CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

YSLETA NORTHEAST MISSION VALLEY AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL EASTON PLACE SAN JACINTO PLAZA NORTHGATE PIEDRAS DRIVE RIM ROAD NEIGHBORHOOD MADELINE DRIVE MUNDY PARK BURGESS HIGH SCHOOL SUNSET HEIGHTS WESTSIDE JACKSON CORK ARROYO PARK HUECO TANKS STATE PARK FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS PLAN EL PASO PARK TOM LEA PARK LORETTO ACADEMY CATHEDRAL HIGH GRANDVIEW OREGON CORRIDOR SNOW HEIGHTS PARK KIDD FIELD FORT BLISS AMERICAS HIGH SCHOOL ALTHEA PARK KERN PLACE HOUSTON PARK MISSION HILLS SOUTH RIDGECREST BANDOLERO TARASCAS LOMAS DEL REY LAKEHURST FESTIVAL HILLS LAMBKA PARK FALCON HILLS ROSEDALE FARMS MISSION VALLEY HILLS HIGH RIDGE CRESTMONT PARK MESA BELVIDERE BEAR CENTRAL RIDGE REMCON MONTOYA HEIGHTS THREE HILLS SUNSET VIEW WEST GREEN BORDERLAND MARWOOD PARK RIVERBEND EASTWOOD MEMORIAL PARK ARMSTRONG FIELD HIGHLAND PARK MILITARY HEIGHTS AUSTIN TERRACE EASTSIDE FIVE POINTS LOGAN HEIGHTS SUNRISE ASARCO NATIONS TOBIN PARK TERRACE HILLS MINER VILLAGE SAMBRANO DOLPHIN PARK APOLLO HEIGHTS PLEASANT HILLS TIMBERWOLF WASHINGTON PARK STILES GARDEN LAFAYETTE PLACE SEGUNDO BARRIO BUENA VISTA COLLINGSWORTH GARDENS SUN VALLEY RIVERSIDE PARK PARKLAND CLARDY FOX MEDINA DELTA PARK

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VOLUME I: CITY PATTERNS

PLAN EL PASO:

A Policy Guide for El Paso for the next 25 years and beyond

was created by:

Mayor John Cook

City Council Ann Morgan Lilly, District 1 Susie Byrd, District 2 Emma Acosta, District 3 Carl L. Robinson, District 4 Dr. Michiel Noe, District 5 Rachel Quintana, District 5 (former) Eddie Holguin Jr., District 6 Steve Ortega, District 7 Cortney Niland, District 8 Beto O’Rourke, District 8 (former)

City Manager & Deputies Joyce A. Wilson, City Manager David R. Almonte, Health & Safety Deborah G. Hamlyn, Community Services Jane K. Shang, Mobility Services William F. Studer Jr., Finance & Management Support Services

City Plan Commission

Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee

Planning and Economic Development Mathew McElroy, Deputy Director Carlos Gallinar, Comprehensive Plan Manager Fred Lopez, Comprehensive Plan Manager Shamori Rose Whitt, Smart Growth Planner

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning Victor Dover Joseph Kohl Jason King Pamela Stacy James Dougherty Megan McLaughlin Chris Podstawski Andrew Georgiadis Kenneth Garcia Jennifer Garcia Justin Falango Elma Felix Amy Groves Andrew Zitofsky Danay Morales Sofia Villanueva Eduardo Castillo

IPS Group Urban Planning Natalie Ruiz

Spikowski Planning Associates Urban Planning Bill Spikowski

City of Fayetteville Implementation Advisor Karen Minkel

Charlier Associates, Inc. Transportation Planning Jacob Riger Jennifer Valentine

Hall Planning & Engineering Pedestrian Transportation Planning Rick Hall Tracy Hegler

The Street Plans Collaborative Multimodal Transportation & Coding, Web Outreach Anthony Garcia Mike Lydon

CEA Group Infrastructure & Capital Improvements, Local Expertise Jorge L. Azcarate Jorge Grajeda

Urban Advisors Economic Analysis Ed Starkie Glenn Kellogg

Zimmerman/Volk Associates Housing Market Analysis Todd Zimmerman Laurie Volk

w-ZHA Downtown Market Analysis Sarah Woodworth

Institute for Policy and Economic Development REMI Projections Updates

Chael, Cooper & Associates Architecture Marice Chael

Sottile & Sottile Architecture Christian Sottile

UrbanAdvantage Computer Visualizations Steve Price

Berger Singerman Land Use Law Sam Poole

Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta Land Use Law Cindy Crosby

...and thousands of El Paso residents

Adopted March 6, 2012

Cover Buildings: O.T. Bassett Tower, Henry C. Trost; Overland Street Rooming House, Architect Unknown; Roberts-Banner Building, Henry C. Trost; Hotel Paso del Norte (Camino Real), Henry C. Trost; San Elizario Mission, Architect Unknown

TABLE OF CONTENTS

--- THIS VOLUME ---

VOLUME I: CITY PATTERNS

City Form and Community Character

i. Preface & Introduction

1. Regional Land Use Patterns
2. Urban Design
3. Downtown
4. Transportation
5. Public Facilities
6. Housing

VOLUME II: COMMUNITY LIFE

Prosperity and Quality of Life

7. Economic Development
8. Historic Preservation
9. Health
10. Sustainability
11. Border Relations
12. Fort Bliss

Implementation and Appendices

A. Implementation Matrix B. Process C. Economic Development Reports D. Community Design Manual E. Charter of the New Urbanism F. Glossary

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LOVE EL PASO.

PLAN EL PASO.

