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.