A sizable segment of downtown El Paso may be subject to redevelopment depending upon responses to a new proposed Request for Qualifications.
Altogether, exactly 17 properties that are owned by the City may be subject for redevelopment and are located on a block near the intersection of Chihuahua Street and E. Paisano Drive in the historic Duranguito neighborhood.
According to a release issued by the City on February 14, some $128 million in bond funding was freed by El Paso voters last November when they approved cancelling that funding for the building of what has officially been called the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility.
The RFQ, which first must win the approval of the El Paso City Council, will ask for ideas on the preservation of “historic facades and architecture character,” as well as enhancing the “public realm with green spaces and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.”
An additional goal of the RFQ is to “create new housing opportunities, including affordable units,” while also hoping to build “ground-floor spaces with retail, entertainment, and cultural spaces.”
Ideally, the city also hopes that the RFQ will attract “diverse industries, including education, arts, research, and technology.”
If approved by the city council, the RFQ is expected to be officially released sometime in mid-March.
The Duranguito neighborhood traces its roots to at least 1859 with many of its small one- and two-story commercial buildings and homes built between the 1880s and 1920s.
February 18, 2025
By Garry Boulard
