City of El Paso hosting public meeting to discuss possible deck plaza over I-10
UPDATE: The open house community meeting revealed the estimated cost of the proposed project would be nearly $207 million.
ABC-7 spoke to El Pasoans in attendance in the meeting who told us their opinion on the Deck Plaza.
Timothy Dreyer, an El Pasoan in attendance, told ABC-7 he believes the project could be good for the community.
“I think that'll help stimulate some growth and some economic growth downtown, which is good for everybody," said Dreyer.
Nick Malaze, a Sunset Heights resident (area near the proposed project), said he's worried houses will be knocked out.
Among other concerns for him, including traffic, Malaze says he is skeptical of the project because of the lack of funding at the moment.
“It's a $200 million project that has zero funding secured at the moment,” said Malaze.
ABC-7 asked Joaquin Rodriguez, Director of Grant Funded Programs for the City of El Paso, where the funding could potentially come from.
“We've identified some grant programs that could help us get there, but ultimately, there probably will be a local contribution required,” said Rodriguez.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The City of El Paso and the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation invite the public to an open house community meeting to learn about the findings of the Phase I Feasibility Study for the Deck Plaza which will be over the I-10 in the Downtown Corridor.
The open house meeting will be on Tuesday, July 30th at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Civic Engagement on the 17th floor of the Blue Flame Building, at 304 Texas avenue, El Paso, Texas 79901. The city states their goal of the study is to explore the feasibility of creating a space that reflects El Paso’s rich heritage and culture.
"Projects like the Deck Plaza provide us with opportunities to dream big and this and other public meetings help us gather extraordinarily valuable feedback from the community,” said Joaquín Rodríguez, Grant Funded Programs Director. “This study allows us to understand how we can collectively improve our urban environment to better serve our residents." If you want to learn more about the design study, visit downtowndeckplaza.org.
