{"id":254841,"date":"2026-04-17T22:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/254841\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T22:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:37:37","slug":"el-paso-must-commit-6-million-to-downtown-deck-plaza-plan-el-paso-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/254841\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso must commit $6 million to Downtown deck plaza plan- El Paso Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

El Paso\u2019s city government would have to commit $6 million toward the proposed Interstate 10 Downtown deck plaza by October to unlock millions of dollars of additional federal funding that could advance the ambitious and controversial project.<\/p>\n

The urgency is tied to the Texas Department of Transportation\u2019s plans to widen and upgrade the trenched segment of I-10 that runs through Downtown. Deck plaza advocates are trying to match TxDOT\u2019s timeline so the five-block park over that stretch of I-10 \u2013 or at least its supporting infrastructure \u2013 could be built at the same time.<\/p>\n

The El Paso city and county governments this week signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Deck Plaza Foundation. The agreement will enable the foundation \u201cto more aggressively pursue private funding for this project, and also to establish clear roles and expectations of all partners in the project,\u201d said Ian Voglewede, the city\u2019s director of strategic and legislative affairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the agreement doesn\u2019t create specific funding obligations, it states that the city would own the deck park and the Deck Plaza Foundation would be responsible for operating and maintaining the park after construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city has to kick in $6 million to match a contribution of $22.5 million from the federal government toward the project. It\u2019s not yet clear yet from where that money would come. The City Council will vote on whether to allocate that sum toward the deck park in the coming months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TxDOT plans to solicit bids for the highway reconstruction in late 2027, but needs to know by October whether the deck plaza is well-funded and likely to come to fruition. That way, the agency can incorporate the deck project into its work and install the infrastructure needed to hold up the deck. In a presentation to City Council, the Deck Plaza Foundation said the retaining walls would go in around 2028, and it tentatively expects that construction would take place in 2032 \u2013 though officials have, at times, pushed back the timeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the deck plaza is to proceed, I believe that it will rely very heavily, if not entirely, on both state and federal funding, outside grants, as well as private philanthropic contributions. And this MOU allows for that possibility,\u201d District 8 city Rep. Chris Canales said Tuesday. \u201cThis would be a very good, very nice public amenity if the burden for it doesn\u2019t fall on El Paso taxpayers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"An aerial rendering depicting what the downtown deck plaza may look like. (Illustration courtesy of Paso Del Norte Community Foundation) <\/p>\n

How to pay for it?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Deck Plaza Foundation says it has put together just over $74 million in funding commitments so far, including:<\/p>\n

$1 million from the county that became available after a sewer-related project came in well under budget last year<\/p>\n

$3 million secured by El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar through the federal Community Project Funding program\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

$10 million from the Texas Legislature to pay for its design\u00a0<\/p>\n

$25 million from the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization \u2013 the transportation planning body for the El Paso and southern New Mexico region that receives most of its funding from the state and federal governments<\/p>\n

$35 million committed from private donors, according to Tracy Yellen, CEO of the Paso del Norte Foundation, which created the Deck Plaza Foundation to advocate for the project\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Deck Plaza Foundation plans to seek an additional $25 million allocation from the Texas Legislature next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even for the deck plaza\u2019s biggest supporters, it\u2019s difficult to parse exactly what tranches of funding are needed for the different phases of the project, and when each needs to be available. Part of that is because TxDOT has pushed back its own timeline for the highway widening project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The glaring lack of a clear cost estimate is a key reason that the deck plaza\u2019s funding plan remains murky. Opponents and supporters of the deck plaza commonly refer to the cost estimate that best supports their positions.<\/p>\n

Nearly two years ago, the Deck Plaza Foundation released a cost estimate of $207 million \u2013 with inflation \u2013 for the deck and the 6.5-acre park that will sit on it based on a study it paid a consulting firm to conduct.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opponents, however, refer to a different figure within that same study: $412 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Plaza Foundation has long maintained that the $205 million difference between those two is the estimated investment private developers would make to build 1,700 housing units next to the deck plaza when completed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Commissioners Court meeting this week, Yellen reiterated the reasons behind the two estimates. She noted potential park amenities could include playgrounds, a dog park, sports courts and an amphitheater.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other 1.7 acres that is adjacent to the park is an area that we have, hopefully, the potential to build the additional housing. That\u2019s the other $200 million,\u201d Yellen said. \u201cThat\u2019s not a cost of this project. That\u2019s an ancillary benefit \u2013 an immediate direct impact because of the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Tracy Yellen of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation discusses the downtown deck plaza proposal during a community meeting, July 30, 2024. (Corrie Boudreaux\/El Paso Matters)<\/p>\n