PLAN THE FUTURE. NOW.

www.planelpaso.org

PREFACE

A BETTER LIFE, EVERY GENERATION

In 1925 the City Plan of El Paso was adopted, the City’s first plan of comprehensive scope. Between the City’s founding in 1873 and the adoption of the 1925 plan, El Paso had progressed from a frontier village to become one of the most prominent cities in the Southwest. El Paso was a convergence point for five major railroads with connections to all major cities in the US and Mexico, a center of industrial and manufacturing production, and a headquarters for international banking and business. El Paso’s Downtown exemplified the ideals of the City Beautiful movement with wonderful public places and proud architecture connected to streetcar suburbs with ample public parks and tree-lined streets. El Paso was also the busiest port of entry on the southern US border as Mexican laborers joined the ranks of a workforce that would help build the nation. With the 1925 plan as a cornerstone document, El Paso would in time have the highest per capita income in the region, the tallest concrete buildings, showpiece public parks, and one of the nation’s best mass transit systems.

El Paso’s assets in 1925 remain vital components of the City’s present economy. The purposes of the plan written over eighty-five years ago remain relevant today: “to promote the convenience of the population; to improve health conditions; to provide more liberally for public recreation; to add to the comforts of urban life; to beautify the City and its surroundings; to develop earnestly all cultural elements in community life; and to give the City of El Paso such distinction among cities that it will acquire new and wider fame.”

Today, El Paso is part of the largest international metroplex in the world and a center for cross-border manufacturing and distribution. Some credit for this achievement is due to the 1925 plan which had the foresight to foster the “sister city” relationship with Ciudad Juárez. The Paso del Norte region includes 2.2 million residents, a region comparable in size to San Antonio, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, or Cincinnati. Over 60 Fortune 500 companies have offices in El Paso. Despite a world-wide economic slowdown, El Paso’s economy has continued to outperform other US metropolitan regions. Fort Bliss, the outpost base that only began to grow after Pancho Villa’s New Mexico raid in 1916, has become one of the county’s chief military installations. In addition to the economic engines of industry and defense, new industries have arisen. The Medical Center of the Americas promises to be a national hub of medical technology.

At the same time, a city is more than its commercial and economic activities. El Paso thrives in the modern era while still preserving its social and cultural foundations. Families are still the basis of the community, churches are well attended, holidays both Mexican and American are celebrated with fresh tamales, and children grow up with piñatas and papel picado. Residents who have migrated from Mexico, especially, recognize that economic advancement is achieved only through successive generations. Though the 19th largest city in the United States, El Paso consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States by virtue of these familial ties. Residents expressed a desire for generations of families to continue living and advancing economically in the same place. This kind of economic diversification is a major goal of the plan.

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Troops once stationed at Fort Bliss increasingly choose Northeast El Paso to retire, executives from international companies overseeing maquila operations live in the foothills of the Franklin Mountains, the Tigua Indians preserve their culture as an urban tribe in Ysleta, and students travel from throughout the region to attend the University of Texas at El Paso and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Many people have come through El Paso; “El Paso” means “the pass,” a place to go through. Yet people from a diversity of backgrounds and places of origin continue to choose to make El Paso their permanent home.

Increasingly, El Paso’s historic competitive advantages – comparatively low labor, land, and energy costs – are less an asset as industry continues to relocate outside of the United States. Companies today compete for quality human capital and the new race among cities is to provide the high quality of life which attracts and retains skilled labor. In contrast to periods of its history when some defined El Paso as a singularly low-wage city, the 1925 plan envisioned a global city, and prioritized goals necessary to compete on an international level: convenience, health, recreation, comfort, beauty, culture, and community – in a phrase, quality of life.

Plan El Paso recognizes quality of life, in addition to transportation and education, as foundational goals which will help the City to compete in every sphere. These foundational goals require a sustained commitment. Plan El Paso coordinates policies at all scales using the same overall principles so that the plan can operate cohesively and guide the efforts of the City’s many stakeholders and decision makers at every level.

PLAN EL PASO

The Scale of the Region

The plan recognizes that El Paso is part of a larger region and that the fates of both El Paso and Juárez are inextricably linked. El Paso is also a major US metropolis whose operations affect air quality, water quality, and global climate change. The City’s economic strategies, governmental cooperation, housing policy, and physical planning must reflect regional thinking. In terms of energy policy El Paso must think globally.

El Paso is a metropolis made up of many centers and neighborhoods which should be the focus for new infill development to spur economic reinvestment, repair urban fabric, capitalize on existing infrastructure and service investments, and reclaim abandoned areas. By focusing energies within the City’s existing boundaries over peripheral expansion, the City can conserve environmental resources like water and energy, and promote preservation of critical arroyos and farmland. Where expansion is necessary, new development should be organized as coherent places with an integrated mix of jobs and housing.

The Scale of the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor

In recent years health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and the maladies associated with social alienation have become a normal response to a built-environment that does not allow walking or facilitate human interaction. The young and the elderly of El Paso, especially, have been left behind by an urban forms that necessitate driving long distances. The plan proposes strategies to bring more of the activities of daily living within walking distance and a framework of transportation alternatives including transit and bicycle systems. Encouraging walkability helps create healthy life styles. Building complete places that enable neighbors to know each other will help create and retain close-knit communities.

The Scale of the Block, Street, and Building

The plan describes changes in the way streets have been planned and designed throughout the City’s history. Streets that were the true public realms of El Paso in 1925 became barriers to community life when the singular function of moving traffic triumphed over all other purposes. Streets are now considered merely segments between two points rather than important places in their own right. What the 1925 plan did for the design, functionality and inclusiveness of the City’s parks, Plan El Paso seeks to achieve for streets, those other great shared spaces of city life. Interconnected networks of streets that are safe, comfortable, and interesting will encourage walking, reduce reliance on the automobile, and reduce climate-changing pollutants.

