City of El Paso ends years of litigation in fight to build downtown arena
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The city of El Paso has moved to end the legal fight to build a multipurpose center in the Duranguito area.
On Thursday, it filed a motion before the Texas Supreme Court asking it to consider a pending case moot.
“After the El Paso City council recently took action regarding that project, the City no longer wishes to pursue its petition,” read the motion.
This particular case – one among several filed by either the city or by architectural historian Max Grossman– was the only one the state’s Supreme Court had accepted. Other cases had been either rejected or didn’t reach the state’s highest civil court. Grossman wants to preserve the area, El Paso’s first neighborhood.
The city filed its lengthy argument in the 5-year-old case with the Texas Supreme court in November. Just two months later, council voted to abandon its plan to build an arena in the Duranguito area.
Two newly-elected city representatives, Chris Canales and Art Fierro joined Alexsandra Annello and Joe Molinar in the majority. Representatives Cassandra Hernandez, Isabel Salcido and Henry Rivera voted to keep the arena in Duranguito. Newly-elected representative Brian Kennedy abstained, citing a potential conflict of interest.
The city has said it spent at least $3.3 million in legal challenges related to the multipurpose center.
Grossman’s legal fight was largely supported by J.P. Bryan, a Houston oilman and renowned preservationist. They won’t disclose how much they spent.
