Neighborhood Restoration Plan Proposed in El Paso

According to KFOX-TV, a nonprofit group in El Paso, Texas, is ready to propose a restoration plan for El Paso’s Duranguito neighborhood to the city council.

Named Project Regeneracion, the plan seeks opportunities for investment for the restoration of the neighborhood’s historical buildings. Back in 2012, the area had been fenced off due to a voter-approved bond proposed using the land for a multipurpose performance center. In January, following years of litigation, the city council decided not to move forward with those plans. In February, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said the city instead planned to sell the buildings it owned in the neighborhood.

Carmen Rodriguez, a Project Regeneracions organizer, told KFOX that the group wanted to provide the city council with an alternative option. “Since Duranguito has been broken for these years because of the city’s plan for the arena, we needed to come up with the things that it needs in order to be restored,” Rodriguez told KFOX.

The group’s restoration plans include preserving the existing buildings while also adding basic services for area residents.

“The plan for the rebirth of Duraganuito proposes a cultural heritage corridor with museums, mercados, performance areas, as well as refurbished low income housing, community garden, and other residential services,” David Romo, another Project Regeneracions organizer, told KFOX. “We would like for the city to take into consideration the community’s hopes and desires for the neighborhood.”