ADVERTISEMENT

Let’s have another downtown arena chat

Forget about the Arena, it will NOT be built, at least in that area, the project is dead. Maybe it could built it between St Vain St, Paisano, E. Overland and S. Cotton. There is a big lot there with train tracks and some wharehouses.
That’s what I just said.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: MineroFanatico
It’s so damn infuriating that we’ve been having this discussion about an arena in one form or another for the last 20 F*CKING YEARS. One minute they want it near Bassett, then Ascarate, then the city takes 10 years to figure out if it can be built Downtown only to bungle the wording on the bond. Does anyone seriously believe an arena will be built in the next 10 years? I sure don’t.
 
It’s so damn infuriating that we’ve been having this discussion about an arena in one form or another for the last 20 F*CKING YEARS. One minute they want it near Bassett, then Ascarate, then the city takes 10 years to figure out if it can be built Downtown only to bungle the wording on the bond. Does anyone seriously believe an arena will be built in the next 10 years? I sure don’t.
Not anymore. Had their chance and they fumbled it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UTEPMiners8106
El Paso Master Plan

PlanElPaso_ElPaso_CentralPark.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: MinerFan79
The battle lines are entrenched between:

Against: they’re for historical preservation and against spending so much $$$ and further burdening taxpayers. They think the arena could now cost as much as $500M.

For: they say there’s no worth in preserving the buildings in the proposed footprint and that an arena will be an economic engine for downtown and El Paso. They’re against an updated cost estimate.

My take: the city has bungled this whole thing. I’d get a new estimate, and put it up for another vote. I think it would lose.
Doesn’t appear to me that anyone is still residing in those tenements in Duranguito as they are blocked off. I thought the main argument was that was peoples homes being displaced. If no one resides there any longer then we should by all means put the arena in and improve that area.
 
Doesn’t appear to me that anyone is still residing in those tenements in Duranguito as they are blocked off. I thought the main argument was that was peoples homes being displaced. If no one resides there any longer then we should by all means put the arena in and improve that area.
It's NOT going to happen because people voted for Oscar Leeser and he is by all menas against the Arena.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kickballpro
Maybe one day when I'm old and out of energy I'll consider moving back. For now I love all the new buildings and construction sites going up everywhere everyday around Austin.
The beauty of Austin is all the hundreds of homeless you get to walk by and step over downtown who get to camp on the street. Very aesthetically pleasing. Safe city too, they have long already set a new annual murder record in 2021.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kickballpro
The beauty of Austin is all the hundreds of homeless you get to walk by and step over downtown who get to camp on the street. Very aesthetically pleasing. Safe city too, they have long already set a new annual murder record in 2021.
We already kicked the homeless out of downtown and most of the inner city.

Yeah its a big city and growing faster than it can keep up. The murder numbers are still way below other cities of similar size.
 
Maybe they could built the arena over the proposed

I-10 deck park.​

In fact they could build the arena where in the train yards are, between Downtown & Cotton when they take all the rails out of the city and build them north of the franklin mountains. That could be a good place.
 
Last edited:
We already kicked the homeless out of downtown and most of the inner city.

Yeah its a big city and growing faster than it can keep up. The murder numbers are still way below other cities of similar size.
You must not be in downtown very much if you think they were “kicked out”. They’re everywhere. Austin reached their highest annual murder rate ever in September this year but glad to see you dismiss it as a “big city problem”
 
You must not be in downtown very much if you think they were “kicked out”. They’re everywhere. Austin reached their highest annual murder rate ever in September this year but glad to see you dismiss it as a “big city problem”
Honestly when was the last time you were in Austin?

Yes even with the record breaking murders Austin is still one of the safest cities right there with El Paso.

 
Honestly when was the last time you were in Austin?

Yes even with the record breaking murders Austin is still one of the safest cities right there with El Paso.

LOL what a bunch of propaganda. The numbers are the facts. Record setting year for crime and thanks to our incredible mayor, police get no support. The trend of homelessness and crime will continue. This is an Austin problem because El Paso doesn’t suffer from either issue
 
LOL what a bunch of propaganda. The numbers are the facts. Record setting year for crime and thanks to our incredible mayor, police get no support. The trend of homelessness and crime will continue. This is an Austin problem because El Paso doesn’t suffer from either issue
Here are the facts. Read them for yourself. Homicides are increasing all across the country.


If you don't like where you live you're free to move to wherever you feel safe.
 
In fact they could build the arena where in the train yards are, between Downtown & Cotton when they take all the rails out of the city and build them north of the franklin mountains. That could be a good place.
We had a mayor who wanted to do something with that rail area. Developers chewed him up and spat him out next election cycle.
 
Cool. That is directly across from Durangito correct? Is that another Foster project?
 
Cool. That is directly across from Durangito correct? Is that another Foster project?
It's the Miami company that spent 100 million renovating the Hotel Paso Del Norte.

It's across the street from the hotel and the El Paso convention center.

Grossman is already involved so probably it won't get done. Such a shame that one man is holding back so much growth for Downtown El Paso.

