Omaha nonprofit begins housing project with UNL’s College of Architecture

Partners for Livable Omaha takes aim at the housing crisis with OurStory, a new concept for infill housing and accessory dwellings in the Omaha metro and beyond.  

As the fall 2024 semester begins, Partners for Livable Omaha (Livable Omaha) is working in partnership with FACT (Fabrication And Construction Team), a collaborative student designbuild studio at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture, to create OurStory, a new concept for infill housing and accessory dwellings to be deployed in Omaha.

OurStory is an aging-ready home designed to meet the needs of Omahans seeking to build new housing on vacant residential lots or an additional home on their own property. The product will fill the gap in the local market for constructible and financeable designs that can function as standalone small homes, accessory dwelling units to existing homes, or as part of dense cluster communities. 

“Access to attainable or affordable housing is increasingly difficult throughout the United States, including in Nebraska,” said Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA Professor in the University of Nebraska, College of Architecture. “OurStory extends FACT’s ‘NEw Attainable House’ project to include a prototype small house that fits the needs of young and old families in settings that range from accessory dwelling units, to odd-sized lots, to clustered community developments,” said Day.

Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA, Professor in the University of Nebraska, College of Architecture

The design will be focused on livability, efficiency, adaptability, sustainability and resilience, reduced construction costs, and flexibility. 

“Single-family housing is in demand and unattainable for too many,” said Jessica Scheuerman, founder and executive director of Partners for Livable Omaha. “OurStory is about reinventing the single-family home for the dense, urban landscape and economic realities of the 21st century. We have to leverage existing low-rise neighborhoods, vacant odd-lots, and new dense developments, and to uncover new opportunities to address the housing crisis.” 

Starting August 28, UNL architecture students enrolled in the FACT studio will research, design, and document the project with the goal of producing a highly detailed set of construction documents and installing a public exhibition at Dundee Bank’s Benson Branch in Omaha. A prototype build in the Omaha metro is planned for 2025.

The project is under the mentorship of architect and educator Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA, and will include input from professionals in home design, urban design, zoning and permitting, construction, aging in place, affordable housing, real estate, and financing. 

Recent changes to the City of Omaha’s ADU ordinances make it easier to build ADUs. “The timing is right to explore small houses and ADUs as part of the solution for the housing crisis,” said Scheuerman. “We’re also looking at this from the perspective of older adults. OurStory provides a new option for housing older adults wishing to downsize and remain in their neighborhoods as they age.”

Jessica Scheuerman, founder and executive director of Partners for Livable Omaha

OurStory focuses on a collaborative and multidisciplinary design process. It provides a platform for established urban design professionals to mentor a new generation of practitioners. 

“As part of the program, we are expanding access to educational and experiential learning opportunities for a cohort of under-represented aspiring urban design professionals who are learning alongside graduate-level UNL architecture students,” said cohort leader Manne Cook, AICP, an urban planner and community organizer from North Omaha. 

Manne Cook, AICP, urban planner and community organizer from North Omaha

“To make Omaha more equitable, we need more diversity within urban design. We need more representation by people of color empowered with the tools to engage in urban design and development work in order to shape our city in a way that represents everyone,” said Cook.

This is the second collaboration between Livable Omaha and FACT. In 2022, the university and the nonprofit partnered to create Omaha Mobile Stage (OMS), a community venue for performing artists of all ages and a teaching venue to train the next generation of creatives.

Join us this semester by following the project on Instagram @LivableOmaha. For more information about this project, contact Jessica at jessica@livable.org. 

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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 livable.org.