The plan recognizes the indispensability of beauty, not as something separate and apart from life like pictures in a gallery, but beauty in homes, neighborhoods, civic buildings, streets, and public spaces. In this way Plan El Paso aims not to return to a

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vanished time, but rather to grow a choiceworthy contemporary City based on cherished and enduring values. The plan revives the idea that additions to the built-environment must be functional and long-lasting but also delightful and attractive. Plan El Paso recognizes that design matters.

Planning in Public

The 1925 City Plan of El Paso is often referred to as the Kessler Plan because the project was headed by George E. Kessler, a renowned city planner and landscape architect. While Kessler lent his wisdom, foresight, and prestige to the plan, a more lasting effect on the City may have been made by Walter Stockwell, who assisted Kessler in creating the plan, and stayed in El Paso to serve 25 years with the City as Plan Engineer and Secretary of the Plan Commission. The 1962 Plan for the City credits Stockwell with keeping the “plan alive and making the plan work.”

Toward a similar end, Plan El Paso deputized the entire City as citizen planners through a series of hands-on public design charrettes which included over eight weeks of intense community exercises and policy discussions to generate the plan vision. This process was followed by over a year of regular meetings with a citizen City Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) to refine the draft plan. A project website received over 40,000 visitors and provided an online forum for plan discussions. The plan process received bilingual coverage in local and national media. Plan drafts were made available to the public and special presentations and meetings were held to discuss the plan before the formal process for adoption was initiated.

Plan El Paso was created in El Paso and the best ideas came from El Pasoans. As a reward for undertaking this effort and persevering in its implementation, El Pasoans will one day remember themselves as the authors of the plan as well as the beneficiaries of the plan’s accomplishments.

INTRODUCTION

HOW TO USE THE PLAN

Plan El Paso, the City of El Paso’s Comprehensive Plan, provides the basis for El Paso’s regulations and policies that guide its physical and economic development. Plan El Paso establishes priorities for public action and direction for complementary private decisions. Plan El Paso contains illustrative plans, diagrams, maps, and pictures to make its concepts clear and accessible to City officials, residents, developers, community groups, and other stakeholders.

This Comprehensive Plan provides a flexible framework that can be updated, revised, and improved upon over time to stay relevant to the issues the City must confront as well as the ambitions the City chooses to pursue. This plan can serve as a tool to evaluate new development proposals and direct capital improvements and to guide public policy in a manner that ensures that El Paso continues to be the community that its citizens desire it to be.

The plan is divided into elements. Each element concludes with goals and policies that set broad policy directions and identify specific actions that will enhance the City’s quality of life, respect its natural environs, and support complementary economic growth and development.

Each element of the plan contains four sections:

1. Current Conditions: A discussion of existing circumstances about both the physical City and current City policy;
2. Community Concerns: Consensus concerns expressed by community members as part of the public involvement process of meetings, charrettes, and interviews that were conducted early in the planning process.
3. Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns: Policy discussions and recommendations with illustrative plans and renderings that articulate strategies to be accomplished through City actions and partnerships among local governmental agencies, private sector businesses, community organizations, and neighborhood residents.
4. Goals and Policies: Each goal summarizes the desired end-state for a particular subject based on the community’s vision. Policies identify implementation actions and the principles that form the basis for City regulations and procedures and for desired actions by the greater community.

Relationship to Study Area Plans

Over the past decade, the City of El Paso has developed special study area plans that deal with unique community and neighborhood issues. The creation of these study area plans was called for by the City’s 1999 Plan for El Paso and they have been developed in close coordination with local residents.

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This new Comprehensive Plan does not supersede these plans. They will remain in effect except for any provisions that may conflict with this new plan, until such times as the plans are amended or repealed by the City Council. This Comprehensive Plan attempts to integrate social, economic, aesthetic, and environmental issues described within the study area plans into physical manifestations, demonstrated in illustrative plans, that will result in increasingly livable communities. Additional special area plans may also be created and adopted as amendments to this Comprehensive Plan.

Plan Implementation

This Comprehensive Plan is intended to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the City. Here are some practical ways to ensure that future activities are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan:

• Annual Work Programs and Budgets: The City Council and individual City departments should be cognizant of the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan when preparing annual work programs and budgets.
• Development Approvals: The approvals process for development proposals, including rezoning and subdivision plats, should be a central means of implementing the Comprehensive Plan. The zoning regulations (Title 20) and the subdivision regulations (Title 19) should be updated in response to regulatory strategies presented in the Comprehensive Plan.
• Capital Improvement Plans: The City’s capital improvement plans (CIP) and long-range utility, and transportation plans should be prepared consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s land use policies and infrastructure recommendations (water, sewer, stormwater, transportation, and parks/recreation). Major new improvements that are not

reflected in the Comprehensive Plan, and which could dramatically affect the Comprehensive Plan's recommendations, should be preceded by a Comprehensive Plan update.

• Economic Incentives: Economic incentives should carry out Comprehensive Plan goals and policies. Geographic areas identified by the illustrative plans should have high priorities for incentives and public/private partnerships.

• Private Development Decisions: Property owners and developers should consider the strategies and recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan in their own land planning and investment decisions. Public decision-makers will be using the Comprehensive Plan as a guide in their development-related deliberations.

• Future Interpretations: The City Council should call upon the City Plan Commission to provide interpretation of major items that are unclear or are not fully addressed in the Plan. In formulating an interpretation, the Commission may call upon outside experts and other groups for advice. Minor items that require interpretation should be handled by the appropriate agency as it follows the Plan.

Overall Goals of the Plan

Through the charrette process and meetings with public officials, the following general goals have been formulated for the City of El Paso:

• Regional Land Use Patterns: Encourage infill development within the existing City over peripheral expansion to conserve environmental resources, spur economic investment, repair social fabric, reduce the cost of providing infrastructure and services, and reclaim abandoned areas.

• Urban Design: Incentivize development projects of exemplary location and design throughout the City.

• Downtown: Direct public funding and private development of exemplary design to the Downtown where it will have economic and social benefits shared by the entire City.

