Housing Study Update Underway for Dodge County & Surrounding Areas

FREMONT – The Greater Fremont Development Council (GFDC) will be updating its Dodge County & Communities County-Wide Housing Study, with the guidance of a County-Wide Housing Task Force.
The five-year Study will also include the neighboring Village of Cedar Bluffs and is being funded by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, with matching funds from GFDC, Fremont Area Community Foundation and the Cedar Bluffs Education Foundation (CBEF).
The Housing Study will include important population, income and economic data, a housing stock analysis, infill housing development initiatives, including employer-based initiatives and repair/replacement needs due to the 2019 flooding disaster. The Study will also analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing and employment in Dodge County and the surrounding region.
A public participation program will be included in the Housing Study process, consisting of “Employer Housing Assistance” and “Housing Stakeholder” Surveys, as well as a “Community Housing Survey” for current Cedar Bluffs residents. Additionally, “Community Housing Discussions” will be held in select Dodge County Communities later this summer.
Special attention will be given to the identification of growth indicators and current housing vacancies, housing units severely damaged by last year’s flooding which cannot be rebuilt, primarily in the City of Fremont and housing development, redevelopment and demolition in targeted neighborhood areas, based upon existing and future land use maps and flood-prone areas.
GFDC and CBEF are completing the Housing Study with the assistance of Hanna:Keelan Associates, P.C., a Lincoln, Nebraska-based community planning and research consulting firm. The firm is in its 42^nd year of serving Nebraska communities and counties, preparing comprehensive plans, zoning regulations, housing studies, downtown and redevelopment plans, and assisting communities in implementing both family and elderly housing programs.
Any questions and/or comments regarding the Dodge County Housing Study can be directed to Garry Clark (President/CEO) or Kelly Gentrup (Director of Quality of Life), Greater Fremont Development Council, at garry.clark@fremontecodev.org or kelly.gentrup@fremontecodev.org.