El Cruzero to Transform Far East El Paso Desert

A new 228 acre mixed use development is slated for far east El Paso which will incorporate new Smart Code rules. El Cruzero Town Center will be built at the northeast corner of Montana Ave and Joe Battle (Loop 375), and will be comprised of two mixed-use areas, a Regional Center Development and a Traditional Neighborhood Development.

Components of the project will include multi- and single-family housing, mixed use commercial, parks, open space, and parts of a mass transit system. The developer will also partner with a school district in order to create a school.

Conceptual Image of El Cruzero Town Center

Wright & Dalbin Architects has been chosen as the architectural firm for El Cruzero. The firm has previously worked directly with the City of El Paso on the Alamito Apartments located in South El Paso.

Conceptual Image of El Cruzero Town Center

Cruzero Development, LLC, entered into a Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement with the City in April of 2011 which will provide the developer with tax break incentives in order to make the project a reality. According to the city, construction must begin within 24 months of the execution of the Chapter 380 agreement. This puts the deadline for construction to begin in spring of 2013. Few specific details have been released to date.

Wright & Dalbin project website: http://www.wrightdalbin.com/el_cruzero_town_center.htm
Original Chapter 380 Agreement city ordinance: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/04-26-11/04261121B.pdf

'The Mix' Adds Downtown Housing

A new "upscale, urban" mixed use development has added 14 modern apartment units to Downtown's Union Plaza District. Octavio Gomez, founder/owner of Union Plaza hot spots such as 1914 Lounge, Brick and Mortar, and The Garden, has renovated a century-old building at 518 W. San Antonio Avenue and is calling it The Mix, as reported in this week's El Paso Inc.

Aside from the 14 apartment units, the space also contains thousands of square feet for retail/commercial uses. Four spaces have already been leased, one to an engineer's office, two to boutiques, and another to an art studio. Gomez says that most of the apartment units have also been leased. One-bedroom units rent for $600, a two-bedroom unit for $800, and a three-bedroom unit rents for “about $1,000,” according to Gomez. For an extra $50 a month, renters can reserve a parking space in an adjacent lot.

The total renovation cost Gomez around $1.5 Million. Housing has been an element largely missing from downtown revitalization, and interest in this project could spark additional development nearby.

Plan Presented to City Council for The Mix

Original El Paso Inc. article: http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/local_news/article_cae7673a-616c-11e1-8457-001a4bcf6878.html
September 2011 El Paso Times article introducing the project*: http://www.elpasotimes.com/business/ci_18919070

*Please note: El Paso Times articles are available for a limited time online before they are archived.

City Eyeing Old Saddleblanket For Artspace Project

City Council will introduce an ordinance on February 28, 2012, to transfer the old El Paso Saddleblanket property at 601 N. Oregon to the El Paso Community Foundation in an effort to locate the planned Artspace project at that location. It is located adjacent to the new Doubletree Hotel. The Council will vote on the item on March 6.

The goal is to create a "high density mixed-use, arts-oriented affordable rental housing development on the Property containing studio/work and gallery spaces," according to the ordinance. The City entered into an agreement with the EPCF and Artspace in 2010 to produce a project of this type. It is seen as a project that will improve cultural heritage and that can be a catalyst for nearby revitalization. A preliminary study has shown a market demand for up to 127 units in downtown El Paso. 

601 N. Oregon - Old Saddleblanket Building

Artspace Projects Inc. is an organization which creates these types of developments throughout the United States. From the Artspace website: "Artspace owns and operates 27 projects in 19 cities and 13 states. Twenty-one of the 27 are live/work projects with a total of 922 residential units. The others are non-residential projects that provide space for artists and cultural organizations. Many of the live/work projects also include non-residential space such as studios, offices for arts organizations, rehearsal and performance venues, and space for arts-friendly businesses."

Artspace Project in Seattle

City Council item: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/02-28-12/02281210O.pdf

City Council/Artspace Agreement: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/12-07-10/12071012.pdf

Artspace Website: http://www.artspace.org/about/faq.html

Asarco Ready for Development in 2015, Stacks or No Stacks

Roberto Puga, the trustee appointed to oversee the remediation of the Asarco site, stated this week that those interested in saving the smokestacks at Asarco have nine months left to come up with the plan and $14 Million needed to insure and retrofit the historic icons/blights. Puga delayed the demolition of the stacks for one year in order to accommodate the group seeking to save the stacks.

In an El Paso Inc. story, Puga also said that he would like one master developer to purchase all 350 acres, which span both sides of I-10, and that the site would be ready for sale in 2015, a short three years away. A new change in the plan includes topping the site with five feet of clean soil and not the asphalt surface that was in the original plan.

Puga also reinforced that the City has a large say as to the use and design of the land, regardless of who ultimately purchases it. This includes Smart Code zoning and transportation design that can be overlaid on the property prior to sale. Some Smart Code applications have already been approved. The City, with the help of design firm Dover Kohl, envisions a mixed-use development that could include an impact project, such as an arena or amusement park to anchor the property.

Original El Paso Inc. article: http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/local_news/article_53ddb49e-5bec-11e1-8385-0019bb30f31a.html
Asarco Trustee Site: http://www.recastingthesmelter.com/
Plan El Paso Site: http://planelpaso.org/

City Disappointed with Camino Real Response

City Manager Joyce Wilson was disappointed with the Camino Real owners' response to the idea of selling the historic hotel to a group of local investors. Rosalinda Gonzalez, the general manager of Camino Real Hotels, had previously said that the company had no interest in selling nor participating in downtown revitalization efforts. Furthermore, Gonzalez stated that the hotel is run using their own rules and not any others.

According to a story in this week's El Paso Inc., Wilson responded with, "I find it unlikely that any business entity, regardless of location, would not want to share in the benefit of a wholesale revitalization effort which only improves their economic viability and opportunities for the future."

Mayor John Cook added that he would be content if they indeed ran the Camino Real in El Paso the same way they ran other hotels in the chain. "If they would operate the hotel like they operate the Camino Real chain in Mexico, that would be fine. In Mexico, they take really good care of their hotels. The one in El Paso is very much neglected, even though we have offered them incentives to make improvements."

Indeed, Camino Real hotels in other locations are considered upscale and high-end offerings. The hotel in El Paso, however, can no longer be considered that way.

Originally the Hotel Paso del Norte, the hotel is the most historic still-standing hotel in El Paso.

Original Hotel Towers

Original El Paso Inc. article: http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/top_story/article_0a1221e8-5beb-11e1-b378-0019bb30f31a.html