• Transportation: The City of El Paso wishes to become the least car-dependent city in the Southwest through meaningful travel options and land-use patterns that support walkability, livability, and sustainability. Over time, El Paso will join the ranks of the most walkable and transit-rich metropolitan areas in the country.

• Public Facilities: Provide community services and facilities that meet the physical, educational, and recreational needs of all segments of the City's community.

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• Housing: To provide housing in El Paso through complete, connected neighborhoods containing quality, affordable, and accessible choices to serve all income levels and age groups.

• Economic Development: Build a foundation for economic prosperity that nurtures an atmosphere of innovation, increases quality of life to attract national and international talent, offers high-quality infrastructure, improves education and workforce development, and increases tourism.

• Historic Preservation: Preserve, renew, and evolve historic buildings, districts, and landscapes for the use and enjoyment of future generations.

• Health: Improve the overall physical and mental health of El Paso citizens by increasing the quality of life in the region.

• Sustainability: Secure the viability of environmental resources for El Paso’s people, flora, and fauna so that future generations may experience a constantly improving environment that is always more resilient than that of the previous generation.

• Border Relations: El Paso will be a world class, highly competitive international border community that draws trade, technology, and tourism to its cultural, geographic, and environmental attractions through unparalleled interregional and binational cooperation.

• Fort Bliss: The City and Fort Bliss shall continue to grow together in a way that is mutually beneficial.

FACTS ABOUT EL PASO

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Source: US Census Bureau

POPULATION TRENDS

Sources: US Census Bureau, City of El Paso Planning Division, Ciudad Juárez municipal website

POPULATION OF MUNICIPALITIES

Sources: US Census Bureau, Texas Almanac

ETHNICITY IN CITY OF EL PASO

Source: US Census Bureau

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PUBLIC EDUCATION

HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN CITY OF EL PASO

Source: American Community Survey, 2005-2009

HOUSEHOLD SIZE IN CITY OF EL PASO

Source: US Census Bureau

OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS IN 2010

Source: US Census Bureau

MANUFACTURING

Where: 95% of manufacturing employment in the region takes place in Ciudad Juárez, which has 40 industrial parks.

Unique Factors: El Paso and Ciudad Juárez pioneered the twin-plant maquila industry, allowing international manufacturing facilities in Mexico.

Source: El Paso REDCo

RAIL FREIGHT

• El Paso is served by the Union Pacific, Ferromex, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad companies.
• 15-20% of imports/exports to Mexico pass through El Paso.
• 13% of US goods transported by rail pass through El Paso.

FORT BLISS PERSONNEL

Source: Fort Bliss

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK

AGRICULTURE IN EL PASO COUNTY

Source: USDA's Census of Agriculture for 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007

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Major Crops Harvested in El Paso County between 1987 to 2007

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REGIONAL LAND USE PATTERNS 1

Overall Goal: Encourage infill development within the existing City over peripheral expansion to conserve environmental resources, spur economic investment, repair social fabric, reduce the cost of providing infrastructure and services, and reclaim abandoned areas.

"THE INTRICATE ORDER OF CITIES - MANIFESTATION OF THE FREEDOM OF COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TO MAKE AND CARRY OUT COUNTLESS PLANS - IS IN MANY WAYS A GREAT WONDER."

• JANE JACOBS

CURRENT CONDITIONS

EL PASO’S OUTWARD EXPANSION

When first incorporated in 1873, El Paso consisted of only 2.2 square miles from the Rio Grande north to Downtown. A railroad from Albuquerque arrived soon after in 1881 on its way to San Antonio, followed by a railroad to Mexico City which opened in 1884. These railroads began their long contribution to the region’s prosperity.

El Paso expanded in small steps until the 1950s when 19 separate annexations added 90 square miles of developable land. El Paso’s northeast portion was added in 1953, the Westside was added in 1954, and much of the Westside was added in 1955.

The 1970s saw another growth spurt when 24 more annexations added an additional 120 square miles. This expansion included most of the land between George Dieter Drive and today’s Loop 375, plus the Franklin Mountains and most other vacant land north to the New Mexico state line. The Castner Range, a former military training and weapons firing area on the Eastside of the mountain, is an exception to this expansion.

Annexations slowed beginning in the 1980s, however expansion filled out the current City boundaries east of Loop 375 with the exception of several skipped-over tracts. Land was also annexed in the Upper Valley north of Country Club Road.

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Decade in which land was annexed into the City of El Paso.

Regional Land Use Patterns

Current Conditions

Despite the rapid outward expansion of El Paso’s municipal boundary, actual development of land proceeded deliberately. Wildly speculative land sales were rampant in eastern El Paso County from the 1960s until 1981 when the Federal Trade Commission ordered a halt to high-pressure sales tactics. During that same period, development within the City took place in small increments immediately northeast and east of established neighborhoods. In the 1970s new development began on the Westside as well.

The map below indicates the decade when tracts within the City limits were subdivided. Comparing this map to the previous page, it is clear that annexation of land can pre-date actual development by decades or longer. Annexation is usually the first step toward obtaining water and sewer service from El Paso, a critical precondition to development of land. In recent years El Paso has occasionally agreed to provide water and sewer service to new subdivisions without annexation, a trend that threatens the City’s historic orderly pattern of expansion.

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Decade in which land in El Paso was subdivided for urban development.

EL PASO’S HISTORIC STREETCAR SYSTEM

A lasting imprint on El Paso was created by an extensive system of streetcars. The earliest streetcars, beginning in 1882, were mule-drawn. Electric streetcars began running in 1902, and the first rubber-tired bus appeared in 1925. The last streetcar, an international line that ran a circular loop that crossed over into Ciudad Juárez on Stanton Street and back north on El Paso Street, ended service in 1974.