Other related cost estimates have floated around.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the $10 million it will cost to build center columns to help support the deck is included in the $207 million estimate, what\u2019s not included is the $32 million it could cost to build stronger, deeper retaining walls it would require along the highway expansion.<\/p>\n

That means the cost to build the deck plaza could approach $239 million. A different, more recent study<\/a> produced by the Deck Plaza Foundation estimated construction costs at $197 million in 2025 dollars. It\u2019s unclear if the higher $207 million estimate is due to inflation being factored in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, City Manager Dionne Mack told City Council on Tuesday that the city has no estimate for the total project cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a cost until we actually go do the design,\u201d Mack said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been very hesitant to publicly have those discussions and conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city has started designing the structural elements of the deck and is also trying to find funding to pay for the park amenities, Mack said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the amenity design is done, I think that gives us a good sense of what those costs and expenses are,\u201d Mack said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to have council believing anything other than the numbers that would be hard and fast to the construction documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview Tuesday, Voglewede said it\u2019s normal for the cost of a large construction project to become clearer as it advances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds more chaotic than it is,\u201d Voglewede said \u201cIt\u2019s a long-term construction project. We find that as we go through the design process, we get better and better numbers. So, it\u2019s just the nature of the beast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

On top of the $6 million from the city, there\u2019s still a $14.5 million gap the deck\u2019s supporters have to fill by October \u2013 although they\u2019ve begun lining up some federal dollars to meet that need, including the $3.15 million in federal funding that Escobar secured.<\/p>\n

If the Deck Plaza Foundation can come up with the $32 million by October, TxDOT would build the infrastructure needed to support the deck. Then, the foundation would have a few years to fundraise hundreds of millions more for construction of the park atop the deck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Support from city, elected officials?\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the majority of elected El Paso leaders support the project \u2013 including Escobar and state representatives \u2013 there have been some exceptions.<\/p>\n

The Commissioners Court on Monday voted 3-2 in favor of the MOU, with Commissioners Jackie Butler and Iliana Holguin voting against it. The City Council voted 7-1 in favor of the MOU, with District 7 city Rep. Lily Lim\u00f3n, a consistent critic of the deck plaza, voting against it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cQuality of life means what it looks like when you open your front door: your sidewalks, your streets, safety, lighting. Those, to my community, are what\u2019s important,\u201d said Lim\u00f3n, who represents a large swath of the Lower Valley. \u201cThis is not a community that is saying, \u2018Entertain me. I want to have fun, I want to do things.\u2019 There\u2019s many, many things to do in our city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The five-block-long deck park could create more demand for housing and more businesses in Downtown, supporters say. And the deck\u2019s backers largely believe that having big amenities could help El Paso either attract or retain young families and professionals who might otherwise move elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have families, we have people that have moved back to our community from bigger cities. And we are also in the process of expanding our Downtown convention center. There\u2019s just a lot of things that are happening,\u201d District 1 city Rep. Alejandra Chavez said. \u201cWe want to give this a chance by going into this MOU and seeing if we can fundraise the money without burdening the taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s financial officers have said the city is facing a widening budget gap<\/a>, with expenses expected to rise by more than $145 million over the next five years \u2013 largely driven by public safety costs. City leaders are already looking for ways to increase revenues to pay for streets, parks and other services, as they begin to work on the next fiscal year\u2019s budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mack, who has at times been skeptical of the deck plaza, said a recent public survey on parks use shows there\u2019s demand for more public spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is huge growth in the amount of participation that we\u2019re seeing in our two existing parks in the Downtown area,\u201d Mack said, referring to San Jacinto Plaza and Cleveland Square Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur larger park areas \u2026 are really considered our gathering spaces, and are really almost over-utilized in terms of people being able to interact and engage and take advantage of our wonderful weather,\u201d she said during the council meeting Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Timeline, details<\/p>\n

Yellen said the Deck Plaza Foundation would operate and maintain the park after construction with private dollars. However, the city would be responsible for maintaining the tunnel beneath the park as well as \u201clife-safety infrastructure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mack was unsure how much that would cost the city, but said the city of Dallas pays $3.8 million annually for similar responsibilities for its deck park.<\/p>\n

Voglewede said City Council will have to vote to approve each additional step in the project, and can back out along the way if funding doesn\u2019t materialize.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The deck project has not won tens of millions of dollars in federal and state grants supporters sought over the last year. Critics say the MOU will create pressure on the city and county to commit local taxpayer dollars toward the project in the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis MOU may not bind the city financially today,\u201d Lim\u00f3n said, \u201cbut it binds us to a naive, unrealistic dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

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