By Matthew Guzman
Much has been printed in local media recently in opposition to the Downtown deck plaza. The widening of I-10. The Downtown arena. The Meta data center. The construction of Southwest University Park before that. It doesn’t end there, but you get the point.
There seems to be a group in opposition to just about everything these days. But are these voices – those who seemingly wish for time to stop, for our city to stagnate, and for the world to pass us by – the only voices in the city? Or are they just the loudest?
As a proud resident of the historic Sunset Heights neighborhood, my experiences and conversations with people both young and old are in direct opposition to everything I read. The residents that I talk to are ready for progress, ready for a new mindset that can catapult our city into a new era.
They are ready to leave behind the small-town thinking that has kept our population growing at an abysmal annual average of 0.7% from 2010 to 2020, the slowest growth rate the city has seen in 80 years. That growth trend has had a dire impact on our public school enrollments and funding.
Meanwhile, during that same period, cities from our region like Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin, and Denver have transformed themselves and consistently outpaced the growth of El Paso. But why? What are the hurdles to growth?
There was great opposition to the Chihuahuas’ stadium – a project that most El Pasoans now consider a great public amenity. There was opposition to the WestStar building – something seen as a beacon of our city’s untapped potential for growth.
There is opposition to building a Downtown arena – one that was already approved by voters — to prevent the demolition of “historic” buildings that seem to be in the midst of their own self-destruction due to a decades-long lack of investment and neglect.
The Downtown deck plaza is the newest point of contention for those that wish for El Paso to stick with the status quo.
The cost of the project is the most common refrain heard from those who oppose it. But what they don’t consider is the cost of saying “no.” No to investment. No to change. No to growth.
Thanks to public and private investment, our Downtown is now beginning to resemble a thriving metropolitan area. The hotels, museums, ballpark, and library all took investment, leadership, and vision. Without those things, a city cannot prosper.
The youngest members of our city deserve access to parks and green spaces, the arts, and quality education. Our older members deserve access to walkable areas, public transportation, and quality health care.
A project like the deck plaza will help our city attract and – just as important – retain the skilled physicians, engineers, educators, etc., we need to improve and sustain a higher quality of life for everyone. A vibrant city center with a deck plaza connecting a historic neighborhood to Downtown with its growing number of modern amenities would be a significant upgrade to El Paso’s resumé.
We have a generational opportunity to transform the center of our city. We can be the ones to plant the trees for future generations to enjoy. We just need to have the vision and understand that growth requires investment and that we cannot continue to stand still while the cities around us move forward.
Let’s be the ones to build the proverbial – and literal – bridge between El Paso’s past and its future. The naysayers say we can’t afford to build the deck plaza. I say we can’t afford not to.
Matthew Guzman is the executive director of a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to El Paso County residents facing economic hardship.
The post Opinion: Don’t let naysayers hold El Paso back appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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