A multimillion-dollar development to replace the former Ironwood Country Club will move forward without two street connections that had concerned nearby residents.
City Councilman Franklin Thompson on Tuesday successfully proposed that street connections to existing neighborhoods south and east of the new Sterling Ridge project be removed from the development plan.
The council approved the amended proposal in a 7-0 vote.
Residents of about 10 subdivisions near 132nd and Pacific Streets said during a public hearing that they were worried the streets, and the project itself, would cause traffic and safety hazards.
“We are very concerned about our neighborhood,” said Elaine Martin, who lives near 127th and Shirley Streets. “We hope you, like us, are firm in the belief that neighborhoods matter, too.”
The $200 million Sterling Ridge development will include a mix of businesses, housing and religious space, including a campus involving Temple Israel, the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture.
Neighbors put forward an organized effort to push for changes to the development plan. “Neighborhoods of Ironwood” hired a public relations representative and gave council members a petition signed by 400 residents.
Thompson commended the developer for listening to neighbors' concerns.
Councilman Pete Festersen called Sterling Ridge a “welcome development” that will “create a lot of jobs and a lot of interest in our city.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com
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