Major North Omaha development
Omaha Municipal Land Bank offers its largest 9-acre plot in North Omaha for development
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The Omaha Municipal Land Bank has put its largest-ever parcel up for sale: a 9-acre, 65-lot assembly in North Omaha's Malcolm X neighborhood. Omaha World-Herald reports the plot — dubbed "Hope Village" — is the biggest the Land Bank has offered in its more than decade of existence, and the city is calling it a "blank canvas" for developers.
The Request for Proposals went out on June 19, 2026, with a deadline of August 11 for developer applications, according to Grow Omaha. The timing is no accident. The site sits directly next to a planned $120 million Malcolm X Memorial Foundation campus — making this one of the most closely watched development opportunities in Omaha's history.
How 65 Scattered Lots Became One Clean Package
North Omaha has long struggled with "fragmented ownership" — a single block might be owned by a dozen different people, many of them deceased or unreachable. The Omaha Municipal Land Bank, founded in 2014, has the legal authority under Nebraska's Municipal Land Bank Act to wipe out delinquent taxes and clear titles on these properties. That process, done lot by lot over several years, is what created the 9-acre assembly.
In January 2024, the Land Bank received $1.25 million in federal ARPA-derived grants to begin preparing the first 20 lots for development, according to Journal Star. Final surveying and geotechnical work on all 65 lots wrapped up in April 2026. Developers who buy the land must start construction within two years and finish within nine months of breaking ground.
A $120 Million Campus Next Door Changes Everything
On May 19, 2026 — Malcolm X's birthday — Mayor John Ewing Jr. and the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation unveiled designs for a massive mixed-use cultural campus adjacent to the Land Bank's plot. "To stand here in a space connected to the life and legacy of Malcolm X... is deeply meaningful," Ewing said, according to The Independent. "Creating a destination that recognizes him will also create economic opportunity."
Jonathan Spellman of MX Development Group is leading the master plan. It centers on a 30,000-square-foot community center and museum. JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, executive director of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, sees the Land Bank's 9 acres as key to making the neighborhood an "international destination," according to Star Herald.
Affordable Housing Required, But Skeptics Remain Wary
The Land Bank has mandated that the 65-lot assembly include a significant share of affordable housing — targeting Omaha's tight housing market. The project is expected to produce 150 construction jobs and about 58 permanent jobs in the cultural and commercial spaces, according to Kearney Hub. The state has already secured $20 million in grant funding as a foundation for the broader development.
Not everyone is convinced. Some residents note the site has been used as an informal dump for tires and construction debris. A May 2026 report flagged a "massive disconnect" between the city's polished vision and what actually exists on the ground, according to Fremont Tribune. Land Bank Executive Director Leslie Smith has pushed back, describing the agency not as a typical bank but as a "community development intermediary" that turns legally stuck land into usable property.
A Political Test for Omaha's Urban Core Strategy
"Hope Village" is more than one development deal. It is a test of Mayor Ewing's broader "connected corridors" plan, which aims to limit suburban sprawl by adding density to the urban core. Nearby, the city recently paid $18.6 million for a 25-acre "Home Plate" property, setting a new benchmark for land values in North Omaha, according to Columbus Telegram.
Community advocates are watching closely to make sure the project does not push out long-time residents. Research on similar land bank programs in Michigan shows that land banking alone does not always improve "residential satisfaction" right away — but it is seen as essential for stabilizing distressed urban neighborhoods over time, according to Wahoo-Ashland-Waverly. For North Omaha, the stakes could not be higher.
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