Nail Guns & Notions: Rethinking Housing From the Group Up
Sheri Alber • August 22, 2025
Nail Guns and Notions: Rethinking Housing from the Ground Up
The August 2025 HomeNE Learning Network edition featured Amos Anson, a real estate developer, who shared insights from his entrepreneurial journey in construction, real estate, and business ownership. He emphasized the value of taking risks, learning from setbacks, and creatively navigating building codes and regulations, especially in affordable housing and historic renovations. Amos highlighted several revitalization projects in Grand Island, discussed developer grants and incentives, and shared strategies for supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs. The session concluded with a call to encourage young people to pursue skilled trades.
Clearing the Decks for More Effective Housing Development: Local Government Edition
Discover how the City of Central City is transforming housing through an innovative Vacant Property Registry program that tackles blight and boosts community revitalization. In this engaging HomeNE webinar, Michelle Kohl, shares real-world strategies for managing vacant homes.
The 80th HomeNE Learning Network featured Jean Van Iperen, who discussed Columbus, Nebraska’s housing challenges and the city’s proactive strategies to address them. Jean highlighted the city’s 7% population growth and a shortage over 4 years of 387 homes, prompting efforts like zoning reform, streamlined permitting, and investment in new developments, including a 238-unit apartment complex. The city is also planning a new housing study, exploring affordable housing options, and considering mixed-use projects to meet evolving community needs. Participants were encouraged to revisit past webinars for insights and to attend the upcoming session on June 19th featuring Michelle Cole. The session emphasized the value of small takeaways from presentations and invited community members to share their stories for future webinars.