In 1973 the Juárez Line carried over 10,000 passengers a day. The length of the three mile route to Mexico was equally divided in the two cities. El Paso was one of only six cities in the world that provided international service. The streetcars were reportedly well preferred to the buses which slowly began to replace them. Hundreds of participants in the public meetings recommended the reestablishment of streetcars in El Paso and, in time, the relinking of the two countries via the Juárez Line.

Like the freeways that came later, the streetcar network provided easy access to land in neighborhoods outside the Downtown. Businesses and workplaces often located along streetcar lines which promised permanent convenience for employees and customers. Today’s bus routes often follow the major streetcar routes.

⬚ figure Furthest extent of El Paso streetcar network

Regional Land Use Patterns

Current Conditions

PRE-WORLD WAR II NEIGHBORHOOD PATTERNS El Paso’s neighborhoods were laid out in a similar pattern from the City’s founding until the Great Depression. Automobiles had begun to appear in the 1920s but they had only minor influences on development patterns. All of El Paso’s historic neighborhoods were created during this time period.

The photographs and descriptions below explain the pattern of development during this time period, which was oriented to people moving about on foot and, later, using streetcars. A typical lot during this time was 50 feet wide and 120 feet deep. Today these neighborhoods average about 4.3 dwelling units per acre.

Neighborhood Structure Blocks in pre-World War II neighborhoods were small and generally rectangular (with exceptions such as the hillsides in Sunset Heights and Kern Place). Alleys provided access to garages and an out-of-sight path for utility lines. Streets were highly interconnected and there was rarely a clear pattern as to which streets would become through-routes over time. This type of street network provided multiple routes for walking and tended to disperse traffic instead of concentrating it on occasional major streets.

Housing Houses in pre-World War II neighborhoods faced streets of every type. Because the rectangular street network dispersed traffic, streets were never too busy for private homes. Schools were relatively small in size, were integrated within neighborhoods, and were accessible on foot and bicycle. Parks were usually scaled to the neighborhood and often were centerpieces; the most prestigious homes frequently faced these parks.

Shops and Workplaces In pre-World War II neighborhoods, shops and workplaces were relatively small and were either scattered between or integrated within residential neighborhoods. This pattern was widespread before private vehicles were common because destinations needed to be reached on foot or by streetcar. Large parking lots were unnecessary, allowing closer integration with neighborhoods. Streetcar routes were the preferred location for stores and offices because of their high visibility and accessibility to people from other neighborhoods.

⬚ figure Manhattan Heights and Pershing/Government Hill neighborhoods

⬚ figure Mundy Park, a centerpiece of Sunset Heights

⬚ figure Montana Avenue at Maple Street

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

POST-WORLD WAR II NEIGHBORHOOD PATTERNS

During the Great Depression, development stalled in El Paso as well as around the County. During World War II, Fort Bliss became an active training center and the old airfield was modernized as Biggs Air Force Base.

This momentum continued after the war as private development resumed. The streetcar network had declined and private automobiles were becoming common. Many changes occurred in the patterns of new neighborhoods, including the limitation of multi-family housing to isolated pods.

The photographs and descriptions below explain the pattern of development from the Post-World War II era to the 1980s, and describes the changes from pre-World War II neighborhoods. Lots during this period were wider than previously, often 80 feet wide and 120 feet deep. Today these neighborhoods average about 2.9 dwelling units per acre.

Neighborhood Structure Blocks in post-war neighborhoods continued to be small, but irregularly shaped blocks became common even on flat land. Alleys were rarely provided; streets had to provide vehicular access to garages and to accommodate utility lines. Streets remained highly interconnected, but many were laid out in curvilinear patterns which made it difficult for unfamiliar drivers to find their way through neighborhoods. A clear pattern of major streets was provided to handle most through traffic.

Housing Houses in post-war neighborhoods usually faced local streets. Where the short edges of blocks faced a major street, homes on corner lots were separated by rock walls, affording some separation from the high levels of traffic that was forced there by the curvilinear street pattern. Schools and parks became larger and were spaced further apart, requiring parking lots because they were less accessible by foot and bicycle.

Shops and Workplaces The streetcar era had ended when post-war neighborhoods were created. Instead of being placed in a linear pattern, shops and offices began to be concentrated at larger intersections that were accessible from traffic on perpendicular streets. Grocery-anchored shopping plazas became common. Larger shopping centers including regional malls began to appear where they would be accessible by cars driven from longer distances.

⬚ figure Neighborhoods around Montwood Drive at Yarbrough Drive

⬚ figure Sides of homes and their rear yards face major roads.

⬚ figure Montwood Shopping Center at Yarbrough Drive

SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD PATTERNS

During the 1980s another shift began to occur in the design of El Paso’s neighborhoods. A more suburban development pattern began to emerge; however, the changes were less dramatic than in many Texas cities. As new development moved further from the center of town, driving distances increased, causing a change in the thoroughfare pattern as well.

The photographs and descriptions below explain this pattern and describes the changes from post-World War II neighborhoods. Lots sizes declined from the previous pattern, with lots often measuring 50 or 60 feet wide and 100 to 110 feet deep, similar to the original lot sizes in El Paso’s historic neighborhoods despite many differences in character. These neighborhoods, however, average only about 2.6 dwelling units per acre because large tracts of land were set aside for future commercial development.

Neighborhood Structure Blocks in newer suburban neighborhoods continued to be small, but cul-de-sacs became prominent features in El Paso neighborhoods. Alleys were never provided, requiring streets to provide vehicular access to garages and to accommodate utility lines. Except for the cul-de-sacs, local streets remained fairly interconnected. A clear pattern of major streets extended the post-war arterial grid; however, a new freeway network was needed to accommodate long trips between housing and services required by distant neighborhoods.

