels cut build time by 55%, cost less, and outperform traditional framing.
Customizable — A catalog of adaptable designs for single-lot infill housing, ADUs, cottage courts and cluster developments is under development.
Interior rendering of Benson House. Courtesy of FACT.
Both houses will be constructed by Holy Name Housing Corporation on the corner of 58th and Corby Streets. Omaha’s City Council approved the new site plan for the small corner lot that allows it to be subdivided and each home sold independently as a single-family unit. The Omaha Planning Department promotes the idea of small lot redevelopment for infill development as part of the implementation of the recently adopted Housing Affordability Action Plan.
“Subdividing a corner lot is a practical way to create two smaller lots with each having its own street frontage, access and address,” said Jed Moulton, manager of urban design for the City of Omaha. “This type of infill adds smaller homes to existing neighborhoods without them appearing out of place and many older neighborhoods already have examples of this form of infill as it was quite common before modern zoning codes.”
Exterior rendering of Corby House. Courtesy of FACT.
In August 2024, Livable Omaha launched OurStory, a new program in partnership with UNL College of Architecture FACT studio. At its core, OurStory explores new options for emerging developers creating aging-ready, infill housing. OurStory designs also work for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and in cottage court and cluster developments.
"The FACT studio is excited to have achieved two important milestones — City of Omaha approval of the project, and full funding for construction,” said Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA, Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and founding partner of Actual Architecture Company. “We look forward to realizing this important project for Omaha and to demonstrate a new model for attainable housing with broad appeal in the region and beyond."
“We started this project with master’s level architectural students, and we brought local housing policy, design and finance experts into the studio to guide the design process,” Scheuerman said. “We wanted a multidisciplinary team of experts weighing in from the beginning because we knew those different perspectives would strengthen our work and unlock opportunities along the way.”
That approach paid off.
Through the studio, students bring creative energy to disrupt conventional thinking about a project type. This was balanced by dozens of experts, from staff at Omaha’s Planning Department to affordable housing builders like Holy Name Housing Corporation to financiers like Spark Capital, who engaged with the project and students over the course of the Fall 2024 semester.
Interior rendering of Corby House. Courtesy of FACT.
To prepare for the build, FACT studio is fabricating kitchen and storage system components at Nebraska Innovation Studio in Lincoln.
The first OurStory build is made possible with a construction loan from Spark Capital’s Middle-Income Workforce Housing fund, with additional support from Lozier Foundation and Pella Windows and Doors of Omaha and Lincoln.
OurStory is working with consultants at Nebraska Innovation Studio for custom fabrication, TD2 for structural engineering and surveying, Morrissey Engineering for lighting, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and Build Your Fortress for SIPs construction.
“As an organization dedicated to holistic community development through capacity building, innovative partnerships like this not only support the Benson community but also empower emerging developers to explore new ways to make housing more accessible throughout our city,” said Buey Tut, CEO of Spark CDI.
Members of FACT at the College of Architecture.Bottom row (left to right) Carl Williams, Nico Forte, Sreemedha Chintamadaka, Machelle Cooper, Paulina Garcia, Luke Heidenreich. Top row (left to right) Riley Jarosz, Michael Rieder, Oz Eckhorn, Malik Darwish, Alex Martino, Trent Weatherwax, Gavin Stelling. Courtesy of FACT.
The first two OurStory houses were designed during this fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters by graduate-level architecture students who are members of FACT (Fabrication And Construction Team). FACT is a collaborative student designbuild studio at the University of Nebraska College of Architecture. The project is under the mentorship of Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA, Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and founding partner of Actual Architecture Company.
For more information on FACT studio, visit www.factlab.org.
About Partners for LIvable Omaha
Founded in 2020, Partners for Livable Omaha is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the livability of communities throughout the Omaha metro. For more information, visit www.livable.org.
