The city recently opened the Eastside sports complex which features seven soccer fields and one championship soccer field.
The complex was funded as part of the 2012 quality of life bonds.
This is the kind of project that serves our community well.
We enjoy weather that allows outdoor sports year-round. Having places where our youngsters can exercise and enjoy being outdoors adds to the quality of living in El Paso.
As a community we should insist on more efforts to capitalize on our weather. When looking at places to move to, schools and recreation are significant in people’s decision making.
If we improve our schools and take more advantage of our climate we will be more attractive to companies that might consider moving to town.
We cannot afford expensive projects but instead should spend what money we have on projects that improve our quality of life.
This is better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
And as everything the city does has to come with a HUGE downside… they built a wonderful park but without the infrastructure (streets) to support it. Additionally, as I understand it, they aren’t tied into using gray water.
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130 percent ($13 million) over budget.
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Hope all these kids REALLY like soccer !
“Sports” ??? But it looks like “Only Soccer.”
Its “addressed on Montwood” but does not tie INTO . .THE MONTWOOD street. Does not connect.
I dont see how it can. It is separated by a mile of desert that does not line up with . . . the Original Montwood.
That vacant land is owned by Horizon City original buyers and cannot be re-developed (restrictions) and cannot be sub-divided under the Texas Colonias laws, or sold, or traded, or used in many ways.
That whole section of 640 acres, is tied up by Texas Laws and Horizon City restrictions.
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The City Council designated the area as a TIRZ to pay for the $13 million overage as well as M&O.
640 acres of the TIRZ is undevelopable?
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Texas law rules. . .over city ordinances.
All 640 acres of lots are 5 acres. Cannot be subdivided or re-subdivided. Originally sold by Horizon Properties with easements for roads. “Easements” not . . actual “roads.”
No utilities into the area either.
Can be used by Original Owner for a homestead 5 acres.
But, again, no water, no electric, no gas.
There are 6 to 10 of these sections WAY out there in Horizon City all the same.
All 5 acres.
THIS section was the closest to El Paso, 40 years ago.
Every other section is Horizon Properties 5 acre lots just about all the way to the Guadalupe Mountains.
Property owners are here, and in Germany, and all over the world that came here 40 years ago and bought it for 5 acres ranches.
“Be a Cowboy. Own a Ranch !”
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Actually, an Austin has a development that is basically mini-ranches like this (only buyers actually built ranches). The folks that are attracted to this type of development there are tech company CEOs and execs who don’t want to packed into subdivisions. Plus they can brag they have a few cattle or horses. These are the kinds of amenities that attract the folks we keep trying to attract with me-too retail like Top Golf or Ruth Chris. The reality is that developing the unique experiences our geography offers into something more than zero clearance lot tract housing might attract business development. Getting roads and utility hookups there would be a better use of money than the street car to nowhere. Brutus is right—we need to think more about outdoor.
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Did Austin attract tech company CEOs with mini-ranches, or did it already have tech company CEOs that liked the idea of mini-ranches? You are putting the cart before the horse.
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The one I knew moved to Austin as part of a German company corporate expansion to the US and bought a mini ranch when he did it. Executive quality of life (he was long-term employee of that company) is generally part of the calculation in relocation decisions particularly when corporations are transferring employees. So I’d say the mini ranches are a draw.
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Brutus, you are right. We do have better weather for outdoor activites than 80% of the country. More soccer, more baseball fields, more hiking and biking…that’s good for the city. But see what happens? The bloggers here can’t even agree on that. Too many El Pasoans are fault-finders. That will continue to hold us back.
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Fault finding and pointing out the obvious is 2 different things. ALL SOCCER and nothing else, is a gamble and a lot of grass to water and mow.
Suppose it was ALL SKATEBOARD Park. See, overkill and almost wrong time frame. Skateboards are not as popular as when they started skateboard parks in el paso.
Soccer is popular NOW and the past few years, but we dont know the longevity of popular interest of soccer.
Will lawsuits cancel out school-city/ sponsored soccer leagues ?
Who knows.
It’s good for kids and people to be outside, of course.
If ALL SOCCER does not work out, it could partially be turned into a park with trees.
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