Far East El Paso could be in line for one of the biggest retail and entertainment centers the city has ever seen, according to plans for a new center at the Americas Interchange.
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| The proposed Plaza Del Rey development in El Paso spans nearly 300 acres and includes over 1.6 million square feet of retail space. (West Retail) |
Plaza Del Rey would have a total of 2.8 million square feet of usable space if built as currently planned, including 1.68 million dedicated to retail alone which includes a proposed outlet mall.
Developers for the site envision an enormous retail area that swoops around the outside of the development surrounding an inner area with restaurants, entertainment options, and hotels.
The site plan shows a total of four hotels, all located nearest to the Interstate 10/Loop 375 interchange. The plan includes a total of just under 500 hotel rooms at the development.
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| The Plaza Del Rey development in Far East El Paso envisions large picturesque ponds with water features lined by several restaurants. (West Retail) |
To the southwest of the hotels, an entertainment and restaurant district would take shape. The site plan includes large ponds with spouting fountains lined by a total of ten restaurants. More restaurants would line Americas Avenue, the frontage road to Loop 375 south of I-10.
Entertainment options in the plan include a movie theater, an unspecified "entertainment" building, and a Topgolf-style driving range.
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| Plaza Del Rey will be located in Far East El Paso in the southern quadrant of the Loop 375/Interstate 10 interchange. (Google Maps) |
Retailers line the southern boundaries of Plaza Del Rey in a general power center layout, with major anchors surrounded by smaller stores and shops. Two major anchors have their own spot along Americas Avenue in the plan.
Towards the northeastern side of the project, the developer envisions an outlet mall with more than 600,000 square feet of retail space alone. More restaurant and retail spaces line the areas along Gateway East.
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| An outlet mall is part of the massive Plaza Del Rey developments, proposed for Far East El Paso. (West Retail) |
Additionally, the plan dedicates 99,000 square feet for grocery, 31,400 square feet for fitness, and 8,400 square feet for bank uses at the 300 acre project.
At a total of 1.68 million square feet of retail space, Plaza Del Rey would certainly be one of the largest shopping center projects ever built in El Paso. In comparison, Cielo Vista Mall contains around 1.2 million square feet of leasable space while the Fountains at Farah has about 600,000 square feet.
The project's website cites the combined population of El Paso and Juarez as a reason for starting the development, stating, "Together with the surrounding areas, the cities form El Paso–Juárez, the second largest bi-national metropolitan area on the Mexico-United States border with a combined population of over 2.7 million people."
The entire development surrounds the existing Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, currently surrounded by the vacant land.
There is no timeline for construction of the project, and the site plan was most likely created for illustrative purposes and is subject to change, particularly if the land is sold to another developer. West Retail of El Paso is the developer on the project.
For more information, visit the West Retail website: www.westretail.net