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Police-fire academy moved to Global Reach; city staff says MLK open-space parcel remains protected
Summary
City staff told the Open Space Advisory Board the Police-Fire Training Academy will be built at the Global Reach site, not the previously planned Martin Luther King (MLK) property, and that the MLK parcel remains city-owned open space with no current plans for construction.
City staff reported that City Council approved relocating the Police-Fire Training Academy and public-safety complex from a Martin Luther King (MLK) parcel to a site near the airport known as Global Reach.
During the Open Space Advisory Board discussion, board members asked what would happen to the roughly 300-acre MLK property that had been planned to host the academy and an associated buffer. A board member said the original agreement that allowed carving out a footprint for the academy had implied the surrounding lands would be preserved as open space, and asked whether the city still intended to hold the remainder as open space now that the academy is relocating.
A city staff member replied that the city still owns the 300-acre parcel and, to the staff member’s knowledge, there are no plans to construct new buildings there now that the academy has moved. The staff member said, “Should any of that change, we will come back to OSAB. But at this point it’s 300 acres of open space.”
Board members asked for clarification about potential state-park discussions; the staff member said El Paso Water is exploring options for the property and that the board would be briefed as those conversations progress. The staff member reiterated the board would be notified if plans for the MLK parcel change.
The presentation also clarified that the Global Reach site is in a different council district (near the airport) than the MLK parcel (in the northeast) and that the change shifts the public-safety complex location away from the previously discussed MLK footprint.
No formal action was taken; board members asked staff to keep the board informed if the status of the MLK property changes.
