Entertainment, retail project being developed for 30-acre site near I-10, Zaragoza

The city of El Paso has big plans for a 30-acre site near the corner of I-10 and Zaragoza Road.

City officials are in negotiations with a company to turn the vacant lot into a large retail and entertainment district.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, representatives created a Memorandum of Understanding between the city of El Paso and the First Hartford Realty Corporation to develop a tax incentive package.

The city is expected to take final action on the item in one month.

The project, near the Blackie Chesher Park, is one close to the heart for City Rep. Claudia Ordaz.

“At one point is was almost going to be a hotel, which would have been horrible. Or it was going to be one of those stand alone emergency clinics,” Ordaz said. “It’s (now) going to be a combination of retail and entertainment. It’s going to be a great place for families of all ages.”

Representatives from the First Hartford Realty group were present at the City Council meeting.

“We are in the preliminary stages of this. In one month we are going to take final action on this item. What we did (today) was create a Memorandum of Understanding with First Hartford because we are also working with another group right now. So we are making sure that everything is working concurrently and we are working simultaneously,” Ordaz said.

The land has been vacant for decades.

“This has been a long-awaited project that we have worked so hard on. Not just me. Staff understands how important this area is. There is the visibility right off I-10. It is the gateway into the valley,” Ordaz said.