Council Approves 10-Year Parks Master Plan

El Paso's City Council has approved a decade-long roadmap for improving neighborhood parks, maintaining facilities, and expanding recreation.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in National Parks

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a weathered park bench on dry desert gravel beside mesquite shrubs and a curving concrete path, evoking long-term public park planning. — El Paso's City Council approved a 10-year parks and recreation master plan that sets priorities for neighborhood parks, facility upkeep, and access. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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El Paso City Council approved a 10-year master plan for parks and recreation. The plan sets out a roadmap to improve neighborhood parks, care for existing facilities, and expand recreational opportunities.

Why it matters

The plan gives residents a framework for how parks and recreation resources will be developed and maintained over the next decade. It recognizes that new facilities bring ongoing costs for staffing, utilities, repairs, and maintenance.

El Paso's Parks and Recreation system includes 291 park properties, 30 miles of trails, 23 recreation and sports centers, 10 senior centers, and 15 aquatic facilities. The plan was shaped by more than 2,500 survey responses, 10 community open houses, and five focus groups.

The players

City of El Paso

El Paso is a city in far West Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border, and its municipal government oversees the city's parks and recreation system.

The details

The plan focuses on five priorities: improving neighborhood parks, maintaining existing facilities, making parks easier to reach, improving parks across El Paso, and planning for long-term care. Over the past decade, the City expanded recreation through the Westside Natatorium, Eastside Sports Complex, The Beast Urban Park, three water parks, and several recreation centers.

Over the past decade: City expanded recreational facilities, including water parks and recreation centers.
Next 10 years: The master plan provides direction for parks improvements.

Seasonal Patterns

The plan builds on the City's strategic priorities of improving quality of life, maintaining public spaces, and making neighborhoods more connected. It follows the recent expansion of the Westside Natatorium, Eastside Sports Complex, and The Beast Urban Park.

Residents can expect improvements to start in neighborhoods, such as additional shade and playground amenities, as funding allows. The plan identifies priorities but does not fund individual projects, so timing for specific upgrades will depend on City Council decisions.

The takeaway

Residents interested in future park upgrades can follow El Paso City Council decisions on funding, since the master plan sets priorities but does not itself allocate money to specific projects.