Project Encourages Development In Central El Paso

El Paso continues to grow as businesses and residents pack up and move to the outskirts of the city. But with this growth comes decay, as many of the structures left behind become abandoned.

“All you have to do is drive around the central core of El Paso, and you’ll see there’s a significant number of vacant lands that sits in really good neighborhoods that needs to be redeveloped,” said David Samaniego, a liaison with El Paso’s Planning and Economic Development Department.

The city’s Planning and Economic Development Department has developed a project aimed to rebuild those vacant and blighted areas of the city, particularly in Central El Paso. The In-fill Development Incentive Project offers a five-year tax break, planning fee waivers and sales tax rebates to developers who transform the empty plots of land.

“With this incentive, it’s a chance to bring new development to the land, make the neighborhood a lot more attractive and also bring new rental housing into the area,” said Samaniego. “This incentive really helps fill that gap, that financial gap.”

Eligible projects include low-income single-family housing, multiple housing units, commercial space and retail properties.

For more information on the project, call 541-4670.