Omaha’s new Mercantile, Brickline Apartments keeping downtown momentum going

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Mercantile covers three city blocks in downtown Omaha.

There’s green space around the 20-acre project. About 100 people already live in the Brickline Apartments, and an Omaha-based restaurant group has plans to use 15,000 square feet of the site to open three restaurants and bring new jobs to Omaha.

“I think the Omaha community has been attracted to this area in the last couple of years with all the progress, effort, and money that has been put in down here, and I think they’re going to be ready for it,” said Kelli Pilkington with Flagship Restaurant Group.

The Brickline Apartments are the first phase of the Mercantile to be completed. City officials say people who live here will be able to take advantage of the city’s forthcoming streetcar.

“The streetcar will come right by here,” said Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. “We do know that some of the residents that have already leased are going to be working at the Med Center, and so they are thrilled to think that they can walk out of their apartment, jump on the streetcar and get almost to the Med Center without having to use a car.”

For those who choose to drive -- The Mercantile boasts a new, first-of-its-kind parking garage that will benefit both Brickline residents and the public.

“We have a multi-use structure; we’ve embedded the garage into the development, so it kind of activates that lower level with retail and residential, everything kind of plays together and provides a kind of passive security that we typically don’t see in a structure downtown,” said Omaha parking and mobility director Ken Smith.

Stothert says cutting the ribbon to officially welcome the Brickline apartments and the Mercantile will hopefully attract more business to the downtown area and keep the momentum going.

“Our Gene Leahy Mall opened up last July and now in August, the Heartland of America Park, Lewis and Clark Landing are going to open up which is right around this area,” Stothert said. “We have the new Steelhouse, we have the Luminarium, and this just adds to this great momentum we have of developing downtown and offering places for people to live, work and play.”

Future phases of the Mercantile will include more apartments, a boutique hotel, and office buildings.

Copyright 2023 WOWT. All rights reserved.