Gretna Community Complex aimed at helping Sarpy County city keep pace with growth

Located a couple of miles north of Nebraska Crossing, the $33 million, 75,000-square-foot community center will put City Hall and the library under one roof when it opens at the end of February.

The two-story complex will include event space for functions such as birthday parties and wedding receptions, a makerspace and a kitchen.

“We are so excited to combine multiple building (functions) into one to serve the community for generations to come,” Gretna City Administrator Paula Dennison said during a construction tour on Monday.

The Gretna Community Complex joins a list of new and future developments intended to enhance the quality of life and amenities in an exurban, now suburban city that has been among Nebraska's fastest-growing.

Dennison estimated that about 9,300 people live within Gretna’s city limits and another 12,000 to 14,000 people live in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Gretna sits about halfway between Omaha and Lincoln, making the Sarpy County city an attractive place for couples who work in one or both of Nebraska’s largest metropolitan areas. 

“I don’t think the population is going to quit growing anytime soon,” she said.

The complex sits on the western edge of Gretna Crossing Park, which opened in 2023 and features an aquatics center. To the south of the complex are Nebraska Crossing and the Good Life District, including the future site of Buc-ee’s, the massive gas station and travel center.

Dennison said the Gretna Community Complex will be a connecting point that ties the city’s governmental, educational and community services together.

Currently, the city’s main and children’s libraries are in separate buildings about three blocks from each other downtown — which creates staffing issues — and occupy about 7,500 square feet. The library portion of the future community complex alone is set to occupy about 17,000 square feet.

“It will be a lot easier for families,” Dennison said of having the two libraries under one roof.

Meanwhile, Dennison said the nearly 90-year-old city hall building downtown is too small to serve the growing community.

“We’re not hiring people right now because we don’t have the office space for them,” she said.

Dennison said the complex’s construction cost will be covered by selling the existing library and city hall buildings. Other sources include property the city has sold north of city limits and a matching $562,000 grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. 

“Taxes are not going to be raised to pay for this,” Dennison said. “There will be income from the rental spaces and rooms that we have that can help go toward … the longer-term maintenance that we’ve got to do.”

The future community complex will prioritize a feeling of openness. In addition to its wide interior spaces that allow for plenty of natural light, the complex will also have secure outdoor spaces, including a children’s play area connected to the library and patios for members of the public and city staff.

“We want to keep the building as inviting as possible,” Dennison said. “When you come in, you can see the different activities and different things going on.”

The City Council chambers — which can also host other government meetings — can be expanded via a movable glass wall and can accommodate hundreds of people who want to participate.

While the community complex’s existing footprint should serve the community’s needs for the near future, Dennison said the facility can be expanded to accommodate future growth.

Dennison said a $5 million pedestrian overpass is planned over U.S. Highway 6 to allow people to safely walk from the west to the community complex. She said a $1.5 million grant secured by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon will help cover the costs of the construction of the overpass.