Sun City Lights at Marty Robbins Park in El Paso, TX

A new Sun City Lights sculpture is rising at 11600 Vista del Sol in El Paso, serving as a shade canopy for a hillside amphitheater at Marty Robbins Park. The City of El Paso, as the owner of record, has filed this new construction project with an estimated cost of $931,607 and a total area of 18,500 square feet. This development integrates public art with functional infrastructure to enhance the park's accessibility and utility.

The scope of work extends beyond the central sculpture to include new sidewalks and ADA-compliant parking. These improvements connect the existing parking lot to both the upper and lower levels of the amphitheater. The design firm of record, Surroundings, oversaw the plans that were submitted for review. A registered accessibility specialist, Julie Ericson Gereda, is associated with the TDLR filing for this specific project.

The project timeline indicates that construction is scheduled to finish in October 2026. Work was set to begin in February 2026, following the completion of plan review in January 2026. The TDLR status is listed as Review Complete, confirming that the regulatory hurdles for the design phase have been cleared. This schedule places the build window at 256 days, a duration that is close to the county median for similar new construction filings.

Financial and Regional Context

The estimated cost of $931,607 places this project above the median estimated cost of $800,000 for new construction in El Paso County. However, the cost per square foot is significantly lower, calculated at $50 per square foot compared to the county median of $111. This disparity suggests a focus on public infrastructure and landscape integration rather than high-density building structures. The project utilizes public funds and public land, aligning with the City of El Paso's broader investment in public spaces.

Marty Robbins Park is located in a ZIP code with an estimated population of about 107,512 residents. The median household income in this area is $60,981, and the median owner-occupied home value is $156,400. A third-party record from Open Publica noted a May 12, 2026, City Council item awarding a contract to MSTAR Inc. for an outdoor amphitheater with glow-in-the-dark aggregate sidewalk, providing external context for the scope of work described in the filing.