How TIF Ruins Development
Replicating a Problem
Update: Apparently, I managed to incorrectly type Basye name following what WOWT did wrong. But in contact with WOWT about my article, they updated. Yet, my site still had the name incorrect so it has now been updated.
Sadly, a developer proposing low-cost housing was denied TIF funding. What struck me was the reasons they were denied. The proposal had homes without garages or basements. Mike McKnight of WOWT reported on this oddity (https://www.wowt.com/2026/06/09/developer-denied-tif-funding-north-omaha-housing-project/). If Omaha is to have low-cost housing and starter homes, this proposal should have gone forward. At the same time, perhaps Omaha has become too dependent on TIF to solve community problems. Yet, if you wanted to make a good case for TIF, this proposal fit.
Ryan Basye is a local realtor and had made the proposal for a low-cost housing development (https://www.nebraskarealty.com/agents/ryan-basye). Basye knows basements and garages require substantial foundations, which are expensive. In addition, these amenities are not necessary, particularly garages. While we live in a city which is car-centric, it is not necessarily garage-centric. While there are many homes in west Omaha with three-car garages, in other parts of Omaha, homes often do not have a garage at all. But, apparently, for some, no garage homes are for weirdos.
Garages are nice to keep your car and valuables safe, but many leave their garage doors open, in part because the doors may be dysfunctional. Many people comfortably park their car on the street in front of their home knowing the Ring camera will catch any attempts to steal their car or items within. Some people merely convert the garage into a workspace. Also, a detached garage is really annoying because you end up going out to the cold to open up a garage door to start a car. Sorry, using a remote starter on a car in an enclosed garage has the potential for dangerous exposure to carbon dioxide.
Attached or embedded garages can be just as bad. Your car has snow on it. You park it in the garage, and the snow melts, leaving a mess on the garage floor the next day for you to brush away. It is very annoying. To add, as more people are working at home and discovering they do not need so many cars, the garage becomes a problematic waste of space. At times, the garage becomes the work from home office. My take is garages are not a necessity but an option. So what is the answer?
The best option is to let the homeowner decide whether or not to add a garage, but I think many should settle for a well-made carport (https://www.thespruce.com/carport-ideas-8363073). Many people who rely on cars find this a nice option. No garage door to screw around with. Easy visibility of your car from the house, and you get to show off to the neighbors the nice car you have. And you can turn your car on remotely without worrying about a buildup of carbon monoxide. In addition, they are far less expensive than a garage, which requires a foundation, four walls, and more. This is why Basye sought to keep houses affordable by ditching the idea of a garage, but the TIF Committee would not budge on this matter, and for this, I think they made a serious mistake and were myopic in making their decision.
Basye wants to upgrade the area. His proposal appears sound and is a much-needed upgrade for the area proposed. His proposal is for 9 houses, not 90 houses. It is not a dramatic or overtly idealistic proposal, but a realistic upgrade. Unfortunately, the TIF Committee made idealistic and subjective standards, the enemy of the good. Basye has a good idea, and he got shafted. Now the public has more reason to question the value of TIF and how it is used. Meanwhile, Basye is left selling the standard three-bedroom house, which often has more space than some really need, including a garage and a basement.