Unique Coffee Shop Getting 'Stacked' in Downtown El Paso

Two shipping containers will be stacked one on top of the other on Wednesday in Downtown El Paso to help create a new coffee shop. The Coffee Box will offer a new eatery option in Downtown when it opens later this year.

Northwest El Paso Hospital Breaks Ground

Ground was broken last week on a new multi-million dollar Sierra Providence Health Network (SPHN) hospital in Northwest El Paso that will take shape at the corner of Transmountain Road and Resler Drive. Officials touted their partnership with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in making the facility a teaching hospital.

City Looking for Someone to Develop Convention Hotel for Downtown

The City of El Paso is seeking proposals for a Downtown convention hotel. Will developers be interested? According to the request for proposals, projects that require less City incentives will be scored more highly.

MCA Changes 'Cardwell' Bldg Location Again, Back to Original Spot

After announcing in June that it was seeking a deal to build a new biomedical building on the Jefferson High School campus, the MCA Foundation has decided to instead build it at the originally targeted location along Interstate 10.

Lower Valley Drainage Ditch to Transform into Linear Park

A two-mile stretch of the Playa Drain in the Lower Valley of El Paso could soon become a linear park that can be used for recreation by residents. El Paso Water Utilities is purchasing the drain from El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 and will work with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation on creating the recreation areas.

City Solicits Water Park for Northeast El Paso

The City of El Paso is now seeking bids for a year-round water/adventure park to be built in Northeast El Paso. It would like a developer to construct and manage the park on 39 acres of land surrounding Cohen Stadium, which sits unused since the El Paso Diablos moved out.

Officials stated in the past that a water park company approached the City about possibly building an attraction on the land, but nothing was every made official. It's unclear if this is the next step in that same process, or if the City now has no committed developers and is looking for a new partner. According to the City's website, bids are due by September 2, 2014.

Sudden Funding for Downtown Streetcar Project?

Ted Houghton, the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) chairman, told the El Paso Times today that he expects funding for the Downtown streetcar project to be approved this week. This comes more than a year after the City of El Paso completed its streetcar study the State said would be required to acquire funding.

$7.7M Federal Grant Received by Housing Authority

The federal government has awarded $7.7 million to the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso as part of $1.8 billion in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Savoy Apartment Construction to Begin in May

A project to bring 27 loft-style apartments to Downtown El Paso could begin its construction phase in May, according to a story on KFOX. The Savoy Apartments will transform a mostly vacant building into housing units at the corner of Stanton Street and Overland Avenue.

Asarco Cleanup on Pace to Finish in 4th Quarter of 2015

Remediation on the former Asarco site is on schedule and should be completed by the end of 2015.

The 465-acre site will be ready for sale at that point, and the trustee overseeing the cleanup, Roberto Puga, hopes it will be sold in its entirety to one developer.

Two Hotel Projects for East El Paso

Two new hotels are going up in East El Paso, on the same property at the corner of Zaragoza Road and Gateway West Boulevard.

A 101-room Hampton Inn is already under construction, and a 100-room Courtyard by Marriott is planned for 2015.

These two projects add to a handful of other hotel developments around town, including one in Downtown El Paso that is renovating a vacant building.

Read the story at the El Paso Times website.

Historic Bassett Tower In Downtown EP Sold to Development Group

An architectural treasure in Downtown El Paso has been sold to a development group lead by local businessman Lane Gaddy.

There are no immediate plans for the 15-story, Trost-designed structure, but Gaddy has mentioned possibly converting the former office building into a hotel or apartment tower.

City Council: Incentives Available for Downtown Convention Hotel

City Council discussed possible incentives for a new convention hotel in Downtown El Paso at this week's meeting. City representatives and the mayor directed staff to develop a request for proposals for such a project.

City reps also agreed to decline any requests for incentives for a hotel project this year unless it is for a full-service hotel with convention-sized meeting rooms.

See Newest Artspace Renderings

The team behind the Artspace project in Downtown El Paso hopes the artist lofts will receive funding later this year that will help make the project a reality. An article at the Art Avenue website offers a glimpse at the newest proposed design for the building.

Best and Worst Downtown Buildings Ranked

In a new feature, the Newspaper Tree website is ranking a total of 24 buildings in Downtown El Paso. Twelve each of the worst and best buildings will be revealed each week at the site. The criteria for the rankings, according to the website, were: "1. Historic, iconic or locational significance, 2. State of disrepair, 3. Visibility (i.e. visible from I-10), 4. Best Use (i.e. occupied)."

Pro's Ranch Market Stores Acquired, Not Expected to Close

Two Pro's Ranch Market stores in El Paso will stay open for the foreseeable future. That's the word from one of the companies which has purchased the grocery store chain in a bankruptcy sale. Mike Hendry, vice president of marketing for Cardenas Northgate Group Ranch of California, states that most employees will be allowed to continue working.

Tucson Tourists Travel to El Paso for Architectural Tour

A group of more than 50 tourists hailing from the Tucson area traveled to El Paso recently via train to tour the city's architectural history. The group, organized by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, took a look at historic sites, including the Plaza Theater, Bassett Tower, and the Martin Building.

Years of Construction In Store for I-10 in El Paso

The Texas Department of Transportation's (TXDOT) district engineer, Bob Bielek, states that construction to bring major improvements to Interstate 10 in El Paso may begin as soon as 2017. TXDOT expects to complete the Border Highway West project around that time, which would give the state agency an alternate route when construction on I-10 is at full steam.

Shuttered Fuddrucker's Locations Already Sold

The three El Paso Fuddrucker's locations that closed in recent months have been sold to three different companies, including one that may reopen as a corporate-owned Fuddrucker's.

The West El Paso location at 5030 N. Desert Blvd. was sold to Luby's Inc., the owner of the Fuddrucker's brand nationwide. The company has stated the location may reopen again as a Fuddrucker's.

More Funding Opportunities for Artspace

One of Downtown El Paso's biggest residential projects once again received City support for federal tax credits. Artspace Lofts will bring around 50 affordable housing units to be leased to local artists which will be used as live/work spaces.

50,000 Homes in 20 Years for East El Paso

The County of El Paso is considering updates to its subdivision code due to expected growth outside of the city limits. As many as 50,000 homes could be built within the next 20 years around the current El Paso city boundaries. Commissioners will consider allowing developers to shrink the size of individual lots in exchange for including more green space in subdivisions.