First new anchor tenant identified for long-awaited Omaha Crossroads makeover

OMAHA — The latest development team working on the long-anticipated makeover of Omaha’s Crossroads shopping mall site has identified the project’s first new anchor tenant: a Gamescape by Cinemark family entertainment center.

Woodbury Corp., a Salt Lake City-based real estate management and development company and partner WRK Real Estate of Lincoln announced the project Tuesday, saying a groundbreaking is expected in June at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets.

“There’s nothing like it in the area. It’s the perfect first tenant that will set the tone for the rest of The Crossroads project,” said Jeff Woodbury, senior vice president at Woodbury.

Woodbury representatives described Gamescape by Cinemark as an “immersive entertainment destination” for guests of all ages. Included is dining, movie theaters, bowling, an arcade, climbing wall, laser tag and more.

Lengthy effort to remake Omaha’s Crossroads mall site hits ‘milestone’

It is part of the first phase of the overall redevelopment initiative. That first phase covers about one-third of The Crossroads site and also is to feature apartments, office space, shopping and parking. 

The broader site — about 42 acres — has been billed by developers and city officials as an $850 million-plus mixed-use campus buoyed by $105 million in city-approved public tax-increment financing.

Mayor Jean Stothert said in a statement Tuesday that the Gamescape center “will be part of the revival of this true crossroads of our city.”

Many have criticized the drawn-out redevelopment of the prominent corner of Nebraska’s largest city. Stothert said in the release that “we can all be confident in the construction timeline” and Woodbury’s record of development.

Woodbury officials, who took over the redevelopment of the site from a previous local team, said they consider the 72nd and Dodge Streets intersection among the best commercial real estate in the state.