More than a year after scrapping the site for the controversial Downtown arena project, the City Council is poised to choose the Union Depot area as the alternative choice.
City Council Tuesday will vote whether to approve the Union Depot area of Downtown El Paso for the $180 million multipurpose cultural and performing arts center – the last signature bond project approved by voters in 2012 that has yet to get underway.
The Union Depot property on San Francisco Avenue – just west of the ballpark and adjacent to West Paisano Drive – serves as the Amtrak Train Station and a bus maintenance hub used by Greyhound and El Paso County. There are no homes or apartments in the proposed area.
The city is looking at this site near Union Depot in Downtown El Paso as a site for a long-planned arena.
The site is blocks away from the Duranguito neighborhood where the city initially planned to build the project. The most visible building in the proposed area is the Union Depot with its red brick tower and green steeple.
The agenda summary states that if the item is approved, the city manager will hire consultants for additional conceptual development of the design and develop a community engagement process as well as conduct an archeological survey of the site as part of the next steps in the process.
Former city Rep. Alexsandra Annello said the plan may be to build the arena on the west side of the property to keep the historic building intact and to maintain contracts with Amtrak.
In January 2023, the city abruptly voted to scrap the controversial Duranguito neighborhood located in the Union Plaza area of Downtown El Paso that had been stalled by years of litigation.
El Paso Matters reported in October that city staff were considering Sun Metro properties, including the Union Depot, as possible alternatives for the embattled project.
The council in December voted to ease the architectural design and building guidelines for future development of the Union Plaza area that includes the Union Depot.
The city has about $153 million remaining in its budget for the Downtown arena.
The post City Council to vote on Union Depot site for Downtown arena appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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