Nebraska
Woodsonia reveals new multimillion-dollar retail, sports venue option for Gretna good life district • Nebraska Examiner
GRETNA, Nebraska — An alternative multimillion-dollar retail and entertainment project surfaced Tuesday night as a potential lifeline for the embattled Gretna good life district once led by businessman Rod Yates.
Drew Snyder of Woodsonia Real Estate revealed his vision to the Gretna City Council, showcasing signature features such as a 15,000-seat outdoor concert amphitheater and a multisport facility.
His hope, which was mirrored by the City Council, is to keep alive the 2,000-acre good life district designation and related state financial incentives previously approved by state officials for the creation of a unique destination.
The future of the Gretna district — the largest and most high-profile of five allowed under the state’s Good Life Transformational Projects law — has been up in the air since Yates asked to terminate his state-approved application that established the project site.
Officials at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development have given the city and other developers until Feb. 12 to submit evidence that a transformational project is still viable at the site and that the designation should not be dissolved. The district includes and surrounds Yates’ Nebraska Crossing shopping center at Interstate 80 and Highway 31.
Snyder, in partnership with Kansas City-based 635 Holdings, said he wanted to present his development and financial plan to the council before he submitted it to the DED.
His message: “State of Nebraska, don’t shut the district down. Keep this district intact, and let us move forward with these projects. Amazing things can happen.”
‘Absolute needle-mover’
Snyder called the proposed $125 million outdoor amphitheater “an absolute needle-mover” for state tourism that would span 120 acres and host about 50 major concerts a year.
Envisioned also across about 700 acres: a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course surrounded by housing; a St. James multisport facility, a JW Marriott hotel, a retail campus spanning 400,000 square feet and a giant Wally’s 200-pump gas station and travel center.
Altogether, Snyder said, those pieces are projected to bring in up to about $700 million in total gross revenues a year, about 30% of that in sales from out-of-state visitors.
He expects to attract up to 7.5 million visitors annually, about 2 million of them from other states.
Tourism dollars and unique attractions are key components of good life districts and considered crucial to keeping the designation, said Gretna Mayor Mike Evans.
While the City Council did not formally endorse the Woodsonia redevelopment plan Tuesday night, Evans said it is central to a separate package and economic development study the city will submit to the DED to prove the district is still viable and should retain its distinction.
Evans said that Woodsonia, as any other developer, would have to go through an approval process later if the district remained intact.
Moving parts
Other moving parts also could impact the future of the Gretna good life district — and possibly the three other state-approved districts in Omaha, Grand Island and Bellevue as well.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, who has raised questions about the good life district law, seeks to “reverse” the state’s sales tax diversion and clawback the public funds that had been carved out to help build out the good life districts.
Those changes, proposed in the governor’s two-year budget, would first have to be debated by the Nebraska Legislature. At least three different state lawmakers also have introduced good life district-related bills that could spur substantial changes.
Some lawmakers have criticized how the state incentive for the good life districts played out. The Legislature cut the state sales tax within approved districts from 5.5% to 2.75%, with the idea being that the difference would be recaptured to help pay for major development of the district.
In the case of Gretna, as the process dragged on, about $2.2 million in taxes went uncollected and was essentially lost. The district did not see that money, as a special election needed to access the revenue was delayed.
City residents narrowly approved the district’s taxing authority in January. The affirmative vote allowed city officials to develop an economic development program, and the city, starting in March, will start recapturing the vacated state sales tax, Evans said Tuesday.
Yates ‘going 100 miles an hour’
Another factor in play is that Yates has not given up his pursuit of developing a mega sports-focused campus in the district that includes and surrounds his Nebraska Crossing shopping center, though he is seeking a different path and now has a slimmed down 1,000-acre version of his vision.
“We’re going 100 miles an hour,” Yates told the Nebraska Examiner on Tuesday.
Yates said his team currently is working with State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, who has introduced legislation that provides Yates another shot at the project he has worked on for two years.
The first phase would rise, Yates said, on property within the existing district boundaries, but it would be governed by different rules and incentives outlined in Ballard’s Legislative Bill 637, the Destination Nebraska Act.
Yates said he hadn’t heard details of other plans for the area and couldn’t comment on the possibility of co-existing with other developers in the general area.
He said he is awaiting the DED’s determination on whether to dissolve the Gretna good life district. “The more relevant question is where is the DED in all this?” said Yates.
One thing for sure, Yates said, is that his revised plan would not require approval from the City of Gretna, which rejected his earlier demands. Gretna officials said Yates’ terms were too risky for taxpayers and that he essentially wanted the city to use its power of eminent domain to forcibly acquire land from other property owners for his project.
Yates said he recently had a “town hall meeting” with property owners in his latest 1,000-acre quest, and was pleased with the reception.
Evans, on Tuesday, said there is room in the good life district for multiple developers and said he welcomes Yates to return to the negotiation table.