Housing Houses in El Paso’s suburban neighborhoods face neighborhood streets; their backs face arterial roads isolating them from development beyond. Residential blocks were separated by other land uses, typically shopping strips. Schools and parks were large and spaced far apart, essentially becoming drive-to facilities with large parking lots that were intended to accommodate people from numerous neighborhoods.

Shops and Workplaces In the suburban era, longer drives to work and shopping became common. New stores became much larger and required easy vehicular access to a correspondingly large base of potential customers. Stores and offices were now concentrated along arterial roads and highways, not just at intersections. The dominant retail form had become the “power center” of very large stores that shared parking lots but were so spread out that customers often drove from one store to the next.

⬚ figure Neighborhoods around Saul Kleinfeld Drive at Bob Mitchell Drive

⬚ figure North Zaragoza Road between Pellicano Drive and Vista del Sol Drive

⬚ figure Las Palmas Marketplace, George Dieter Drive at Zaragoza Road

PRIOR PLANS FOR EL PASO

1999 Plan for El Paso

This document is a major update to the previous Plan for El Paso, which was adopted by the City Council in April 1999 as an official policy statement and general guide to ensure quality growth in El Paso for the next 25 years.

The 1999 plan contained three land-use elements: Land Use & City Form; Land Use Concepts; and Urban Design.

As described in the City Form element, the 1999 plan included a “Year 2025 General Land Use Map” for each of the City’s five major planning areas (central, northwest, northeast, east, and lower valley). These maps did not change any zoning districts, but they assigned general land use designations that are organized primarily by the type of land use, then sub-categorized by intensity:

• Residential (low, medium, high density)
• Commercial (neighborhood, community, regional)
• Industrial (light, heavy)
• Mixed Use

These maps are used as a guide when the City evaluates requests for changing the official zoning classification of property. The zoning map itself is adopted as part of El Paso’s zoning ordinance (Title 20 of the El Paso City Code). Title 20 determines which zoning regulations apply to all land in the City. The General Land Use Map focuses almost solely on the general type of land use (for instance, residential vs. commercial) and it has not been able to provide useful guidance on other critical subjects, such as helping City officials decide how and where to grow outward and how to focus redevelopment efforts in suitable locations.

The Land Use Concepts element of the 1999 plan examined each of the five major planning areas and designated activity centers, activity corridors, and policy statements for each. That element also analyzed potential growth in certain Westside and Eastside areas that were subject to El Paso’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The Urban Design Element focused on Downtown redevelopment, infill redevelopment, and design guidelines. Those issues are addressed in the Urban Design Element of this new plan.

The general land use designations in the 1999 plan were explicitly subject to change as a result of special study area plans that would later be carried out and incorporated into the Citywide plan. Eight study area plans have since been prepared and adopted:

• Rim/University (2001)
• Northwest Upper Valley (2004)
• Chihuahuita (2004)
• PSB Westside Master Plan (2005)
• PSB Northeast Master Plan (2005; amended 2007 & 2008)
• Downtown 2015 (2006)
• Medical Center of the Americas (2008, amended 2011)
• Connecting El Paso (2011)

Unless these study area plans are amended by the City Council, their recommendations remain in effect after adoption of this new comprehensive plan.

In addition to the study area plans listed above, the Major Thoroughfare Plan in the Plan for El Paso has been amended frequently since 1999:

• 2001: Ordinances 14791 & 14933
• 2002: Ordinance 15068
• 2003: Ordinance 15358
• 2004: Ordinances 15807, 15813, 15824 & 15827
• 2005: Ordinances 16027, 16099, 16115, 16236 & 16237
• 2007: Ordinances 16549, 16642, 16651, 16698 & 16738
• 2008: Ordinances 16910, 16961 & 17025
• 2009: Ordinances 17211
• 2010: Ordinances 17329, 17368 & 17401
• 2011: Ordinances 17499, 17538, 17591 & 17599

1988 Plan for El Paso

In 1988, City officials adopted The Plan for El Paso: Guide to the Year 2010. The 1988 plan foreshadowed various themes of this new plan, most notably the designation of activity centers along major corridors where mixed-use development would be encouraged.

1962 El Paso City Plan

In 1962, City officials adopted the El Paso City Plan. This plan documented progress on many aspects of El Paso’s landmark 1925 City Plan, including the adoption of a comprehensive zoning ordinance in 1930, a building code in 1936, completion of Washington and Memorial Parks, and construction of the Bataan Trainway to submerge railroad tracks near Downtown.

1925 City Plan

The City of El Paso hired renowned planner George Kessler to document and illustrate the City’s most important planning issues. The resulting 1925 City Plan was highly celebrated at the time, and 90 years later, it continues to be held up as an example of excellent planning.

In addition to larger concerns such as access to water, the 1925 City Plan focused on urban design and aesthetic concerns. It stressed the importance of the character and quality of the public realm, including El Paso’s streets. The plan said that streets should not be too wide so as to require an unnecessary amount of pavement, which is hot and expensive; and planted parkways should line public sidewalks.

The 1925 City Plan left a legacy of great planning. One can see many of the recommendations materialized and successfully in place today. In particular, many of the City’s civic spaces and parks, such as Memorial, Caruso, and Washington Parks, were created according to that plan.

EXISTING LAND USES

While taking note of the differing neighborhood patterns it is often useful to identify the existing use of individual parcels of land throughout the City. Maps showing existing land uses for most parcels are found on the next three pages. Where occupied land within the City is not colored on these maps, accurate classifications are not yet available.

The data used to create these maps has been compiled by the City’s planning department over the past seven years. Sources for this data include central appraisal district records, building permits, field verification, and professional knowledge of staff planners. This data has been simplified for these maps so that Citywide land use patterns can be discerned at this scale. The table below explains the classification system.

