Grace University in Omaha says it is relocating 30 miles north to Blair, Neb., where it will take over a 30-acre section of the former Dana College campus.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that the move would be part of a proposed $92 million redevelopment of the 150-acre campus, according to plans presented to the Blair City Council. Grace would take over the bulk of vacant buildings at Dana.
The development of the campus, called the Frank and Jane Krejci Learning and Life Community, also would include a 60-bed skilled nursing facility, a new home for Christ Lutheran Church, a film studio for Digg Site Productions of Fremont and a 150-unit, intergenerational housing development. The housing portion would provide living space for low-income elderly, young people coming out of foster care, veterans and women who have completed Heartland Family Service’s Nebraska Family Works program.
Frank Krejci, a 91-year-old Omaha developer, bought the Dana campus in 2013 for $3.5 million. At that time, the campus was to house Midland University’s planned expansion from nearby Fremont. That fell through, and Krejci said he would be willing to donate the land if the right development came along, such as a civic use by the city or county.
The development proposal from Ed Shada, an Omaha banker who is founder and CEO of Project Homeless Connect Omaha, got Krejci’s attention, and he decided to donate the campus for Shada’s project.
“This was the best use of the property,” Krejci says. “It had no other use. Otherwise it was just another piece of land. I’m glad it’s happening.”
Video from Grace University: Students react
