According to the Oligarchy Gazette (dba El Paso Inc), the century-old brick tenement at 315 W. Overland was renovated by August 2024 and opened with 16 units. In anticipation of selling the building to the City to be demolished for the expansion of the Convention Center, the leases were allowed to expire without renewal, forcing out all the tenants.
33-year-old owner Justin Churchman commented, “It didn’t make sense to stand in the way of progress for the city of El Paso and what they can bring. […] The price was negotiated with the city to be at or around fair market value.”
Churchman received $1,988,991 for the property, plus another $1,184,800 for two nearby properties, for a total of $3,173,791. These three properties are now removed from the tax rolls and will no longer produce tax revenue for the City.
The sale was approved Tuesday on a 6-1 vote, with only Rep. Lily Limón refusing to support it. Even City Representative Chris Canales, District 8, who is generally supportive of historic preservation, supported the sale after telling us the historic properties on the north side of Overland would not be threatened by the Convention Center expansion.
So much for encouraging private investors to convert historic downtown buildings into residential housing!
