City asking for input on possible Cincinnati Entertainment District redesign
The Cincinnati Entertainment District near the University of Texas at El Paso on the west side has gone through some ups and downs in the recent past. Now the city is working to change it for the better, and they want to know what you think should happen.
“It’s the best way that the city can move forward in looking at planning and creating an attractive place for pedestrians and for businesses as well,” said City Rep. Peter Svarzbein.
Svarzbein and city staff are working with community members to develop ideas on what a redesign of the Cincinnati Street area near Mesa Street could look like.
“What is happening is that we recognize that there are certain things that need to happen on the intersection of Cincinnati and Mesa, Oregon, and Stanton,” said Carlos Gallinar, deputy director for city planning. “First and foremost, increase the safety aspect of that intersection for folks traveling from the parking garage or UTEP on to the retail or commercial part of Cincinnati Street.”
The overall idea is to transform the Cincinnati area by starting with the street itself. It would start by changing it from being vehicle-focused to making it more accessible for pedestrians, bikes and other uses like holding events. Another focus would be getting people not just to park on the street, but to start using the Glory Road parking structure that’s just a block away.
“And so what will happen after this,” Gallinar said, “after we’ve gotten community input is – and we’ve had several meetings over the past several months – is that we will then take this information and give it to the engineering firm that will scope out the project.”
With things like wider sidewalks, more trees and benches and more iconic signage for the area up for discussion, business owners like Ahmed Orozco of Kopi Coffee said there is potential to do some good. For its part, the city has already committed $1.5 million to make it happen.
“I think it seems great what we’ve talked about so far,” Orozco said. “They’ve laid out three options for us as far as the closure goes. But we’re also taking into account the trolley going through there. So that plays a big factor on us as well.”
With planning for the future in mind, groundbreaking on the new project is expected in four to five months. There will be one final community meeting on the redesign, planned for later this year in august. The exact details on that meeting will be released later.