General Observations:

• For a city its size and age, El Paso has relatively little multi-family housing. The detached home on a moderately sized lot has been the predominant pattern since early in El Paso’s history, accounting for two-thirds of the City’s current housing units.
• Early industrial development had been concentrated on the Westside at the ASARCO smelter and on the Eastside around Western Refining, but it occurred at many other locations around El Paso. Newer industrial development is almost entirely warehousing and distribution serving the maquiladoras in Juárez, and thus is usually located in large industrial parks with good access to Zaragoza Road or Loop 375.
• Newer commercial development occurs on large parcels with access to Interstate 10 or major arterial roads.
• Urban development has nearly eliminated farmland within the City limits and threatens what remains.

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

EXISTING LAND USES - WESTSIDE / CENTRAL

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Regional Land Use Patterns

Current Conditions

EXISTING LAND USES - NORTHEAST

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LEGEND

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

EXISTING LAND USES - EASTSIDE / LOWER VALLEY

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COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Revitalize Downtown Downtown El Paso’s rich architectural and cultural heritage is easily apparent, as is the extensive disinvestment in recent decades.

At its prime, Downtown El Paso was a distinctive cultural scene – the place to work, live, and meet. Department stores, theaters, festivals, family celebrations, and visitors from across the U.S. and Mexico all brought life to Downtown. Today, much of that life remains only in memories and stories.

Redevelopment is important throughout El Paso but nowhere more than Downtown. Downtown still provides a treasure of civic amenities. Its streets are the highest-quality pedestrian environment in the City; well-built and beautifully crafted buildings face tree-lined streets.

Fort Bliss and the Franklin Mountains divide El Paso into three wedges. This accident of geography and history ensures that Downtown will always be the “center of town” and the hub of government and transportation. Downtown should also, once again, become El Paso’s vibrant heart—a place of common ground, constant reinvention, living, commerce, and entertainment.

Live and Work Closer Together El Paso’s major roads must accommodate long automobile trips for traveling between home, to work, and to shopping. Despite concerted efforts by public officials to widen key roads like Mesa Street and Montana Avenue and to add enough freeway lanes to accommodate this travel pattern, most improvements are simply overcome by additional traffic.

The most practical relief for congestion will come from motorists not needing to drive as far to meet daily needs. As long as residents believe that congestion will be solved by the next road improvement, they will continue to buy homes far from their jobs or accept jobs far from their homes, worsening the very cycle that causes the congestion.

Some long-distance travel is unavoidable, such as intercity travel and the movement of goods by trucks to and from maquiladoras in Juárez. However, excessive travel is often the result of careless development patterns. For instance, the expansion of Fort Bliss will generate a great deal of new traffic. By designing communities to reduce unnecessary travel, the road and transit networks will be better able to handle future growth.

Protect Historic Neighborhoods El Paso’s older neighborhoods are a source of great pride. Nine neighborhoods have been formally designated as historic landmarks: Austin Terrace, Chihuahuita, Downtown, Magoffin, Manhattan Heights, Old San Francisco, Sunset Heights, Ysleta, and the Mission Trail Historic Corridor and District.

These nine neighborhoods are a small fraction of the valued older neighborhoods throughout El Paso County. Many of these older neighborhoods have suffered from disinvestment. However, if protected, these neighborhoods are poised to serve generations of new residents due to their central locations, excellent neighborhood designs, and a housing stock of distinctive yet affordable buildings.

These older neighborhoods are also valuable models for what El Paso residents would like to see in new neighborhoods: interconnected streets; access to neighborhood schools and parks; a wide variety of housing; and easy accessibility to shopping and jobs.

⬚ figure 1938 street map of El Paso’s historic neighborhoods

Add New Land Uses Into Our Communities

With so few vacant lots in El Paso’s older neighborhoods, those wishing to buy a new home usually must move to a new subdivision on the outskirts of town.

Distant subdivisions usually require longer travel to employment. Even daily needs cannot be met without extensive driving. Parks and schools were once the centerpiece of neighborhoods, but now they are so large that they can be unpleasant neighbors. In older areas of the City, small schools are often abandoned and children are bused or driven to larger schools in other parts of town.

Newer subdivisions are often monocultures of a single type and size of home. Families can rarely stay within the same subdivision when they wish to live in different kind of housing or would prefer to move to a larger or smaller house in the same area.

In older neighborhoods, small shops that would be valuable to residents aren’t permitted because the same zoning that would permit them would also permit much larger stores that would be perceived as disruptive to nearby housing. Better zoning districts are needed to resolve this problem.

Most neighborhoods, old or new, could benefit from a greater variety of activities within walking and bicycling distance.

Restore Close Connections with Juárez

The recent violence that has overcome Juárez and the northern states of Mexico has badly damaged the historic connectedness between El Paso and Juárez. The maquiladora economy has been minimally affected but most other ties are severely diminished.

Tourism in Juárez has come to a near standstill. Medical facilities in Juárez have historically been used by El Pasoans, but the violence has badly damaged that sector of the Juárez economy and nearly eliminated patients from El Paso. Numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities have moved to El Paso, further weakening the economy in Juárez. Even routine social visits among family members are perceived to be risky endeavors.

Juárez and El Paso have grown together nearly as a single city, even though divided by the unfortunate 19^th century selection of the Rio Grande / Rio Bravo as the national border. The restoration of that closeness is a fervent dream of citizens on both sides of the border.

Grow Up, Not Out

Most new housing in El Paso is built on the outskirts of the City. To some degree this is difficult to avoid because the City has grown continually outward without skipping over many large tracts of land. Yet there are overlooked opportunities to develop without moving further outward.

As El Paso’s transit network is expanded, each transfer center provides an opportunity for redevelopment of surrounding land. Some vacant tracts do still exist, which also should be developed at higher intensities than El Paso’s historic patterns. In addition, intense land uses such as hospitals and universities offer excellent potential for nearby redevelopment.

