The proposed Downtown I-10 Deck Plaza is getting another round of private funding, inching the project closer to reality.
The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation announced a $10 million donation Tuesday, Oct. 20, which will fund the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Field House, a 55,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility to host volleyball, basketball, and pickleball tournaments, as well as performing arts events.
The announcement comes only one week after the Fred Loya family announced a $20 million donation to the project, officially naming the massive Downtown park the Fred Loya Family Deck Plaza.
"The Deck Plaza will become where everyone is welcome and everyone belongs," El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said during a news conference at Southwest
University Park announcing the donation. "And that's what excites me most about this project."
"It gives us an opportunity to bring people together in a way we have not been able to do before," he continued. "To connect neighborhoods, bring families together and create a beautiful public space that every El Pasoan can enjoy, no matter where they live or how much money they make. And I think that is something really special for our community."
The Deck Plaza project has so far secured $74.15 million in funding toward the $207 million needed for the project, including $10 million from the Texas Legislature with a $584,000 city match, $25 million from the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, $3.15 million in federal Community Project Funding and $1 million from El Paso County.
The project has also secured $35 million in private philanthropy, including the Hunt and Loya donations, and is expected to announce another $5 million donation soon.
"The Deck Plaza, now officially named the Fred Loya Family Deck Plaza thanks to a generous gift from the Loya family, gives us the chance to transform a part of Downtown that has divided our community for generations into a place that connects us," said Josh Hunt, Executive Vice Chairman and Vice President of Hunt Companies, Inc. "And as we've seen over the last several months, that vision is becoming a reality. I believe deeply in this project and what it can mean for El Paso."
The Deck Plaza, if ultimately approved, is set to stretch across 6.5 acres atop I-10 between Santa Fe and Kansas streets in Downtown El Paso. Among the amenities slated to be housed atop the Deck Plaza are a performance stage and pavilion for cultural events, concerts, and festivals; a metro-sport field house for activities like volleyball, basketball, and pickleball; a dog park and dog splash park; a children’s playground, walking and biking paths, greenspace and public art.
The next requirement for the project to move forward is city approval of a plan to incorporate structural elements of the Deck Plaza, such as support columns, into the Texas Department of Transportation's I-10 widening project. The plan was initially set for approval by the end of October.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Deck Plaza gains major donation, funding indoor sports venue
