Cohen Stadium Could Become Water Adventure Park

Ever since the decision to bring Triple-A baseball to El Paso was revealed in the fall of 2012 and plans to shutter Cohen Stadium were made, the future of the Northeast facility has been in limbo. But now there’s a very real possibility it could become a water park – or more specifically, the land around it.

It was disclosed late Tuesday that the city is soliciting proposals to develop a "northeast water/aquatic adventure park" at 9700 Gateway North. That is the address for the land Cohen sits on.

According to media sources who have looked over the 508-page request for proposals, the city’s wish list includes the following:

•The design would have to be compatible with Cohen Stadium

•Offer seasonal and year-round entertainment in the form of a water park/aquatic facility that would include a “Lazy River” component, “Wave Pool” component, “Surf machine simulator” component and a minimum of three water slides.

•A sports complex with a minimum of four indoor basketball/volleyball courts, indoor soccer component, indoor basketball component, indoor volleyball component, indoor track component, and outdoor baseball component.

•An adventure park with rock climbing and/or zip lines

•Dining and/or concessions

The more of the city’s requests the developer agrees to fulfill the better chance it would have of landing the deal. In return, the city would enter into a lease of up to 30 years, and, according to the El Paso Times, offer them tax incentives.

Plans for such a park have been discussed in the past. In January of this year then city manager Joyce Wilson told KVIA that a private company with water parks throughout Texas, (Schlitterbahn? Hawaiian Falls Water Parks?), had approached the city with a proposal to build a water park on that very site. The plan the company was floating back then was “a ‘public private partnership'” that involved “the city having a significant financial stake in it.”

No word if that is still the case. Story developing.