Developers Submit Qualifications for Northeast Land Purchase NEWS RELEASE Contact: Hector Gonzalez, Government Affairs and Communications Manager 915-594-5661, e-mail: publicaffairs@epwu.org Date: April 3, 2007 (El Paso) On March 30, 10 master developers submitted statements of qualifications to El Paso Water Utilities, indicating their intent to bid on approximately 3,900 acres of undeveloped Public Service Board land in Northeast El Paso. Both local and out-of-town developers responded to the Board’s request for qualifications. The acreage is a part of more than 6,000 acres master planned by the Board and approved in December by the City Plan Commission and City Council to accommodate growth in Northeast El Paso. The population increase is fueled by the expansion of Fort Bliss and associated defense-related employment, increased medical research and development, and growth in the higher education/ technology sectors. The master-planned area will be the site of a planned community containing more than 10,000 new homes. Entry-level and market standard homes will be offered, as well as homes for empty nesters and retirees. Higher-end homes will be built around the Painted Dunes Golf Course. The area will include 220 acres of mixed-use commercial development and 2,000 acres of parks and open space, including more than eight miles of hike and bike trails. Arroyos will be incorporated into a trail system that links neighborhoods to parks, schools, town centers, a visitor center and trailheads that provide access to the Franklin Mountain State Park. The Public Service Board will invest over $20 million in water and wastewater improvements and the expansion of McCombs Street into a four-lane, divided road with median improvements. At build out, this community will add close to $2 billion in property value to the city. A committee composed of City and Public Service Board officials plus URS, the firm that prepared the master plan, will score the statements of qualifications on several factors, including previous experience in developing successful master-planned communities, the financial capacity to complete the project and the use of local development partners, home builders and suppliers. A recommendation will be submitted to the Public Service Board, and qualified developers will be invited to bid on the property and develop the land. The bid opening date for the sale of the property has not been set by the PSB, but it is expected to be in late June. Developers Submitting Statements of Qualification Developer Location Coast Range Investments San Francisco, California Cousins Properties, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia DMB, Inc. Scottsdale, Arizona E2M & EPT Land Assets, LP Dallas/El Paso, Texas Forrest City/Covington Capital Cleveland, Ohio Hunt Communities, LLC El Paso, Texas Landmark Golf Co. Indian Wells, California Scarborough Land Development Addison, Texas Southwest Land Development Services, Inc. El Paso, Texas Watt Companies Aliso Viejo, California