Appeals court suspends demolition of Duranguito neighborhood

An appeals court in Austin has suspended a permit that would allow the City of El Paso to demolish parts of the Duranguito neighborhood in Downtown El Paso.

The permit would have allowed the city to demolition any building within the proposed arena site.

On Thursday, Jan. 3, construction crews escorted by police were spotted surveying the site.

In mid-October of 2018, the director of the Texas Historic Commission granted a permit that would allow the city to move forward with the demolition of the buildings, but historic preservationist Max Grossman sued the agency in November citing a violation of two state laws.

At 6:45 p.m. Jan. 3, Grossman was notified the permit was suspended.

“This is a pretty big deal for us,” Grossman said. “We were quite a bit worried and I think we’re all feeling relieved.”

Grossman told ABC-7 the suspension ends Jan. 14. It means nothing can be demolished for at least 10 days of more.