Report focuses on regional plans

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by algis j. laukaitis

OMAHA - The Flatwater Metroplex sounds more like a sports arena than a region made up of more than a dozen Nebraska and Iowa counties.

But planners say the Flatwater Metroplex, a region in a 60-mile radius of the Omaha metropolitan area, is the future - and Nebraskans and Iowans must start talking about it for cities, roads and other "human systems" to be in harmony with the natural environment.

Three major cities, Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs, Iowa, are in this region, along with 119 communities with populations of more than 400. The region also includes Nebraska's three most populous counties, Douglas, Sarpy and Lancaster, which contain more than half the state's residents.

The area has a population of about 1 million. By 2050, that's expected to double, according to a draft report released Thursday by the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities.

"There will be unprecedented growth in the economy and people over the next 50 years in the region," said Cecil Steward, president and founder of the Omaha-based nonprofit organization.

Steward, a former member of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission, presented some of the key findings and recommendations of the report to about 50 people in Omaha. The report is not meant as a planning document but a look at the issues, practices and opportunities the region faces in the coming decades.

For example, the study points out that Lincoln's commitment to a new downtown master plan, the Antelope Valley Project, recent restoration of the Capitol and continuing attention to its Haymarket area "will give Lincoln one of the most compact and unique central districts in the nation."

Some of the key findings:

n Large and important ecological systems - such as the Platte and Missouri rivers -are in the path of projected growth.

n Water, wind, fertile soils and a "four-seasons solar climate" are the region's most valuable natural resources.

n Agricultural and urban/economic growth interests are in conflict.

n Water resources are spotted and uneven in quality and quantity.

n The region does not see itself as a unit of common economic interests; competitive tensions exist between communities.

n There is no shared vision of the preferred patterns of growth or policies related to land uses.

n Municipal and county governments have very different, often conflicting approaches to planning or public policies.

n Projected growth will not occur without attention to quality of the environment and people's lives.

n The region can compete with other regional metro areas.

n Infrastructure needed to support growth is lagging behind growth pressures.

Steward singled out water as one of the area's most important concerns. Lincoln gets more than 90percent of its drinking water from the Platte River. Omaha relies heavily on the Missouri for its drinking water and is building a water treatment plant on the Platte.

"Water, I believe, is going to be our Achilles' heel in our planning and our challenges," Steward told the audience.

The institute's staff examined about 30 comprehensive plans from the region in compiling its report. Steward said few of those plans included how a community viewed itself in a regional context.

Ken Riddle, zoning administrator for Cass County, said any regional planning that is done mostly focused on economic development.

"As the two metropolitan areas become more populated, we are losing valuable ground for development and agricultural purposes," Riddle said. "There should be some planning to support infrastructure and future development."

John Miyoshi, manager of the Wahoo-based Lower Platte North Natural Resources District, said he was impressed with the report.

"It brings an awareness to those of us who live outside of Lincoln and Omaha that we will be part of Lincoln and Omaha by then (2050)."

Miyoshi said environmental issues were his district's biggest concern. He said 20 percent of the Todd Valley, an ancient bed of the Platte that supplies water to farms and towns, is in the boundary of the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant. That plant, which made bombs during World War II, has extensive groundwater contamination.

Dave Sands, executive director the Nebraska Land Trust, was pleased the report identified the lower Platte River, Missouri River and lower Elkhorn River as unique and high-risk areas that could be endangered if not protected.

"There's no question whether or not we are going to grow," Sands said. "The question is how are we going to grow and this study is important in that it presents a vision for sustainable growth that protects the environmental, cultural and economic assets."

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@;journalstar.com.