‘Let’s get the show on the road’
During his presentation, Snyder thanked Yates for his “vision and fortitude” that helped launch the good life district legislation.
He said his team — which has developed numerous multi-use projects in Nebraska, including the Topgolf Omaha development — already invested millions of dollars in preparing its plan and has partners and financial commitments in place. Woodsonia owns about 150 acres of the 700-acre campus it envisions. Snyder said the rest is under a contract to buy or in negotiations.
If DED gives the green light, he says, the proposed $400 million retail campus and 50,000-square-foot Wally’s gas and travel center would begin quickly. Wally’s, a national brand, is projected to pull in 2.5 million visitors a year who likely would shop and spend money at surrounding venues, Snyder said.
Anthony Montemarano, who owns a landscape company in the district boundaries, was among a few property owners who addressed the City Council.
Montemarano said he has always been 100% supportive of seeing a transformational project rise at the site, and also was encouraged by Yates’ plan. He said he mostly wanted to understand “what was going on” and now feels like he is better informed.
“It appears as though we’re going to begin,” said Montemarano. “Let’s get the show on the road.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
LINCOLN—Matt Rhule said Nebraska football is “at a crossroads.”
The Huskers are 6-3 after a 21-17 loss to No. 23 USC. In that loss, the Big Red also lost starting quarterback Dylan Raiola for the season. With a true freshman stepping in and a College Football Playoff berth officially off the table, Rhule said this is a pivotal moment for the season and the program.
“We’re sitting at a crossroads right now as a team,” Rhule said at Monday’s press conference. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity for us. These next three games are some of the most important time for our team and for our program moving forward.”
Rhule likened the moment to one of his favorite books: “Legacy”. The James Kerr book is about the New Zealand rugby team, more commonly known as the All Blacks. The book looks at the iconic team that had “kind of lost their way” before rebuilding and the rules that they lived by.
“One of them is plant trees that you’ll never see,” Rhule said. “It’s about leaving places better than you found them. I really wanted our seniors to have a chance to continue to battle and fight to be a CFP team.”
Rhule added that Saturday’s effort from players that won’t be here to see how high the program can go and environment from the fans are seeds that will get Nebraska back to a place among the nation’s elite.
“I thought the way they fought, battled, and compete for each other when they had some bad breaks… I think those are the things that you can build off of,” Rhule said. “I thought what everyone did with the blackout will have a profound impact on what we’re trying to get done moving forward.
“I do think it’s important, while we’re disappointed and angry and upset, to also be very, very grateful for that atmosphere, for that crowd, for that opportunity.”
On the injury front, Raiola will have surgery this week for a broken fibula suffered in the USC game.
Offensive tackle Elijah Prichett was also hurt against USC. Rhule expects him to be ready to go at UCLA on Saturday, along with the other banged offensive lineman like Turner Corcoran.
You can watch the full media session from Monday below. Continue scrolling for more coverage.
Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule
Home games are bolded. All times central.
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The Nebraska football team lost a heartbreaker in Lincoln on Saturday night to #23 USC, 21-17. The Big Red led for pretty much all of the 1st half and a good chunk of the 2nd half, before surrendering the lead and falling short on their final drive. It’s a gut punch for this team and a gut punch for Husker Nation. We cover it all in the Topline Takeaways.
CHEERS TO THAT
Emmett, Again. It’s hard to think where this Nebraska team would be without #21. Johnson continues to prove he is one of the best backs in the nation, and he absolutely carried the team on Saturday night. The gameplan ran through EJ, and he delivered, to the tune of 29 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown. He is now the first Nebraska running back to reach 1,000 yards since 2018. He seemed to have room to run most of the night, and even when he didn’t, he was able to make something out of nothing. Frankly, I felt the Huskers should have given him the ball even more.
Gameplan. There will be some complaints about the coaching (including later in this column), but let’s at least give credit where it’s due: both sides of the ball had solid plans that worked for good chunks of this game against a very athletic and talented USC team. John Butler’s defense stifled the Trojans’ passing attack, holding quarterback Jayden Maiava to just 9 completions for 135 yards. Yes, they struggled to stop the run, but holding one of the nation’s most explosive offenses to 337 total yards and 21 points should be enough to give your team a chance to win.
It’s less clear cut when it comes to the offense, and I’ll get into some of my complaints in the next section. But credit to Dana Holgorsen for committing to feeding Emmett Johnson. This offense is at its best when it runs through Johnson, and they scored touchdowns on two of their four 1st half possessions.
Tight End Play. Luke Lindenmeyer has been a stalwart all season long, as both a pass catcher and a blocker. Against USC, sophomore TE Cayden Echternach also got into the mix. #44 and #48 made key blocks all night long. Overall, I felt this was one of the better games by Nebraska’s offensive line. The blocking by the tight ends in particular stood out.
