The Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation and the City of El Paso will present preliminary concepts for a unique new community space that could be built over Interstate 10 during a series of upcoming community meetings. The concepts come after a first round of public meetings, community input, and technical evaluation of the proposed 14-acre footprint.
“After hearing from members of the El Paso community earlier this spring, the planning team from Stantec, the firm hired to lead the project, have developed guiding principles and preliminary concepts for the Deck Plaza which would reconnect neighborhoods, provide opportunities for inclusive economic development, and create a regional amenity for residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Joaquin Rodriguez, Transportation Planning Administrator, with the City of El Paso Capital Improvements Department.
Members of the public are invited to learn more about the proposed project, review concepts, and provide their feedback at come-and-go open house meetings from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the following locations:
- Tuesday, April 18: Mission Valley Regional Command Center, 9011 Escobar Drive.
- Wednesday, April 19: Metro 31/Northgate Transfer Center, 9348 Dyer Street.
- Thursday, April 20: Blue Flame Building, 304 Texas Ave., 17th floor.
“We are grateful for the engagement of the community in the feasibility study process,” said Tracy J. Yellen, CEO of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, which created the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation to support the development of this once-in-a-generation opportunity. “We look forward to reporting back to the community on the work the Stantec planning team has been doing over the last two months and getting feedback on the early results of this work.”
For those who cannot attend one of the meetings, but would like to provide feedback, please visit DowntownDeckPlaza.org and use the online engagement tools to provide feedback to planners.
A deck plaza is a constructed surface that provides for green-scape and other potential amenities over a highway, in this case, Interstate 10 between Campbell Street and Prospect Street. Other examples of deck plaza projects which have been constructed or are under consideration include Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Hance Park in Phoenix, Reconnect Rondo in St. Paul, Minn., the Stitch in Atlanta, and Freeway Park in Seattle.
The feasibility study, funded by a $900,000 Federal RAISE Grant to the City of El Paso, and $500,000 in matching funds from the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation, includes planning and visioning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, structural assessments, and market and economic feasibility assessments of constructing a deck plaza.
