For decades, drivers have cruised down La Vista, Nebraska’s 84^th Street on their way to somewhere else. Today, they have a reason to stop and stay a while.  

That’s because the Nebraska city – located just south of Omaha – recently opened the La Vista City Centre, a bustling, pedestrian-friendly development that brought new life to the city’s busiest street.  

"It’s exciting to see people enjoying the space and attending concerts at the Astro Theater [Olsson] designed.”

The La Vista City Centre – or LVCC – has something for everyone, including the state’s only dual concert venue, the Astro Theater: 

• An outdoor amphitheater and indoor venue seating 7,500 people 
• A 34-acre park with trails 
• Restaurants, breweries, and retail 
• Luxury apartments and office space 

Decade-long partnership 

Eric Williams, who served as our project manager, said Olsson has been a project partner for nearly a decade. 

“Designing public infrastructure for a major development involves a lot of pre-planning and behind-the-scenes work,” he said. “Olsson has been involved since 2016, so it’s exciting to now see people enjoying the space and attending concerts at the Astro Theater we designed.” 

The Astro Theater has a full line-up of events and is expected to generate significant economic growth for La Vista. 

From demolition to design

We led civil engineering for the Astro Theater and LVCC, as well as the demolition of the existing development. It took ample coordination and teamwork to demolish and reconstruct the 34-acre site. 

“Our team worked hand-in-hand with stakeholders during demolition and construction to make sure everything went smoothly,” Eric said. “This was especially important because we needed to maintain access to the operating businesses, while coordinating ongoing improvements for the new development.” 

A full-service project 

Part of our job was to help visitors seamlessly access the development. We added a new traffic signal, additional lanes, and a full access intersection. Our roadway designs make the area more efficient, safe, and pedestrian friendly. After people arrive, there are two Olsson-designed public parking garages available.  

We also worked with the city to develop multiple water quality solutions for use on future projects. At an adjacent elementary school’s drainage way, we designed a water quality and detention basin to help control water flow during large storm events. 

Other multi-disciplinary services include geotechnical, survey, environmental permitting, utility coordination, landscape architecture, master planning, construction administration and more. 

La Vista has plans to continue adding development along its main corridor. Visitors will have plenty to do at the area’s newest destination.