Council Expected To Vote On Study For Proposed Plaza

by Martin Bartlett

EL PASO — City Council members are expected to vote to determine if a portion of Mills Avenue Downtown should be turned into a pedestrian plaza.

The portion in consideration stretches from Oregon Street near San Jacinto Plaza to the front of the Plaza Theatre. The council will also consider closing off an alley near thestreet, city officials said.

Developers said the purpose of the new pedestrian area is to allow people to walk back and forth between buildings that are slated for redevelopment.

Their request that city council vote on a study for the proposal was filed just hours before the plan was made public Friday night. City leaders said this was because they have been working with developers on the plan for months.

Deputy City Manager Pat Adauto said these are actually some of the final notes in a long symphony of cooperation between the city and developers. “It’s a way to help [the developers] navigate the process,” she said.

Adauto said this fits right in with the controversial Downtown Redevelopment Plan commissioned by the Paso Del Norte Group.

Opponents of the redevelopment plan said they would welcome the addition of the new plaza because its proposed plan does not use eminent domain.