Questions Persist on Use of Bird-Friendly Construction at Midtown Crossing

By James Ed. Ducey

Construction of Midtown Crossing at Turner Park was initiated in the latter part of September. Mutual of Omaha is building the $300 million mixed-use development, according to website details. Within seven new buildings, there will be 600 apartments, with dining, retail, and other business venues. Parking will be provided for more than 3,000 vehicles. The site is 17 acres, east of Mutual's headquarters, and adjacent to the City of Omaha's Turner Park, and westward from Turner Boulevard along Farnam Street.

The redevelopment process will be involved with the Neighborhood Development Certification through the LEED program, according to comments by Keith Bawolek of ECI Investment Advisors, Inc., in the newspaper. This program of the U.S. Green Building Council promotes several goals, including protection and enhancement of the natural environment.

The participation leads to a certificate in the program, with Midtown Crossing among the first involved in the pilot program.

Bird-friendly measures are not specifically represented in the LEED, neighborhood certification options.

Depiction of the buildings and setting at Midtown Crossing.(Pictures of model and depictions by J.E. Ducey; from material displayed at Mutual of Omaha business headquarters during a public meeting).

Information on how bird-friendly methods of construction will be included at Midtown Crossing is not available. A representative of the company said such measures would be part of Midtown Crossing, when asked about the topic at an October 2nd meeting at company headquarters at 33rd and Dodge streets. He was familiar with the October 2006 comments provided in an email to City of Omaha officials, when the project was announced. He would not provide an email or name to contact for details.

Efforts to get specifics on how bird-friendly measures would be part of building construction, via contact with a representative from Mutual of Omaha using the project website contact, and ECI Investment Advisors, Inc., the developer, using a contact provided on the company website, were not successful. There has been no reply to any sent emails.

The Missouri River valley is a recognized migration corridor for migratory birds. Hawk counts are done daily in autumn, from a hilltop a relatively few miles north of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro. More than 300 species are known to occur in suitable habitats along the river and its bluffs.

An evaluation of renderings of the planned buildings in October 2006, indicated several items of concern, including:

* Extensive glass exteriors for multiple buildings, mingled with trees of a park and local landscaping, create multiple collision hazards for many species of migratory birds.

* Increased density of multi-story structures to cause a greater extent of a barrier extruding above the hillside treetops along Dodge Street from 30th to 34th streets. The new building complex, or "wall" in the airspace used by migrating wildbirds. Additional area buildings already block certain portions of the sky-scape along Farnam and Dodge streets. This "wall effect" will dramatically increase with the Midtown structures.

* Enclaves or rows of trees which attract birds, but are surrounded on multiple sides by building walls, many shown with a glass exterior. Birds could get "trapped" within a maze of reflective glass or bright towers, and hit a glass wall in an attempt to continue moving along.

Rendition of a scene at the under construction Midtown Crossing.

* Building lights attract birds migrating through areas at night, causing confusion and bird collisions with glass walls. The seven buildings are depicted with extensive areas of glass within the flight levels of common nocturnal migrants through central Omaha.

* Building 7 will nearly block the even-now limited green-space connection between Turner Park and Dewey Park, southward along Turner Boulevard southward. A green belt continues to Leavenworth Street, the city park and further. Boulevard trees are an useful resource for many reasons, and the linear connection should be protected.

* No plans for the proposed landscaping plan for Turner Park are now available, the expected scene to be that represented in project drawings, according to a representative of the Omaha Parks and Recreation Department. How will new plantings in this section of the provide an optimal, inviting setting for flying birds among the buildings.

* The east part of the circular drive overtakes the northwest quarter of the park, with more than 30 trees being removed to make way for construction. Removal of at least two cavity trees, conifers, and other mature trees will fragment the tree cover valuable to arboreal migrants.

A national expert on bird collisions with various types of structures - a professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology at an eastern college - was asked to review the project plans, in regards to birds colliding with buildings:

"Birds are vulnerable wherever birds and glass mutually occur, but various factors (lighting, vegetation, water) can explain why some sites are more vulnerable than others because they attract more birds to strike sites. The pictures you share suggest these buildings will pose a collision problem for migrating birds passing through this area..."

Numerous bird-friendly options are available for architects, with threats discussed and guidelines to provide a bird friendly building scene, have been issued at Toronto and New York City, and are available on the web.