EL PASO, Texas – (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 El Paso is seeking $2.4 million in federal funding to help move forward with the proposed Downtown Deck Plaza project, a major redevelopment effort that supporters say could draw significant tourism and long-term economic activity to the city\u2019s urban core.<\/p>\n
The request is being made through Congresswoman Veronica Escobar. <\/p>\n
If the federal funding is approved, the city would add $300,000 to the investment, and another $300,000 would come from the Deck Plaza Foundation.<\/p>\n
The foundation recently released an economic impact study projecting the Deck Plaza \u201cwill attract 1 million visitors annually and generate 1 billion in economic activity over a 30-year period,\u201d said Nicole Ruiz, the Deck Plaza Foundation\u2019s communication and public engagement lead.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Elevate the 10 campaign launched to build community input for downtown deck plaza<\/a><\/p>\n The Downtown Deck Plaza is one of six projects for which the city is requesting federal funding under the Community Project Funding Program, which allows federal legislators to request federal funds for local projects. <\/p>\n Agenda documents list March 20 as the deadline for submissions to Congresswoman Escobar.<\/p>\n Ruiz said the project currently has $74.5 million of the projected $207 million total cost, though that figure could change after design.<\/p>\n Design is expected to cost $20 million, with a total of $2 million coming from El Paso County and the city, $10 million from the state, and the remaining $8 million from a grant that has not been approved yet.<\/p>\n Ruiz said the project does not need all funding commitments at once. <\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t have to have all the funding at once. So we can if we phase this, if we take a phased approach for this project, we have time to keep getting those funding commitments,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cBy moving forward one phase at a time, we can make this project a reality for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n City Council is expected to discuss approving the funding request for the Deck Plaza and five other projects later this morning.<\/p>\n FULL PRESENTATION:<\/p>\n RELATED: El Paso’s downtown deck plaza project advances with $25M recommendation<\/a><\/p>\n