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BLAIR, Neb. (KMTV) — For the first time in more than two decades, Blair is adding a major new housing option to its community. Construction is officially underway on a 132-unit apartment complex near the intersection of Highway 30 and 133, a project city leaders say will help ease the city’s long-standing housing shortage and bring new momentum to the local economy.
The project represents Blair’s first new apartment development in 25 years, a milestone City Administrator Phil Green says is long overdue.
“And Washington County is just a little bit farther outside of everyone's thoughts and so it just ends up being a place that not as many people have thought about developing in the past. We hope that changes going forward,” Green said.
A housing study conducted by the Gateway Corporation found Blair needs to add more than 520 new housing units to keep pace with population and job growth. Yet, since 2021, the city has only added about 50 units.
“During that time, Dollar General Distribution Center came in, 650 new jobs. The majority of them were living south in Omaha, not because they wanted to, that just there wasn't any place up here,” said Mike Rooks, executive director of the Gateway Corporation.
The lack of housing options has forced many workers to live outside the county, creating missed opportunities for Blair’s economic development.
The $2 million project is backed by tax increment financing (TIF), which Rooks says was necessary to make the project feasible.
“And that's truly because we had to put all the new roads and everything and the infrastructure in for it,” Rooks explained.
In addition to housing, Blair is investing in improvements to the surrounding highway system, ensuring the project benefits both residents and the broader community.
The new apartment complex is already attracting attention. City officials confirm that two new businesses have committed to the area, and more retail and commercial development is expected to follow.
“We're hoping this becomes kind of the beginning development for some future retail development in that area,” Green said.
The first building in the complex is expected to open in early summer 2025, with additional phases following soon after. Officials say the project will not only provide much-needed housing but also create ripple effects across the local economy by drawing in new workers, families, and businesses.
Originally reported by Jill Lamkins in 3 News Now.
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