7/7/23

JFO Update from Mike Siegel

Twenty years ago, the JFO Board of Directors had the foresight to begin purchasing the six houses located north of our campus along 132nd Street. Given the fact that we are surrounded by residential neighborhoods, there is little room for growth, so acquiring these parcels was a strategic priority. Recently, the Board purchased the last two homes, enabling us to begin the planning process for use of the land.

In December of 2022, Michael Miller agreed to chair the 132nd Street task force. This committee was given the responsibility of determining the best use of the property for our campus and Jewish community. Michael engaged a dozen community members to participate on the task force and help determine how the land can best serve our community’s needs. At the first meeting, the committee agreed that the recommendation on the use of the land would not be based solely on economics, but truly based on what our community might look like in the future.

To date, the committee has met multiple times to review our campus guiding plan, our 2017 demographic report, the 2021 housing affordability study, and other relevant reports. While the committee has identified various needs in our community, it is time to request your input. There will be a couple of opportunities to provide your ideas so the committee can make a fully informed recommendation to the JFO Board.

All suggestions are welcomed, but the committee asks that when submitting your thoughts, please keep in mind that we are working to develop a strategy that will have the greatest impact on our general Jewish community. Please also keep in mind that suggestions do not necessarily need to be based on economics.

If you wish to submit an idea, you can do so by e-mailing 132TaskForce@jewishomaha.org. In addition, we will be scheduling a town hall meeting for our community in the coming months to share the results of the input-gathering process. Please watch JFO communications for further details on that upcoming meeting. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Michael Miller at mwm@colliers.com.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mike Siegel
JFO Co-President