Land involved with Great Wolf Lodge in the spotlight again: Developer wants to tax residents
The two plots of land that are part of a land swap regarding a proposed resort coming to El Paso are once again in the spotlight. The developer for the land in Northeast El Paso wants permission to tax residents and businesses.
The city traded that 2,300-acre plot of undeveloped land in northeast El Paso, for a 55-acre plot of developed land in Northwest El Paso, the future location of the Great Wolf Lodge.
Now the developer for that land in the Northeast, a company owned by El Paso billionaire Paul Foster, is asking the city to create a special district that will help pay to develop the land.
It’s called a Municipal Management District and it’s on City Council’s agenda to send to the state of Texas for approval.
The 2,300-acres are near the corner of McCombs Street and Stan Robert Senior Ave.
The land valued at 18.6 million dollars, was part of the Great Wolf Lodge land swap. The city traded it for a 55-acre plot of land near the new West Town Center, where they plan to build the Great Wolf Lodge.
FSW investments is asking the city to create a municipal management district, or an MDD, that will give the developer authority to tax residents and businesses within the district. according to Elizabeth Triggs, the city’s assistant director of economic development, these types of districts are created to help fund infrastructure costs, like roads and sewer systems that are initially paid for by the developer.
The same type of district was created in Montecillo, a lively area that features bars, restaurants and apartment complexes was once an empty plot of undeveloped land.
ABC 7 reached out to Paul Foster to see what his plans are for the 2,300-acres in the Northeast if the MMD is approved, and he said that he is not ready to comment just yet on what he has in mind.
The MMD is on the agenda for City Council’s Tuesday meeting, but according to Triggs, it’s only a resolution to authorize staff to initiate the creation process of the MMD with the Texas State legislature which convenes on Tuesday.
