Council approves purchase of 3 vacant Duranguito properties

El Paso City Council Tuesday voted to approve the purchase of three more properties in the Duranguito neighborhood, the area where the City plans to build a multipurpose arena.

The City will buy the vacant properties at 305 Chihuahua, 309 Chihuahua and 315 Chihuahua.

City Representative Alexsandra Annello was the only member of Council to vote against the purchases.

The City will purchase the properties without a clause stating the properties need to be demolished in order for the purchase to be finalized.

The property located at 309 Chihuahua was damaged by demolition crews before a last-minute restraining order filed against the City and the property owners.

The City and Historian Dr. Max Grossman are currently tangled in two other court cases related to the construction of the arena in Duranguito. One is pending in the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, the other in the Third Court of Appeals in Austin.

Tuesday, Grossman filed a lawsuit demanding the City Clerk place a proposed ordinance establishing a historical overlay in the Duranguito area on the ballot for the November 2018 general election.