NY Times: “Baseball Stadium Bolsters El Paso’s Resurgence”

Staccato explosions cracked across the cloudless desert sky, to be drowned out by a deeper rumble that shook the earth as this city’s 10-story former City Hall came rolling down upon its foundation in a blinding cloud of dust and debris in mid-April.

In its place, crews are already racing to build a $50 million baseball stadium for El Paso’s new Triple-A minor league baseball team, which is scheduled to begin playing games there next season.

The stadium project has become the focal point of an urban revitalization effort, centered on the central business district but extending to other parts of the city. In November, El Pasoans voted nearly three to one to authorize $473 million in bond issues that will finance more than 85 public improvement projects.

Those range from parks, pools and recreation projects to a children’s museum, Hispanic cultural center and multipurpose performing arts center. The baseball stadium isn’t part of the bond program, but voters approved a 2 percent increase in the city’s hotel occupancy tax to help pay for its construction.

“This is more than a redevelopment plan for downtown,” said Joyce Wilson, El Paso’s city manager. “It’s really an economic and community development plan for the entire city that includes a comprehensive focus on downtown.”

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