Council Approves Development Of Old Farah Building
by ABC-7 Reporter Darren Hunt
EL PASO, Texas — El Paso City Council has cleared the way for the demolition of the old Farah building near Cielo Vista Mall and the building of a new shopping center.
Council spent more than five hours discussing this issue Tuesday before taking the vote. And when that vote was tied 4-4, it all came down to Mayor John Cook:
“I thought there was enough assurances that the cannibalization issue was addressed adequately,” Cook said, referring to the concern that the new shopping center would take existing stores from other existing properties.
That was the big issue, whether extending tax incentives to Regency-Foster would create an uneven playing field and cause big name stores to move from Cielo Vista Mall to the new shopping center.
“That will leave a lot of hollow centers in and around town,” said Rod Vosper, who represents Simon Property Group, which owns Cielo Vista and Sunland Park malls.
He disagreed with the city’s decision to give Regency-Foster tax incentives for stores that choose to re-locate to the new shopping center, as long as those stores are under 30,000 square feet.
“We’re certainly disappointed,” Vosper said. “The 30,000 square foot provision does nothing to protect the aggregation of a lot of small shops and restaurant tenants, pulling them out because the majority of the tenants of the centers in that limited district are less than 30,000 square feet.”
Representatives Ann Morgan Lilly, Melina Castro, Rachel Quintana and Eddie Holguin all voted against incentives for the new shopping center. Susie Byrd, Emma Acosta, Steve Ortega and Beto O’rourke voted yes, with Mayor Cook breaking the tie.
Paul Foster didn’t stay for the vote, but did show up Tuesday to tell council to vote based on the merits of the proposal.
“The ones that were opposing were either uninformed or misinformed,” said West Miller of Regency-Foster. “The mayor understood it very well.”
Most members of council were just glad it was finally over.
“It’s been going on for nine months,” Acosta said. “It’s almost like having a baby.”
And the labor is not over yet. On Monday, County Commissioners will vote on whether to extend another $4 million in tax incentives to Regency-Foster.
