El Paso council directs city manager to analyze funding for downtown I‑10 Deck Plaza; adds TIRZ No.5 position request

The El Paso City Council on Feb. 3 directed the city manager to analyze local, state and federal funding sources that could support design and construction of a proposed Downtown I‑10 Deck Plaza and voted to request a formally adopted position from Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) No. 5 about potential boundary expansion and use of TIRZ funds.

The action followed a multi-hour staff briefing and public-engagement summary about the FY‑21 RAISE grant-funded feasibility study for a “deck plaza” spanning part of the I‑10 corridor through downtown. The council approved the direction to the city manager, including the TIRZ No. 5 request, by unanimous vote at the meeting’s conclusion after earlier adopting an amendment to add the TIRZ request by a 5–3 vote.

Why it matters: TxDOT’s planned I‑10 modernization through downtown creates a narrow window to coordinate structural changes that would support a future deck plaza. City staff and outside consultants told council that aligning city design and TxDOT work could reduce future rework and generate cost savings; council asked staff to pursue outside funding to avoid putting project costs on the general fund.

What staff presented - Project history and scope: Joaquin Rodriguez of the Capital Improvements Department said the city and partners awarded a planning and design contract to Stantec in November 2022. Stantec’s contract totaled approximately $1.3 million; most of that funding came from the federal grant and the Paso del Norte Community Foundation supported public engagement. The city reported pausing work in May 2023 while awaiting a federal‑highway funding agreement; the agreement was executed in January 2024 and work resumed. - Public engagement: consultants and partners conducted extensive outreach, including stakeholder interviews, three community advisory committee meetings and public open houses. A July 30 open house drew more than 120 attendees, staff said. - Design concepts and phasing: schematic concepts include large greenspaces, performance and civic spaces and repositioning of bicycle/pedestrian facilities to the future deck side of Yandell Avenue. Staff described a phasing approach that could prioritize Santa Fe to Mesa as Phase 1 and Mesa to Kansas as Phase 2, while noting that structural phasing is difficult and TxDOT coordination is critical. - Cost estimates and funding: consultants’ current full‑project construction estimate for Phases 1 and 2 is roughly $207 million. Staff said additional TxDOT structural enhancements to support a deck could cost an estimated $90–$100 million. City staff said value capture (a downtown TIRZ) could help pay for operations and maintenance but is unlikely to fully fund construction. - TxDOT coordination: staff described ongoing technical coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on the I‑10 environmental and design process. TxDOT’s unofficial preferred alternative (Alternative I) would widen lanes and require right‑of‑way acquisition; staff pressed TxDOT for pedestrian/bicycle alignment changes and asked that TxDOT preserve the ability to support a future deck structure.

Council debate and concerns Council members raised the project’s overall cost, possible displacement of residents and businesses, appropriate funding sources, and the need for clarity about what TxDOT will build now versus what the city would need to build later. Representative Canales said he supports the deck-plaza concept but not using the general fund or additional city debt to pay for it. Representative Canales asked the council to seek a formal position from TIRZ No. 5 before the city advances use of TIRZ funds; he introduced and moved an amendment to that effect.

Motions and votes - Amendment (request TIRZ No. 5 position): Motion to direct the city manager to request a formally adopted position statement from the TIRZ No. 5 board and include it in any recommendation was moved by Representative Canales and seconded by Representative Limon. The motion passed 5–3. The council vote as recorded in the transcript lists Representatives Rocha, Trejo, Nino, Canales and Limon as voting aye; Representatives Chavez, Acevedo and Fierro as voting nay. - Main action (funding analysis + include TIRZ request): Motion to direct the city manager to conduct an analysis of local, state, and federal funding sources that could help fund design and construction of the deck plaza, and to request and include a TIRZ No. 5 position statement in resulting work products — passed unanimously (recorded in the transcript as unanimous). The final vote was recorded as unanimous; the motion language as approved included the TIRZ request appended by the earlier amendment.

Funding, timeline and next steps City strategic and legislative staff urged council to prioritize outside funding for design in the near term so TxDOT and city design work can be coordinated while TxDOT advances its environmental review. Omar Martinez said the next steps are to (1) secure funding for design, (2) continue to develop funding strategies under the current federal and state funding landscape, and (3) explore formal partnerships with philanthropy, the county, CRMA or public‑private partnership structures. The Paso del Norte Community Foundation’s CEO Tracy Yellen affirmed philanthropy’s interest and warned the window to secure coordination is small if TxDOT stays on schedule.

Ending Council’s direction sends city staff back to develop a funding analysis and to solicit a formal TIRZ No. 5 position for inclusion in the city’s materials. The item produced two recorded formal actions: a 5–3 amendment to request a TIRZ position and a unanimous approval of the directive to analyze funding and include the TIRZ position in subsequent recommendations.