Austin Judge ‘No Sports Arena In Downtown El Paso’ – But Does That Mean No Sporting Events?

The new, voter-approved downtown arena cannot be built for sports, that's the ruling of the judge in Austin today.

The City can build the $180 million Downtown multi-purpose facility it plans to build in the Duranguito neighborhood, but the facility cannot be built in a way to accommodate sports.

The judge said the City cannot "design, construct, improve, renovate or equip the Facility in Downtown El Paso to be suitable for a sports arena." She went on to say that no other outside funds, such as Certificates of Obligation can be used to "modify, complete or enhance the Facility to make it suitable for a sports arena."

The judge did confirm the validity of the 2012 bond election and allowed the City to move forward with demolition and construction. She also ruled that no other money sources can be used to build the arena.

So what does all that mean?

The arena can be built in the Durangito area, so more than likely, the buildings there will be demolished. The arena cannot have things like scoreboards or locker rooms, or anything that would be needed in a sporting arena. While the arena would be used primarily as a performing arts facility, the City can have sporting events in the arena, and only the $180 million alloted in the 2012 Quality of Life bond can be used. Other funds, like Certificates of Obligation, cannot be used to fund the arena, or used to modify it with things like scoreboards or locker rooms.

The group that opposed the building of the arena in Durangito says they have won a victory because the City never said that they were going to build a sports arena and they misled voters. The City had no comment on Monday afternoon.