By Marisa Dawson, Courtesy graphics

As neighborhoods continue to expand throughout the Bennington area, commercial development is beginning to follow, bringing new opportunities for businesses, residents and the broader community.

Bennington Mayor Clint Adams recently highlighted several commercial sites that are seeing increased activity, including areas both inside the city limits and in the surrounding Bennington ZIP code. While some of these developments fall outside the city’s jurisdiction, Adams said they still represent an important piece of Bennington’s overall growth and future.

“It’s definitely a combination of things,” Adams said of the recent increase in commercial interest. “I would say it’s number one, our neighborhoods that have been approved and platted and started construction over the last 10 plus years are starting to fill in more and more.”

For years, communities have been told that residential growth needs to come before commercial development, Adams explained. As more homes are built and more families move into the area, businesses are beginning to take notice.

“What we’ve always been told, and are still being told, is you have to add the rooftops first before the commercial development comes,” Adams said. “And now we’re starting to see that commercial development is starting to follow the rooftops.”

Adams also pointed to a broader trend across the Omaha metro area. With fewer commercial opportunities available closer to Omaha, developers are increasingly looking to surrounding communities for new investment opportunities.

“That naturally kind of drifts into Bennington as well as Gretna, other surrounding areas,” Adams added

Several areas in and around Bennington are currently positioned for commercial development.

One area highlighted is the Highway 36 and 156th Street frontage area, which offers high-visibility commercial sites along one of the primary growth corridors connecting Bennington and northwest Omaha. The area provides strong traffic exposure and long-term development potential.

Another opportunity exists in downtown Bennington at 15416 S. 2nd St., where a retail building offers a rare opportunity for an owner-user or investor looking to be located in the heart of historic downtown.

The 156th Street and Bennington Boulevard area, also known as the Morgan Ridge Corridor, includes commercial lots surrounded by significant residential growth. The sites are positioned for potential retail, restaurant and service businesses.

Further east, The Hill development near 168th Street and State Street is planned as a new mixed-use hub anchored by schools, national brands and thousands of new homes. The development includes 1- to 3-acre commercial pad sites intended to support future businesses, with a McDonald’s already in operation.

Adams said the city has been working to communicate the opportunities available and encourage businesses to consider Bennington.

“I’m just trying to get the word out there more and more and try and do some recruiting on the city’s behalf for our surrounding communities,” Adams said.

He added that the properties highlighted represent only a portion of the available opportunities. “I only included a handful of commercial properties in that post and I plan on having further posts including other properties too,” Adams said. “That’s not all that’s available in our area.”

One of the biggest requests Adams said he hears from residents is the desire for additional shopping and dining options, particularly a grocery store closer to home.

While attracting a specific business is ultimately up to individual companies and their market research, Adams said city officials have been having conversations with developers about the types of businesses residents hope to see.

“It kind of starts first with the city’s conversations with the developers themselves,” Adams said.

However, he noted that businesses must determine whether the location makes sense financially and whether there is enough demand to support their investment.

“It still comes down ultimately to those businesses, their own research and whether or not they want to come in and take on that risk,” Adams said.

One potential location for a grocery store is within the Rainwood Square development. Adams said the developer has intentionally left space available for that possibility, although no plans have been finalized.

“They’ve left room open for a grocery store there, but it’s still very early on,” Adams said. “But there, that’s the goal is to try and get a grocery store at that location. Nothing is set in stone at this point. But that’s the hope.”

While some of the commercial growth occurring around Bennington is outside city limits, Adams said it can still provide benefits to the broader community, particularly by helping diversify the area’s tax base.

Because the Bennington area has historically been heavily residential, a large portion of the tax burden has fallen on homeowners. Commercial development can help distribute that responsibility over time.

“This type of growth is a way for us to ultimately spread out the tax burden among everybody, especially those that have been here a while and have seen their property taxes and assessed values and all that continually creep up and up and up,” Adams said.

“That’s one of the main goals of trying to attract this commercial business is to try and lower the load on our residential folks,” he added.

With additional development comes increased demand on roads, utilities and other infrastructure. Adams said the city has been planning ahead through its road improvement process, while also coordinating with Douglas County on projects outside city boundaries.

“We have our one and six year road plans that we go through each year,” Adams said.

Future improvements include plans to widen Bennington Road on both the east and west sides, although those projects remain farther down the timeline due to cost.

Adams also pointed to upcoming improvements near 156th Street and State Street as an important step in preparing for continued growth.

“I’m happy to see that they are doing improvements at 156th & State coming next year,” Adams said. “So that will be good to help with a lot of that influx.”

As Bennington continues to grow, Adams said maintaining the community’s small-town character remains a priority. Adams said thoughtful growth and attracting the right businesses will help the community continue expanding while preserving what residents value.

“I still think even with all of our growth, I still feel we have somewhat of a small town feel,” Adams said. “I think it’s mainly to do with the people we have and how inviting and just a great community in general we have.”

Looking ahead, Adams said success would mean continued growth without losing Bennington’s distinct identity.

“I want to still feel a distinct feeling that you’ve entered into the Bennington area instead of just a continuation of Omaha,” Adams said.

He said future projects, including the development of Neumeyer Farm Park, will play an important role in creating gathering spaces for residents.

“I think that will be a great hub for the city, a great gathering spot… I’m looking forward to trying to maintain a distinct feel,” Adams said.

For businesses considering expansion or investment, Adams said Bennington’s continued residential growth, strong school system and engaged community make it an area worth watching.

“It’s attracting more and more people every day,” Adams said. “And the community as a whole is very invested in the success of Bennington as a whole, whether that be the school system, local businesses, local government.”

“Everybody wants these amenities here, closer to town and not have to drive into Omaha every day,” he said.