The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Nov. 3 authorized staff to negotiate an interlocal agreement with the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority to develop placemaking and design guidelines for the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) area.

The project, as presented by Raymond Tayas of the CRRMA, is estimated at about $340,000 in consultant and planning work. CRRMA and project stakeholders proposed that five partners — the City of El Paso, El Paso County, Texas Tech University, University Medical Center (UMC) and El Paso Children’s Hospital — each contribute roughly $68,000 toward the consultant scope and deliverables.

Why it matters: presenters said the MCA area contains a concentration of health‑care assets (Texas Tech medical programs, UMC, pediatric and cancer centers) and that a unified set of design guidelines could improve first impressions, wayfinding, pedestrian and shared‑use connections, and future grant competitiveness. Raymond Tayas told the court, “we have control over that area and we could make it look a lot better,” and described an intended deliverable package that includes a technical memo, vision and goals report, design guidelines and optional preliminary grant‑application materials to support implementation.

What the county was asked to do: the CRRMA described a 12‑month consultant schedule (from notice to proceed), a stakeholder planning committee in which each partner would have representation, and an optional grant package to avoid producing “a plan that goes on a shelf.” CRRMA said Texas Tech, UMC and El Paso Children’s had already executed interlocal agreements; the City of El Paso was scheduled to consider its agreement the day after this meeting.

Discussion and court direction: Commissioners asked about public benefits, neighborhood connectivity, inclusion of native landscaping and arts, and whether the Medical Center of the Americas nonprofit (MCA) would participate. Steve Ortega of the El Paso Chamber said the MCA was asked to participate but currently lacks funds to contribute. County staff said prior campus master plans would be reviewed and synthesized as part of the consultant scope.

Formal action: the court voted to authorize staff to negotiate a contract with CRRMA for placemaking guidelines and to pursue the work using the county’s economic impact funds. Commissioner Stout made the motion; Commissioner Coronado seconded; the motion carried.

Next steps: staff will work with legal to finalize the interlocal and return the agreement for formal approval; county staff also agreed to provide the court with existing MCA master plans and to include neighborhood representation on the planning committee.