EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — It has been over a decade since the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility — more commonly referred to as the Downtown Arena — was approved by voters in the 2012 Quality of Life bond, yet the project remains in limbo.
Three city council representatives are now calling for a proposition on the November general election ballot to ask voters to decide if the city should ditch the project altogether.
City representatives Chris Canales, Brian Kennedy and Art Fierro are leading the effort to get the proposition on the Nov. 5 ballot. The item is on the agenda for city council to discuss next Tuesday.
The full text of the agenda item reads as follows: “Discussion and action to direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance ordering an election on the November 5, 2024 uniform election date to permit voters to determine whether to revoke the City’s authority to issue the 2012 Quality of Life bonds that have not yet been sold or delivered; and to direct the City Manager and City Attorney to undertake all actions necessary to defease and/or redeem all or a portion of the outstanding 2012 Quality of Life bonds issued to fund the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility project.”
City Rep. Canales, who posted the item, feels that the time is right to ask the voters how and if they want the project to proceed after years of failing to break ground.
“Voters have been waiting twelve long years since the passage of the 2012 Quality of Life Bond election for some resolution on the MPC project, and after so much time they should have their voices heard again at the ballot box,” said Canales. “In the more than a decade since the MPC project was first approved, the project has, through a series of high-profile headwinds and hang-ups, morphed into something that no longer resembles the initial concept. The reality now, in 2024, is that there is nowhere near the amount of funding required to deliver an ‘arena’. A project of that scale would cost something in the range of $400-$500 million, not the $128 million remaining in unsold bonds.”
The item’s cosponsors agree that, given the developments in recent years, the voters should have a new say in the process of determining the future of the project and whether or not it should continue.
“I have consistently opposed spending more money on the Multi-Purpose Center (MPC) than what voters approved in the 2012 election,” said Fierro. “While I originally supported and voted for the MPC, numerous constituents, along with community and business leaders, have raised concerns about its location and size. Most importantly, this project has been underfunded from the start. Given these ongoing issues, I believe the fairest approach is to let the community decide the next steps for the MPC.”
If city council approves the agenda item, the process will be set in motion for the proposition to appear on the ballot in the November general election, though one final approval from city council will still be needed at a future meeting.
In February, city council proposed a new site for the Downtown Arena around the historic Union Depot. That proposal, which has since stalled, comes after halting the process in January 2023, when initial project plans were to build the arena in the Duranguito neighborhood. The City of El Paso has also entered into a public-private partnership with Noves Live, Inc., for a 12,500-seat outdoor amphitheater on 17 acres at the Cohen Stadium site in Northeast El Paso.
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