El Paso

[eastsider]

Main Library - renovation/expansion

Located on Cleveland Square, the main library is building a 45,000 sf addition that will bring the total square footage up to 110,000. The addition will include a 250-seat auditorium, 50 station computer lab, classroom and expanded children's and teen areas. The Main Library is scheduled to reopen in November 2005. More info and construction pics can be found at: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibr...onstruction.asp

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El Paso Museum of History

El Paso Museum of History is also a part of the Cleveland Square redevelopment and will be located between the Main Library and Insights Museum. The Museum of History will be 40,000 sf and built at a cost of $6.65M and is also sceduled to open in the fall of 2005.

http://www.elpasotexas.gov/history/new.asp

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Plaza Theatre - restoration

The 2,410 seat Plaza Theatre opened on September 12, 1930 and remained open until 1973. After escaping demolition in the 80's, the Plaza was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a place of significance. The Plaza Theatre is scheduled to reopen in October 2005 after a $38M restoration. When complete, it will have 2,100 seats, contemporary lighting and sound systems, 10-story stage house, 200 seat childrens theatre, restaurant, and roof top terrace.

http://www.plazatheater.org

http://www.jnlcom.com/_comm/imageselpasotx...t/feature2.html

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Plaza Hotel - possible reuse

The Plaza Hotel opened in 1930 as the El Paso Hilton and was 19-stories tall with 250 rooms. There are no plans in place at the moment, but the owner says that the building is in good shape and it could be converted to residential or commercial use.

El Paso Times: Stately Plaza ready to join city's rebirth

[tombarnes]

Let's hope this one will make it through. It's a splendid building.

[eastsider]

The El Paso city council unanimously approved a 10-year plan to annex every acre in El Paso county that is not already in another city's jurisdiction. This is being done to regulate growth aroud the city.

On a more immediate basis, the council instructed the Planning Department to move forward on a plan to annex all of the East Side and West Side land that is within five miles of El Paso's city limits but not part of another city's territorial jurisdiction.

El Paso Times: Council demands 10-year annexing plan

[Mith242]

The El Paso city council unanimously approved a 10-year plan to annex every acre in El Paso county that is not already in another city's jurisdiction. This is being done to regulate growth aroud the city.

El Paso Times: Council demands 10-year annexing plan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Was there very much land left in the county that wasn't a part of the city?

[eastsider]

El Paso may recieve funding to move over 200-acres of rail yards out of its downtown which would open up the land for development. There will be a statewide vote on Nov. 8th on Proposition 1 that would create up to $2B in state funds to move and improve rail lines across the state. If the vote passes, the city of El Paso would then have to apply to receive funding, estimated at several hundred million dollars. There is an estimated $10B worth of rail line improvement projects across the state.

Rail yards cover about 300 acres in El Paso. All but about 95 of those acres are in or near Downtown.

Union Pacific owns four rail yards with more than 250 acres in El Paso. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway has a 44-acre yard. In March, both companies signed agreements with the state that outline terms of public-private partnerships to move rail lines away from urban centers.

Planning has already been underway for some time. New Mexico has already recieved $14M for congress to study moving the rail yards, the state of Texas will get half of that money for it's part of the study.

El Paso Times: Proposition on ballot would move rail yards Texas constitution