Blackout. I must admit, I was initially indifferent at best about the blackout. I wasn’t sure if enough fans would respond by wearing black, and wasn’t sure how cool it would be even if they did. Boy was I wrong. The black uniforms, blacked out crowd, black letters on the field, (even black balloons!)–it all worked to create a fantastic environment at Memorial Stadium. Even though the Huskers didn’t get the W, count me in support of making the blackout an annual occurrence for Nebraska.
DIDN’T LIKE THAT
Game Management + Play Calling. I’m going to lump these into the same section because, at least for this game, they go hand-in-hand to explain why Nebraska lost. In my opinion, Nebraska lost this game as a result of the first three drives of the 2nd half.
At this point, the old sinking feeling started to come back. With more than five minutes left in the 3rd quarter, we had squandered two golden opportunities, and burned two timeouts. When USC scored 5 plays later, and converted the two point conversion to tie it at 14, it felt like the momentum had completely shifted. Credit to the Huskers for continuing to battle with backup quarterback TJ Lateef at the helm. They would take another lead (17-14), and had the ball with a chance to win at the end, but the result was the same thing Husker fans have seen way too many times.
Losing a Big Game Once Again. Once again, Nebraska had a chance to get over the hump against a ranked team. Once again, Nebraska was playing a big name opponent on national television. Once again, Nebraska fell short. Losing Raiola was obviously a major factor in this one, but it still felt like the Huskers might find a way. At some point, the Big Red will break this streak of losing the biggest and most important games on its schedule. For now though, the heartbreak continues for Husker fans.
BOTTOM LINE
I really don’t know what to say about this one. The Huskers absolutely fought their hearts out, no one can argue that. And, no one can dispute that losing Raiola in the middle of the 3rd quarter was a major blow for this team. But I also can’t shake the feeling that numerous coaching missteps made the difference in this particular loss.
I still believe Matt Rhule is the right guy to lead this program, and I believe he can figure out how to get Nebraska to the point of being a perennial college football playoff contender. But you can believe those things and still call out shortcomings when you see them. Whether it’s hiring an assistant, or an analytics guy, or whatever it might be, he has to get better at game management. Furthermore, something needs to change on offense. With Dana Holgorsen running the offense originally installed by Marcus Satterfield two years ago, it seems they are floundering without an identity. The Husker O has now been held to under 300 total yards in four of its last five games.
Moving forward, the game against UCLA becomes absolutely critical. If the Huskers can bounce back to beat the Bruins, they will have improved upon last year with two games still to play, and eight wins will still be on the table. Lose to UCLA, and things start to feel desperate.
I am optimistic the boys in red can get the W at the Rose Bowl this coming weekend. At the very least, Rhule’s teams have shown a propensity to bounce back after bad performances and/or disappointing losses. Let’s hope that’s the case on Saturday night.
As always, GBR for LIFE.
Tell us what you think, Common Fans. We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at commonfangbr@gmail.com or find us on YouTube.
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Fresh off a bye week and a loss in their last outing, the USC Trojans were able to return to the win column in a 21-17 comeback thriller vs. Nebraska despite quarterback Jayden Maiava’s worst performance of the season.
Facing a eight-point defict at the half, the Trojans rallied for 15 points in the second half to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Maiava threw for a season-low in passing yards and completed less than half of his passes for the first time all season.
Maiava had arguably his worst game as the Trojans’ starting quarterback vs. Nebraska. He completed 9 of 23 passes for 135 yards and one interception. It’s the first time this season where he’s thown an interception and failed to throw for a touchdown.
Despite his struggles in the passing game, Maiava was excellent on the ground and had his best game of the season as a rusher.
However, the Trojans’ quarterback was able to deliver when team needed him most late in the second half. After it looked like the Trojans’ first-half struggled would pour into the second half, Maiava and the offense buckled down and scored their first touchdown of the game when he scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.
The following drive, Maiava and the Trojans drove the offense 75 yards down the field to take a 21-17 lead, which they held onto for the win.
Another road game, another slow start from the Trojans’ offense. USC managed to put up only a pair of field goals in the first half vs. the Cornhuskers. The first quarter alone saw the Trojans go three-and out on both of their drives.
Prior to their touchdown-scoring drive in the third quarter, Maiava threw an interception and the Trojans also turned the ball on downs to begin the second half. Even after taking the lead, the Trojans had a chance to turn out the lights vs. the Cornhuskers after getting the ball with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter, but again, were forced to punt.
Their lone remianing road game is at Oregon. Against the Ducks, USC will not have the same luxury it did against Nebraska. The Trojans will need to be productive with their drives in order to pull off the road win vs. the Ducks.
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Although the Trojans were able to escape Lincoln with the win, Maiava’s campaign for the Heisman Trophy took a hit that it probably won’t be able to recover from. Especially with the emergence of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson as legitimate Heisman contenders.
Maiava’s window for winning the Heisman Trophy isn’t completely closed yet. If the junior quarterback is able to finish the season strong and returns for his senior year, he should be viewed as a serious favorite to win it in 2026.
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