Midtown & Aksarben Office Space

Area Overview

The Midtown and Aksarben corridor has emerged as one of Omaha's most dynamic office submarkets. Stretching from the Blackstone District near 38th and Farnam westward through Midtown Crossing and south to Aksarben Village near 67th and Center, this corridor offers a fundamentally different character than either downtown or West Omaha. The area combines walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use developments, and proximity to two major institutions: the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).

What makes this submarket distinctive is its blend of new development and neighborhood identity. Aksarben Village rose on the site of the former Ak-Sar-Ben horse racing complex, while the Blackstone District was revitalized from a historic commercial strip into one of Omaha's most popular dining and entertainment corridors. These are not isolated office parks -- they are integrated into lively, walkable neighborhoods.

Aksarben Village

Aksarben Village is a master-planned mixed-use development near 67th and Center streets. The project has been built out in phases since the mid-2000s and now includes office buildings, apartments, retail shops, restaurants, and the Baxter Arena event center. The development sits adjacent to the UNO campus, creating a natural pipeline of talent for technology and professional services tenants.

Office space in Aksarben Village is among the newest in the Omaha market. Buildings feature modern floor plates, energy-efficient systems, and ground-floor retail that gives the area a walkable, urban feel unusual for this part of the city. Several technology companies have established offices here, attracted by the contemporary finishes, proximity to UNO's College of Information Science and Technology, and a younger workforce demographic.

Rents in Aksarben Village sit at the higher end of the Midtown/Aksarben submarket, reflecting newer Class A and Class B+ stock. Understanding how these rates compare across different office classes can help you evaluate what fits your budget and needs.

Midtown and Blackstone District

The Blackstone District, centered around 38th to 42nd streets along Farnam, has experienced a remarkable revitalization over the past decade. What was once a quiet stretch of older commercial buildings is now one of Omaha's most vibrant neighborhoods, packed with restaurants, cocktail bars, and boutique retail. For office tenants, the appeal is the atmosphere: creative firms, small agencies, and professional services companies lease space in renovated buildings that offer character and walkability.

Midtown Crossing, located near 31st and Farnam, is another key node in this submarket. The mixed-use development includes office space, retail, a Marriott hotel, and residential units surrounding Turner Park. Office tenants at Midtown Crossing enjoy structured parking, modern finishes, and a central location roughly equidistant between downtown and West Omaha.

Office footprints in the Blackstone and Midtown area tend to be smaller than those found in downtown towers or West Omaha office parks, making this corridor well-suited for growing companies, satellite offices, and creative studios. Renovated space in this area typically falls toward the lower end of the submarket's rent range.

UNMC and the Medical Corridor

The University of Nebraska Medical Center campus and affiliated Nebraska Medicine hospital system form the backbone of a medical office corridor stretching along 42nd Street from Leavenworth to Dodge. UNMC is one of the largest employers in the state and drives significant demand for nearby office space from biotech companies, medical device firms, pharmaceutical representatives, clinical research organizations, and healthcare-focused professional services.

Office buildings in the UNMC corridor serve a specialized tenant base. Proximity to the hospital campus and research facilities is the primary draw, and tenants typically prioritize location over building amenities. Rents vary with building age and proximity to the main campus. The area has limited new office construction, which keeps vacancy relatively tight for well-located medical office space.

Pricing and Vacancy

The Midtown and Aksarben corridor runs at approximately 7% vacancy on current broker-report signals — in line with the metro-wide Q4 2025 reading of 7.3% (NAI NP Dodge; brokers range 7.3%–10.6% across building universes). Newer buildings in Aksarben Village have absorbed well, while some older Class B space in midtown carries higher vacancy as tenants migrate to renovated or newly built options. Per-corridor figures are directional — see our methodology for the underlying sources.

Submarket-level Class A and Class B asking-rent ranges shown on the headline card and on the Omaha office space pricing guide are directional estimates. Current quarterly broker reports do not publish granular sub-area rent breakouts for Aksarben Village, Blackstone, UNMC, or Midtown Crossing separately, so we don't publish specific per-sub-area dollar figures — request actual asking rents from landlords when touring space in each sub-area.

Tenant Profile

The Midtown and Aksarben corridor attracts a different tenant mix than downtown or the western suburbs. Startups and technology companies are drawn to Aksarben Village for its proximity to UNO and its modern, collaborative work environments. Creative agencies, architecture firms, and marketing companies favor the Blackstone District for its neighborhood character and walkable setting.

Medical and biotech tenants cluster near the UNMC campus, where proximity to the hospital and research facilities is a business necessity rather than a preference. Professional services firms, including accounting, consulting, and financial planning practices, occupy space throughout the corridor, often choosing midtown for its central location that splits the difference between downtown and the western suburbs.

Coworking and flexible office operators have established a presence in this submarket, reflecting the area's popularity with freelancers, remote workers, and early-stage companies. Understanding how different lease structures work can help tenants in this corridor evaluate whether traditional office space or a coworking arrangement is the better fit.

Is Midtown Right for Your Business?

Midtown and Aksarben work best for companies that value walkability, a mixed-use environment, and proximity to Omaha's educational and medical institutions. If your team skews younger or you are recruiting from UNO or Creighton, the Aksarben area offers a recruiting advantage. If your business benefits from a creative, neighborhood-oriented setting, the Blackstone District delivers that in a way no other Omaha submarket can.

The corridor is also a strong option for companies that need to split the difference geographically. Located roughly halfway between downtown and the western suburbs, midtown provides convenient access for employees and clients coming from either direction. For a broader view of how this corridor compares to other Omaha submarkets, visit our Omaha office space guide.

Local Dining & Entertainment

The Midtown and Aksarben corridors offer some of Omaha's most vibrant dining and nightlife, particularly along the Blackstone District's walkable stretch of Farnam Street.