Cohen Stadium, home to two incarnations of the El Paso Diablos, may end up staying intact as the City Council reviews redevelopment plans for the surrounding area.
The independent American Association Diablos wrapped up their season and history this weekend, as the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) will be relocating next season to a new downtown ballpark. While there are still some lease issues to work out — technically, the Diablos owners still have three years left on the Cohen Stadium lease — the city is soliciting proposal for the property, with the hope that the facility will continue to host baseball. From the El Paso Times:
On Tuesday, City Council discussed in closed session the possible development of an entertainment facility on the site that houses the stadium and about 20 acres adjacent to it.
City Manager Joyce Wilson and Northeast city Rep. Carl Robinson could not provide any specifics, but the idea is to keep the stadium as it is if any plan is developed, they said.
“We got like two or three different proposals that have been brought forward to us,” Wilson said. “So basically, we were briefing the council on them so we can get direction of whether or not we want to proceed forward with evaluating them and doing any kind of competitive process,” she added.
There had been ideas floated for the future of the area, including a water park or other recreational offerings.
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