El Paso Secures $26.7 Million Regional Transit Grant as City Council Shifts $2.5 Million to Multifamily Affordable Housing

Texas Transportation Commission Awards $26.7 Million Transit Package to EPATS

EL PASO, Texas — Expanding regional mobility and cross-border connectivity across West Texas, the Texas Transportation Commission awarded up to $26.7 million in federal and state transit funds to El Paso Area Transportation Services (EPATS) in late September 2026. The capital investment accelerates the systematic transfer of rural and peri-urban transit administration to EPATS, unifying transit services across El Paso County.

The allocated funding modernizes regional bus fleets with low-emission vehicles, finances expanded frequency along heavily traveled suburban routes, and establishes integrated fare-payment technology. Concurrently, Sun Metro completed the rollout of updated fall route schedules, enhancing on-time reliability across central transit hubs and facilitating seamless transfers for daily cross-border workforce commuters.

City Council Shifts $2.5 Million Toward Multifamily Affordable Housing Development

On the municipal housing front, the El Paso City Council moved forward with a strategic resolution reallocating $2.5 million in unused federal community development funds. Originally appropriated for first-time homebuyer assistance programs that faced barriers from rising regional real estate valuations, the capital has been redirected to finance the construction and rehabilitation of income-restricted multifamily housing complexes.

City housing officials noted that directing resources into multi-family housing development addresses immediate supply shortages for low-income seniors and service workers, maintaining El Paso's housing affordability as median home prices stabilize near $295,000.

Meta Data Center Community Agreement and Neighborhood Infrastructure

Simultaneously, municipal leaders advanced community negotiations surrounding Meta’s state-of-the-art data center currently under construction in Northeast El Paso. Council members approved grant applications and formalized community benefit priorities, securing commitments for modern solar street lighting, park renovations, and pedestrian crosswalk improvements along school transit corridors.

Mayor Renard Johnson and city representatives emphasized that balancing high-tech corporate investments with robust public transit and housing protections positions El Paso as an economic anchor in the binational Borderplex region.