Second attempt at downtown historic survey to be considered by county

Downtown EL Paso currently has a couple dozen historic buildings registered nationally, but people like Max Grossman with the El Paso County Historical Commission want to greatly expand that. Their plan includes sweetening the deal for building owners with a new historic survey to be discussed Monday by county commissioners.

“Our plan, once it’s completed, will bring an additional seven or eight hundred buildings under the umbrella of those tax credits,” Grossman said.

The initial cost to the county is about $140,000, but with other grant and funding requirements written into Monday’s agenda item, advocates argue it would be worth it. That, and the economic and redevelopment impact it could have on downtown.

“Because (building owners are) eligible for tax credits, federal and state, that would pay for up to 45 percent of renovating them,” Grossman said. “These are the most generous tax credits of their type in the history of Texas for sure.”

There had been previous concerns about the impact on developers when such a survey was considered at city council that led to its rejection there. But Grossman said the survey won’t force owners to do anything, but that it will make it easier for those that are looking to do more.

“Here’s the beautiful thing,” Grossman said. “Once a national historic district is established in downtown El Paso, it brings no regulatory burden. If you own a building in that district, you can tear it down, paint it purple, completely up to you. But you won’t want to, because with those tax credits in place, more likely than not you’ll want to restore the building and bring it back to it’s original condition.”

County commissioners will meet Monday at 9:30 am at the El Paso County Courthouse.