The Dundee Happy Hollow Historic District- One of Omaha’s best urban districts and home of Warren Buffet

I expanded the evaluation area for Dundee slightly to cover some sections between Dundee and Midtown that are not well defined by neighborhood boundaries. I used the Happy Hollow Boulevard as the western border, Leavenworth the southern, Saddle Creak Rd the eastern, and Charles as the northern.

The heart of the Dundee Happy Hallow Historic District was laid out in 1880 centered around Underwood St, which eventually became the heart and central business district of the neighborhood. Dundee by many accounts became the first “suburb” of Omaha as the professional class looked to escape the  hustle and bustle of the City Center. The new lots took some time to sell and as a way to encourage their development 2,000 maple trees were planted and lots given away for free. The western and southern edges of the neighborhood filled in during the 1910s & 1920s and are laid out on larger lots along curvilinear streets. Dundee also hosts the long time home of Warren Buffet one of the richest men in the world whose house is located at the corner of Farnam and 55th. In line with his Thrifty character the house is very modest for a multi-billionaire’s home.

Thanks to its close proximity to Dwtn, qualify public transit service, housing diversity, excellent school amenities and decent walkability, Dundee is one of Omaha’s best urban districts. But I still would not qualify it as a top notch urban district as the density is modest, it lacks great bike amenities, it has several autocentric roads and one awful stroad and is missing some key walkable amenities.

Click here to view my Dundee Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Pretty good ADA infrastructure and Sidewalks but some curbs are missing ADA standard curb cuts.
* Solid public transit access.
* Convenient access to Dwtn across all modes.
* Some curvilinear streets on the southwestern edge of the district but overall very connected and often short blocks.
* Lots of families and young professionals living here. Decent racial and economic diversity but def a more upscale neighborhood.
* Several well rated public elementary schools within walking distance. A handful of private schools on the boundaries of Dundee.
* Lots of rentals and generally affordable. 1-bed lease btwn $600-1K, 2-beds lease btwn $800-2K, 3-beds lease for  btwn 1.5K-2.5 and a good number. Several dedicated affordable apt buildings.
* Good for sale options but only a handful of 1-bed condos. 2-beds sell btwn 170K-350K and 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 175K-900K.
* Really only a Cemetery and a couple small gardens within Dundee but a very expansive Memorial Park and golf course on the western edge, which includes a public pool.
* Excellent tree canopy through out.
* Good cultural amenities including diverse restaurants, plenty of bars & cafes, and historic theater that shows Indie films.
* Good retail amenities including a couple supermarkets and a Walmart on the neighborhood’s edge, a drug store, a couple banks, a hardware store, several salons, some clothing stores & gift shops, a couple florists, several dessert joints and the University of Nebraska is less than 1/2 away.
* Overall a very safe community with really no blight or abandonment except at points along Saddle Creek Rd.
* Attractive historic homes and quality historic commercial bldgs along Underwood. Underwood has excellent urban form and massing and is a great heart of the neighborhood.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

• Decent # of dedicated bike stations but only a handful of disconnected bike lane segments.
• Missing any performing arts centers or theaters, gyms, churches, a post office, and public library.
• So so density for an urban area.
• Biz districts outside of Underwood are much more autocentric. Leavenworth and Dodge St are a mixed bag and Saddle Creek Rd is very much a Stroad with mostly strip malls and power centers along it.
• Some good urban infill in parts but more autocentric in-fill overall.”