Southside Terrace, Phase 4

By 1955, South Omaha’s stockyards had become the largest in the world, drawing thousands of immigrant laborers whose modest wages left them with few housing options. In response to these pressing needs, the city developed Southside Terrace in 1940—one of the earliest public housing projects in the nation. Planned across ten city blocks just south of the stockyards, the complex was composed of 51 brick, barrack-style buildings, providing stable housing for more than 2,000 residents.

While the project was a step forward in addressing unsafe living conditions, the rigid framework of public housing policy and the impact of redlining soon shaped Southside Terrace’s trajectory. Concentrated poverty and disinvestment left the community increasingly vulnerable, even as it became home to new generations of residents, including refugees from Somalia and Sudan. By 2016, over 1,300 people remained, yet the buildings—lacking modern amenities and burdened by decades of deferred maintenance—were considered unsustainable.

The architectural legacy of Southside Terrace is now giving way to a new vision. In 2023, the city began a phased redevelopment that reimagines the site not as an isolated housing project but as a mixed-income neighborhood. Drawing inspiration from the Highlander redevelopment in North Omaha, the plan balances affordable, moderate, and market-rate housing. This new urban fabric seeks to weave together social equity, safety, and economic vitality, transforming ten aging blocks into a model for inclusive growth. Supported by a $50 million HUD grant, the project represents not just renewal of buildings, but renewal of community identity and opportunity.

Brinshore Development, LLC