Downtown Deck Plaza Feasibility Study

Though a unique partnership between the City of El Paso and the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, a federally funded feasibility study of placing a green cap over Interstate 10 in downtown El Paso was ordered. In support of this effort, our team implemented a comprehensive public involvement strategy. We used stakeholder research to formulate key messages for the campaign and facilitated a community advisory committee to help guide the project. Additionally, we arranged a series of open house committee meetings, developing essential materials, exhibits, priority-setting activities, feedback opportunities, and meeting summaries.

To maximize public input, these open houses were held at locations throughout the community. The information provided at the meetings covered the history of I-10, vision for Deck Plaza, significance of connecting the area to neighborhoods and trails, and case studies on deck/cap projects. We used interactive polling and comment cards to gather community feedback on the desired location and amenities, as well as source other community priorities. We also used the Social Pinpoint platform to allow those who preferred to participate online to provide feedback. In addition to translating public meeting materials into Spanish, we implemented a promotion strategy that distributed bilingual fliers and door hangers, provided social media toolkits, and developed web content to effectively engage with the community and spread awareness about the project.