El Paso business leaders rally for $207 million Downtown Deck Plaza project

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — Business leaders have voiced their support for the proposed Downtown Deck Plaza. One leader said it’s vital for the future of El Paso’s economy.

“People who are not from El Paso, that we’re trying to recruit, it’s virtually impossible,” said Mark Osborn, VP of the Downtown Management District – a prominent business group – and the CEO of the Kemp Smith law firm. “For our young people, El Paso has become an unattractive place to be. Because of the quality of life in our city and we have not invested in ourselves.”

Osborn was one of several business leaders who appeared in front of the County Commissioners Court to lobby for their support of the project. The Plaza would cost roughly $207 million and is meant to transform the section of I-10 that splits Downtown El Paso into a series of parks and public areas. Osborn said the idea has worked well in other cities.

“Look at Dallas in the growth of the residential housing surrounding their park, their Deck Park Plaza that they finished was just unbelievable, like in the next five or six years, and we can do the same thing.”

Osborn pointed to the Klyde Warren Park project in Dallas, which cost about $110 million. The Federal Highway Administration said the project generated $2.5 billion in returns for the area. Osborn said El Paso has to make the investment.

Those things are not cheap, they’re not inexpensive, they’re not easy to do, but they can make generational changes for our city.

It’s still unclear what sources of funding the project would draw from, but supporters hope for a mix of public and private funding.

RECOMMENDED: El Pasoans show strong support for $207 million Downtown Deck Plaza project

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