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Bellevue is among five Nebraska communities with Good Life districts, where private developers get tax incentives when they bring in economic opportunities. The city isn't waiting for private developers. Bellevue is planning a waterpark and retail center to cash in on those tax benefits that would otherwise go to private developers. Dale Johnson followed the money with the help of Bellevue's Economic Development Director Harrison Johnson.
Harrison Johnson: A good life district is a state designated geographic area in which the state sales tax goes from 5.5% and is reduced to 2.75%. And most good life districts throughout the state, the private developer is the applicant, meaning that the private developer then can apply for an economic development program in which the citizens vote to get that program, and then the then the state will collect that 2.75% and then give that back to the developer to help cover costs of infrastructure, cover costs of construction. Bellevue is unique because we are the only one in the state where it is a city-led applicant Good Life District where we, the city, will be the recipient of that 2.75% back that we will then use to develop the streets, the roads, the amenities for the actual Good Life District for the entertainment options. So you'll see things like water features and parks and things like that that we can then fund within inside the Good Life District. But also the city will then use those funds for the benefit of all of its residents, specifically the City Council and the mayor want to reduce its property tax burden. So that is the unique part about the Bellevue, Nebraska Good Life District.
Dale Johnson: If I understand the intent of the Good Life Districts, Harrison, it's designed to address Nebraska's biggest challenges. That includes the brain drain, meaning educated, skilled, professional people leave the state or leave the region to find better opportunities. Now, I love me a good water park. Don't get me wrong here, but help me understand how a water park addresses brain drain.
Harrison Johnson: So, one of the biggest things, for Nebraska, we don't have the benefit of a ton of natural attractions that a place like Colorado, Florida or any other place that has things that will bring outside individuals to the state. So we have to rely on things that we build ourselves. The water park, especially being a city-owned, city-led project, is the way that we can encourage, because it'll be the fourth largest indoor water park in the country once it's constructed. The data that we have suggests that we'll be able to bring in visitors from at least 250 miles around for an all-season, all-inclusive aquatic recreation experience. So, with the two hotels that we will have attached, you can bring your family to you know to the hotel in the middle of January, it could be -17 degrees outside. Get yourself, get the kids in your swimsuit gear, and then walk from your hotel room to the fourth largest indoor water park in the country. We hope to really create an actual winter customer, for our residents and for the state as well. But we think that addresses directly the brain drain because not only does it encourage business growth around it, which is what the Good Life District is intended to do, most of the development around the water park is going to be private development and private recreation, private amusement, and dining options.
But it will allow us to have a recreation opportunity and a recreation venue that will be regionally unique. There will be no other place that you have to go all the way to Chicago to get something similar, or to Denver. So it'll give us that opportunity. Plus, with the unique system that we have here, or the unique approach we have here, is that it's blank ground. Chicago, you're fighting for real estate, and Denver, you're doing the same thing. For us, we have an opportunity with, especially with the Mattel change, to bring in something that will be not just regionally unique but nationally unique.
The Bellevue Indoor Water Park will be a Mattel branded wonder park at the at its construction, and it'll be the first Mattel location based aquatic entertainment in the country.
Dale Johnson: Was it able to open this summer?
Harrison Johnson: It will be open next year. We'll have it by mid to late 2027.
Dale Johnson: 600 acres. That's nearly a square mile. It just seems massive to me. This is a water park. These are hotels. These are retail spaces. At what point are those peripheral developments?
Harrison Johnson: We just sold the land to the north of the water park. The city had bought 70 acres. Ten acres will be used for the indoor water park, which will be roughly 115,000 square feet. But the two hotels to the north, which will be attached, that is starting. That land has been sold. So hopefully, we anticipate the construction to be mostly complete or nearly complete by the time the water park opens. So you know, in the year
2028, we should have that all connected. It should be nice there. But the 600 acres, you know, we really have the entertainment district with the, which is a smaller component of the Good Life District there. That should take. I mean, we're optimistically looking at a 10 to 15 year full development timeline. That should take some time. That won't all come at once. But immediately, within five years of this development, we anticipate that the city should be receiving anywhere from $7 to $9 million annually. It should be an immediate boost to the city.
Dale Johnson: Now we know a lot more about Bellevue. Harrison, thank you for coming in.
Harrison Johnson: Thank you. I appreciate it.
Dale Johnson: Harrison Johnson, Bellevue's Economic Development director, joining me on Nebraska Public Media. I'm Dale Johnson.