"It was not only designed by the greatest architectural firm in the history of West Texas, but it also (is) an important piece of Jewish history,” Grossman said
 
  • Like
Reactions: axingfools1
City voted 5-2 to spend 800k on a feasibility study that will finish sometime in 2023.
Article on EP Times says January 2023, which isn’t that bad. Makes no difference as whatever happens the “arena” will be no better than an updated County Coliseum when it’s completed in 10 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kickballpro
City voted 5-2 to spend 800k on a feasibility study that will finish sometime in 2023.
I remember 20 years ago when there was an offer to build an arena near Bassett or Ascarate, I don’t remember the exact location but then the city stalled it by doing a study regarding an arena downtown. Kappy said it best when he said “If we don’t get an arena now, we’re never getting one.” I can’t believe he’s been right all these years.
 
I remember 20 years ago when there was an offer to build an arena near Bassett or Ascarate, I don’t remember the exact location but then the city stalled it by doing a study regarding an arena downtown. Kappy said it best when he said “If we don’t get an arena now, we’re never getting one.” I can’t believe he’s been right all these years.

What does the city plan to do with an arena regardless of where it's built? Monster truck shows? Fake wrestling shows? Crappy Bunny guy concerts?
 
What does the city plan to do with an arena regardless of where it's built? Monster truck shows? Fake wrestling shows? Crappy Bunny guy concerts?
I have asked this many times on here. The answers have been a GLeague team, 1 UFC card a year, and a few concerts that currently wouldn’t “fit” stage wise in the DHC or Coliseum.
 
I think its ridiculous that the Falcons have built 2 new baseball stadiums and 2 new Football stadiums since Fulton County was a shared space. I think its asinine anytime a professional team that has a stadium that's only around 20 years old and they need a new one.

But El Paso wants to build a new Arena for what pro team?

I think it would be pretty awesome to see an arena downtown and drive past it. The reality is though, it's a massive waste if money
.
 
I think its ridiculous that the Falcons have built 2 new baseball stadiums and 2 new Football stadiums since Fulton County was a shared space. I think its asinine anytime a professional team that has a stadium that's only around 20 years old and they need a new one.

But El Paso wants to build a new Arena for what pro team?

I think it would be pretty awesome to see an arena downtown and drive past it. The reality is though, it's a massive waste if money
.
Titans Stadium was finished in 1999 and they are aiming for a new indoor stadium by 2026. That's another $2.5-$3 billion project with an additional $1 billion in shared land space between residential/entertainment/retail.
 
City voted 5-2 to spend 800k on a feasibility study that will finish sometime in 2023.
 
The arena is needed and UTEP would benefit. If we’re all honest with ourselves, the DHC is a dated facility that has about 4000 too many seats. I think they really needs to be scaled down to between 8 and 10k to accommodate modern concerts, sporting events, and be an annex to the convention center. It is a shame that somebody who does not live in El Paso is funding the legal opposition to the build out of the arena. Grossman, who is the face, has never done anything in El Paso for historic preservation yet is leading the charge. The guy who is doing things, Paul Foster, is the draws the ire of the critics of the arena. This is a crazy world.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kickballpro
What a waste of 800k. I guess the city didn’t learn the first time. The arena is just going to be a money pit that will have its lights turned off 350 days a year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kickballpro
The arena is needed and UTEP would benefit. If we’re all honest with ourselves, the DHC is a dated facility that has about 4000 too many seats. I think they really needs to be scaled down to between 8 and 10k to accommodate modern concerts, sporting events, and be an annex to the convention center. It is a shame that somebody who does not live in El Paso is funding the legal opposition to the build out of the arena. Grossman, who is the face, has never done anything in El Paso for historic preservation yet is leading the charge. The guy who is doing things, Paul Foster, is the draws the ire of the critics of the arena. This is a crazy world.
There have been a handful of people who wanted to preserve El Paso (Hispanic) heritage but there is problem in their equation, revenue. Catholic priests, UTEP officials, politicians, you name it but "Who's going to pay for it?".

For decades downtown had been a money pit. Tax Increment Finance districts, historical preservation districts, whatever; more money was going and into the pockets of building owners who did nothing, literally nothing, to upgrade or improve downtown El Paso. Downtown building owners put up two fronts: Fight the Central Appraisal District and fight any city politician who dared to change the face of downtown. Those folks were united and won battle after battle for decades. Until Foster rode into town. Unbeknownst to El Pasoans, Foster put his hands all over the Country Club area and literally changed it, that's all I can say. He made a name for himself with the movers and shakers of the area and it paid off well. He went downtown and did the same thing. No one since the builders of late 19th and early 20th century businessmen of El Paso have left a more massive footprint than Foster. Foster's legacy is cemented forever. Grossman's is not.
 
Sure it will cost tax payers money, as does everything. Decayed, vacant buildings and burned out hotels cost tax payers as does an arena. Perception is everything so what do you want to pay for? a viable downtown or vacant, burned out buildings collecting garbage and producing little if any tax revenue.
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT