‘It’s a domino effect’: Las Cruces searches for solutions as businesses close on El Paseo

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Once a busy and bustling stretch of Las Cruces, business owners say they've watched El Paseo Road greatly deteriorate in the past decade.

“It’s a domino effect," explained Gabe Vasquez, the city councilman tasked with beautifying the road. "We’ve seen so many vacant buildings. We’ve seen break-ins. We’ve unfortunately seen the decline of El Paseo over the last several years. Really, over the last decade.”

"I'd love to see El Paseo come back," said Bonnie Hosie, who was shopping at Walgreens on Monday afternoon. "It's such an important commercial space for all of us who live in this part of Las Cruces. We don't all live out on the east Mesa!"

"It used to be a thriving area," explained Danette Melton, whose parents have owned Flowerama for thirty years. "We've just opted to stay here through thick and thin, through openings and closings."

Melton told ABC-7 that she has had to clean human feces from her property, at times calling law enforcement to remove trespassers.

"We actually contemplated moving a location, but everybody knows where Flowerarama is," Melton said. "Our fear is that people wouldn’t be able to find us if we actually moved.”

Vasquez might be on his way out of office, but he is urging the city to act on the road. He told ABC-7 that he chairs a committee which has formed several ideas how to revitalize El Paseo Road and South Solano Drive.

“This is going to be a labor of love, but we have to stay on the ball and we have to continue to target this area for redevelopment," the councilman said.

"Back in the nineties, El Paseo was the street for business," said Mayor Ken Miyagishima.

He also told ABC-7 that he wants to become involved in the project, but that if south Solano is included, he must recuse himself because his insurance office is located in that part of town.

Vasquez said the first project the city will undertake is a 400-unit affordable housing complex behind the vacant Video 4 building. The "Paseos Verdes" project will also have a retail and commercial component, in partnership with the Mesilla Valley Housing Authority and ideally, federal funding.

"Hopefully, five years from now, we'll be standing in a thriving business, with a parking lot full of people," Vasquez said. "The restoration of El Paseo really restores the spirit and heart of Las Cruces."