A New Era of Opportunity...and Responsibility...for Downtown El Paso

OPENING: Peer Chacko (Moderator), Stantec Principal and former City of Dallas Planning Director
•  Welcome
•  Introduce the speakers
•  Draw on experience as former City of Dallas planning director regarding why accelerating economic, demographic, social, mobility, and environmental changes require a new approach to downtown planning

SET THE STAGE—a new era of downtown opportunity: David Dixon, Stantec's Urban Places Fellow
•  Why downtown’s success will matter more than ever over the next two decades for cities across the developed world—an essential engine for enhanced regional:
  o  Economic competitiveness and opportunity
  o  Equity and inclusivity
  o  Environmental responsibility
• …and more specifically for El Paso and its region:
  o  Expanded and more diverse economic opportunities across the larger community—note El Paso is third most housing cost-challenged US city
  o  A more robust common ground that brings a very diverse community together to celebrate its shared community
  o  Transforming the core into a more competitive focus for regional growth, helping to slow continuing sprawl
•  What new forces are shaping a new era of unprecedented opportunity for downtowns—including El Paso:
  o  What we learned from the pandemic—for example [this content will be further refined for the conference}…
     -  Rapid acceleration in the long-term growth of hybrid work, requiring downtowns to shift from office to housing and other uses to drive future growth
    -   Rapid acceleration in the decline of mass/auto-oriented retail and shift toward “Main Street” and walkable retail
    -  Growing desire for places to experience shared community (witness explosion of outdoor dining)
  o  New norm 101—for example (this content will be further refined for the conference) …
    -  Economy—two decades of accelerating dominance by knowledge and innovation industries combined with accelerating competition for the talent necessary to grow these industries
    -  Demographics—two decades of unprecedented housing demand for walkable, mixed-use, amenitized urban environments
   -  Mobility—two decades of rapid mobility innovations including the advent of greater shared mobility and expanded micromobility options, connected mobility, and then autonomous mobility
   -  Environment—growing pressure to respond to climate change in part by focusing on more environmentally responsible growth policies
   -  Public health—adapting to the health needs and associated costs of a rapidly aging population

A DEEPER DIVE--what do El Paso and the region need from Downtown and Uptown over the next decade? Alex Hoffman, El Paso Planning Director
•  Overview of planning process—for example [this content will be further refined for the conference} …
  o  Why include Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods (Uptown)?
  o  Place a strong focus on implementation (in part because of extensive history of planning and ideas already on the table)—including creating more robust public/private partnership and incentive programs targeted to neighborhood infill as well as major new development. Focus on data
•  Opportunities and challenges related to being a border city—for example [this content will be further refined for the conference) …
  o  Access to a growing workforce while most North American cities are dealing with a workforce shortage
  o  Cultural diversity and authenticity at a time when both are increasingly critical to growing, attracting and retaining talent
  o  Challenges related to widespread poverty together with expanding programs for mixed-income housing, workforce readiness, skills training
  o  …and a greater imperative to grow the local economy to provide enhanced opportunity across the full, highly diverse, spectrum of the El Paso community
•  Enhance Downtown as a more robust common ground that proactively invites the full spectrum of the city and region’s diversity to Downtown to celebrate shared community

DOWNTOWN TODAY: Rhonda Bell, Consultant Team Project Manager
•  Summary of key existing conditions (demographics, socio-economic issues, mobility, “hard/soft” opportunities for change, public realm, etc.)
•  Summary of what we have heard from key stakeholders
Uptown today: JoaquinRodriguez
•  Summary of key existing conditions in Downtown-adjacent neighborhoods (demographics, gateway neighborhoods, gentrification and neighborhood stability, socio-economic issues, mobility, “hard/soft” opportunities for change, public realm, etc.)
•  Summary of what we have heard from key stakeholders

UNLOCKING A NEW ERA OF DOWNTOWN OPPORTUNITY—mission, vision, and core strategies: David Dixon
  o  Downtown El Paso is ready to move beyond incremental change to a period of transformative change that builds on its rich legacy and the city and region's vibrant living culture in ways that recognize the city and region's need for a more robust engine for enhanced economic opportunity, equity and inclusivity, and environment responsibility
  o  Mission: Unlock Downtown/Uptown’s potential as a more robust engine for citywide and regional economic opportunity, equity and inclusivity, cultural 
  o  Vision
    -  Downtown—transform into a 21st century live/work/play/learn/ culture/innovate center for El Paso and the region
    -  Uptown—enhance as series of economically and culturally diverse neighborhoods, including a more robust “community of learning” and enhanced citywide connectivity for UTEP
•  Examples of core strategies—over the next ten years:
  o  Across the entire study area
    -  Improve connectivity—unlock the full mobility and TOD potential of the streetcar system
    -  Create more robust financial and other implementation tools tied directly to achieving the Mission and Vision
    -  Provide clear rationale that maximizes the value of public investments and incentives in infrastructure, public realm, development, workforce readiness and training
    -  Update zoning to support the mission, vision, and core strategies for Uptown/Downtown
  o  Downtown
    -  Incentivize a compact critical mass of mixed-use development—anchored by 3-5,000 units of mixed-income housing
    -  Locate, plan and program this housing to promote unique “retail”—food, caffeine, beer, entertainment, shopping—that brings Downtown streets to life and help El Paso attract and retain talent that in turn attracts jobs and investment
    -  Incentivize innovation and knowledge industry investment
    -  Develop robust programs to grow and retain local talent (workforce readiness and training)
  o  Uptown
    -  Focus on incremental/infill redevelopment that enhances neighborhood character and quality of life—emphasize expanded mixed-income housing opportunities (1-3,000 units)
    -  …together with investments in mixed-income housing and social/health services that maintain economic, cultural, and racial diversity
    -  Improve connectivity to the Downtown core and within and between neighborhoods
    -  Improve quality of life in terms of access to park and open spaces, social services, micromobility and pedestrian connectivity
    -  Unlock potential to transform corridors into mixed-income, mixed-use centers that provide expanded housing, retail, jobs and other neighborhood benefits

Close:Alex

Q&A: Peer moderate