LINCOLN, Nebraska — Assemble Lincoln, Lancaster County’s standing committee overseeing the development of Lincoln’s Downtown Convention Center, has chosen a site for Lincoln, Nebraska’s convention center.
After an exhaustive process that began in the fall of 2023, three sites were shortlisted as finalists in July 2024. The committee selected the Garfield Public/Private site near South 13th and M streets.
The Lincoln Downtown Convention Center project has brought together a partnership team that includes state leaders from Governor Jim Pillen’s office, state senators from the Nebraska Legislature, Congressman Mike Flood’s office, Lancaster County, Assemble Lincoln, Legends, Populous and Clark & Enersen and other community partners. The group has worked through the process of identifying the best site for the Downtown Lincoln Convention Center, developing an economic catalyst for the Lincoln community and a meeting place that helps increase the vibrance of Lincoln.
Numerous meetings included public open houses and presentations to gather important feedback from the community. Criteria used in site selection process included site fundamentals, community integration and growth, site environmental impact, and accessibility and connectivity.
Next steps in the process to develop the selected downtown convention center site include beginning outreach and preliminary negotiations with landowners of the parcels being considered for development, submitting Lancaster County’s Turn Back Tax application to the state of Nebraska, understanding the anticipated timeline of approval, determining a schedule for issuing design, preconstruction and construction management RFPs, and building a master schedule and budget for development of the selected site.
“A downtown convention center will greatly enhance our ability to attract meetings and groups to our community,” said Jason Ball, president and CEO of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the Visit Lincoln division of the Lincoln Chamber to continue growing Lincoln as a destination as the tourism economy evolves.”
For continued updates on the convention center project, please visit assemblelincoln.com.
