City Council solidifies agreement for Sunset Amphitheater construction
Update: City Council passed the measures 4-3.
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- City Council is set to vote on an agreement today that will move forward the construction of the Sunset Amphitheater, a major entertainment venue at the Cohen Entertainment District in Northeast El Paso.
The item on today’s agenda will authorize the City Manager to sign an agreement with Notes Live Inc., the project partner. This agreement includes the sale of a 17-acre property located at the northeast corner of Cohen Avenue and Gateway Boulevard North.
The contract with Notes Live Inc. includes a commitment from the company to invest at least $80 million in the project and to host at least 40 national touring events each year.
ABC-7 spoke to Karina Brasgalla, Interim Director for the Economic and International Development Department, who explained the city will provide nearly $31 million in incentives in return, including property tax rebates, sales and use tax rebates, and fee waivers. These incentives are expected to be recovered within 20 years, with the land conveyance cost estimated to be recovered within seven years.
The city council vote set for today follows a month-long delay, pending the city's Economic and International Development Department parking and traffic study to ensure both the city and Notes Live understood the project boundaries and improvement costs.
“One of the big goals of the Cohen Entertainment district was to make sure that we have kind of year round all day activities. So not just on a concert night. We don't want it to be completely dead. We want there to be a wide variety of kind of family and entertainment options that folks can go to,” said Brasgalla.
The project is anticipated to generate a $5.4 billion economic impact over 20 years, with both direct and indirect effects.
Direct impacts include sales taxes collected from purchases at the venue, benefiting the city, county, and school districts.
Indirect impacts come from visitors spending money on hotels, restaurants, and other activities, as well as the jobs created by the amphitheater. It will also include a portion of local sales tax that will support Sun Metro and utility franchise fees, creating multiple revenue streams for the city and offsetting the burden on residential taxpayers.
If the agreement is signed today, it will put the amphitheater on track to open by March 2026.
Stay with ABC-7 for updates on the City Council's decision and further developments on the Sunset Amphitheater project.
