UPDATE: City Council Approves $100M Revitalization Plan

By Darren Hunt

EL PASO — City Council approved a plan on Tuesday to fund $100 million to revitalize both the Lower Dyer and Chamizal neighborhoods beginning in the nexttwo to threeyears.

Plenty of applause followed the unanimous vote in council chambers and residents expressed eager anticipation for the work to begin. For Lower Dyer, the area thatfills fromU.S. Hwy 54 to Justus St. east to west and Hayes Ave. to Van Buren north to south will be one neighborhood impacted by these funds.

For the Chamizal area, the space between U.S. Hwy 54-Laurel and Texas Blvd. east to west and Alameda-Paisano for north to south boundaries will be the extent of the revitalization plan.

In order for the plan to be greenlighted, the areas had qualify as ‘distressed neighborhoods’ under certain criteria. The criteria are:

70% of residents must be categorized as ‘low to moderate income’ 33% of residents had fall below the ‘poverty level’

In the areas targeted for redevelopment, more than 40% of Lower Dyer residents fit those criteria and nearly 60% of Chamizal residents.

Funding will come from both public and private grants and will be earmarked to fight crime, promote youthprograms, improve/repair housing and encourage new home purchasing in those areas.

In the Chamizal neighborhood particularly, Mayor John Cook and District representative Beto O’Rourke said the changes couldn’t be more opportune.

“That’s one of the oldest areas of El Paso and certainly in need of a concentrated effort to revitalize the area,” Mayor Cook said.

“You have heavy industrial, you have industrial recycling, you have adult bookstores next to daycares, homes and schools, we need to correct a lot of these problems,” O’Rourke added.

For the Lower Dyer neighborhoods, the anticipation of thousands of troop families filling and encircling Fort Bliss, the revitalization plans were equally cheered. Residents agreed with City Manager Joyce Wilsonthat the changes are welcomed and a long time coming.

“We are aware the Dyer street area has long been passed over, ignored and neglected,” said resident Lydia Gonzalez.

“We can deliver on this and you can see an impact and benefit and it won’t be 10 or 15 years from now. We can start seeing things in 24 to 36 months,” Wilson said.

The prospect of troops and now this funding for the area brings hope to two areas of El Paso that residents and city officials agreed desperately need it.