County commissioners to vote on making downtown El Paso an historic district

Right now there are 25 buildings in downtown El Paso that are listed on the register of historic places.

Come Monday, that could change to 928 buildings if El Paso County commissioners pass a vote.

Some feel if the vote passes it could help downtown prosper, but others disagree and say it could hinder some development in the area.

It doesn’t take much to see there’s new development in downtown but a vote by commissioners court Monday could bring new life to the old.

“The county is poised to create a national registered district. That district will extend from St. Patrick Cathedral all the way to the river,” said historic preservationist Max Grossman.

Right now there are seven nationally registered historic districts in the area.

If the vote passes all downtown would be considered a historic district.

“It frees up tax credits that can pay for up to 45 percent of the cost of renovating these buildings without a dime of local money,” Grossman said.

But the city argues downtown being designated as a historic district as a whole would be a disadvantage.

“We do believe it’s the property owner who should be responsible for initiating the process,” said executive director of the downtown management district Joe Gudenrath.

Gudenrath said the designations work for big money makers like the Aloft hotel, but smaller businesses could struggle.

“It does take some resources, attorneys, fees and accountants to capitalize on those tax credits,” Gudenrath said.

Historic preservationist Max Grossman disagrees and says it has worked in other cities for years.

“All we have to do is replicate the gigantic economic successes of San Antonio, Galveston, Austin virtually every other city in Texas they’ve had these districts for years and the economy is somewhere between 5 and 10 billion dollars,” Grossman said.

County commissioners are expected to vote on Monday 17, the meeting begins at 9:30 a.m.