Hoppe Development Leads Suburban Shift in Affordable Housing with Tallgrass Project
Hoppe Development’s Innovative Approach to Affordable Housing in Nebraska
Hoppe Development, led by CEO Jake Hoppe, is at the forefront of reshaping how affordable housing is delivered in Nebraska. At the Reignite2Unite summit on housing innovation, Jake Hoppe presented his firm’s ambitious Tallgrass project—a 35-acre mixed-income neighborhood in Papillion, located within the larger 440-acre Oak Leaf development. This marks a significant step in integrating affordable housing into suburban settings, a contrast to the more common inner-city focus.
Tallgrass will feature approximately 600 housing units, with a combination of market-rate and affordable options, including rental and for-sale homes. The affordable units are aimed at residents earning 60% or less of the area median income. This development model is a deliberate move by Hoppe to address the housing affordability crisis by offering mixed-income communities in desirable areas with strong schools, job access, and infrastructure.
What sets Tallgrass apart is not just its scale but its location in Sarpy County—one of Nebraska’s most affluent and fastest-growing areas. Jake Hoppe emphasized that placing affordable housing in suburban communities provides lower-income families better opportunities to succeed, breaking cycles of poverty by integrating them into thriving environments. Hoppe's father and company principal, Fred Hoppe, echoed this philosophy, stating that solving housing challenges requires developments that serve diverse income levels at scale.
Hoppe Development’s success in this area is informed by its prior project, Foxtail Meadows in Lincoln, a similarly structured mixed-income neighborhood. Drawing inspiration from inner-city initiatives like Seventy Five North and Canopy South, Hoppe adapted the concept to a suburban greenfield, securing early land acquisition and funding to maintain control and design consistency.
Funding for Tallgrass includes support from federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, state development grants, and a $2 million loan from Front Porch Investments' innovation fund. In addition, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha is partnering with Hoppe to build 30 for-sale row houses. Hoppe acknowledges the importance of addressing service gaps—such as transportation and childcare—that come with building in newer suburban areas, and says plans include a commercial town center, trails, and possibly a school.
Jake Hoppe’s leadership demonstrates a proactive, scalable, and community-minded solution to Nebraska’s housing needs—proving that affordable housing can be done differently, successfully, and with long-term impact.