Even unexpected sites such as the ASARCO smelter have more redevelopment potential than is commonly expected. If the existing rail yards along I-10 and near the border are relocated outside of the City, those sites would also offer tremendous potential for development that may even make further outward expansion unnecessary.

El Paso residents have shown little interest in skyscrapers but seem to support strategically located two- to four-story buildings that make excellent use of well-located urban land. The compact “footprint” of multi-story buildings is completely compatible with walkable neighborhoods.

Stop Sprawling

Healthy cities tend to grow. However, continual outward expansion is not the only option to accommodate growth.

El Paso is in a very unusual position in that most undeveloped land to the northwest and northeast of the City is owned by the City itself and managed by El Paso Water Utilities and the Public Service Board (EPWU-PSB). The choice of whether the City should expand in these directions, and if so how, is within the discretion of City and EPWU-PSB officials.

To the east, very little land is owned by the City. The past decade has seen continuous debates over when to extend water and sewer lines, how much land to annex for urban expansion, and whether or not it is critical to limit utility extensions to annexed land. Texas law allows El Paso only very limited authority over land that isn’t annexed into the City; however, through the use of development agreements and subdivision regulations, compact neighborhoods may be able to be created at the same or greater level of quality found in El Paso’s historic neighborhoods. If this cannot be accomplished, annexation may be necessary if the City is to control suburban sprawl along its periphery.

STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

CONCEPTUAL REGIONAL GROWTH STRATEGIES

Invest First in Downtown When considering regional growth strategies, the first priority for El Paso should be reinvestment in its historic Downtown. In the past, City priorities and subsidies have often focused on growth and expansion at the edges, which can work against infill and redevelopment in the City’s historic core. Shifts in policy could increase livability Downtown and create a strong base for transit expansion throughout the region.

In recent decades Downtown has suffered from disinvestment as auto-oriented development on the edges of town became the preferred location to live and work. Fortunately Downtown El Paso has long been a popular shopping destination for Juárez residents; Downtown businesses now depend on stable and convenient trade with Mexico.

Downtown El Paso is an overlooked urban design treasure. Previous investment in the early 20^th century created a vibrant urban fabric with a wide mix of uses, street-oriented buildings, proud architecture of distinctive character, and numerous public and civic gathering spaces.

Downtown El Paso is remarkably intact, with most of the historic buildings standing and the traditional street grid largely in place. These buildings, however, are underutilized, often with discount stores or wholesale outlets filling the ground floors and the upper floors left vacant. With so little housing Downtown, stores and restaurants close at night and on weekends, resulting in vacant streets and a sense of desolation on most blocks.

El Paso needs to reclaim this valuable asset as a vibrant 21^st century destination. Revitalization of this historic center will anchor and enhance the overall character of the City and contribute toward El Paso’s long-term sustainability.

Infill with Transit-Supportive Mixed Uses An equally important priority should be encouraging mixed-use development and redevelopment on vacant or underutilized sites throughout El Paso, especially near transit centers and along existing and planned transit routes.

Those seeking variety and choice have discovered that traditional neighborhoods offer a popular and time-tested formula for mixed-uses and mixed-income communities. Neighborhood centers provide a range of goods and services, amenities, and housing in close proximity, reducing the need to drive within that area. An urban pattern of interconnected streets and small blocks allows for greater population density within a compact area, creating a market for a wider variety of goods and services. Accessibility to transit provides the opportunity for more pedestrian activity and reduced demand for parking spaces.

For instance, Northgate Mall can become a dynamic, diverse center that will complement the City’s transit investments. Single-use buildings and surface parking lots would be replaced with multi-story mixed-use buildings that could become the Main Street for northeast El Paso.

The construction of transit-supportive multi-family housing and the adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of existing buildings should be encouraged throughout El Paso. Alternative development standards are warranted because mixed-use areas function differently than auto-oriented properties. Financial incentives can be offered for using existing infrastructure and not requiring the construction and future maintenance of new infrastructure.

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San Jacinto Plaza

Revitalize El Paso’s Older Neighborhoods A third priority is revitalizing El Paso’s great older neighborhoods, which feature walkable streets, parks, a mix of uses and housing types, and historic buildings. These features all contribute to a strong sense of character. Revitalization includes improving public infrastructure in these areas, infilling empty lots and parking lots, and restoring valuable older buildings. El Paso’s new infill development program provides financial incentives for private revitalization efforts, a promising start in this direction.

Some of these neighborhoods have been harmed by recent trends. Buildings are sometimes abandoned or demolished, creating a break in the urban fabric. In other cases, front yards are converted into parking lots. New auto-oriented development often faces the street with blank front walls or places parking lots along the sidewalk. A better trend is where historic homes along busy streets have been transformed into offices, providing a mix of uses within neighborhoods while retaining the historic buildings. On-street parking, small public or shared parking lots can be added to such blocks where there is a shortage of parking spaces.

The abundant historic and architectural resources of El Paso are important to its unique character. Historic buildings, particularly when concentrated, are attractions for tourists and residents. Additional neighborhoods and districts should be considered for designation as historic districts. Reusing existing buildings, even where they are not historic, is one of the most basic ways to foster a sustainable city.

Plan El Paso, especially the Urban Design and Downtown Elements, presents overall strategies for physical development, but it is not a substitute for smaller, neighborhood redevelopment plans. This Plan is a starting point for more detailed neighborhood plans such as the recent plans for the Rim University neighborhood and Medical Center of the Americas.

Retrofit Suburban Neighborhoods at Strategic Locations A fourth priority is to strategically retrofit newer suburban and commercial areas. Suburban areas divide housing, shopping, and offices into separate districts that can only be reached by private car. This modern ideal of single-use districts is no longer attractive to many Americans who are tired of long commutes and a lack of unique character in their neighborhoods.

The Urban Design Element of this plan describes a wide variety of techniques for retrofitting suburban areas to increase the variety of buildings and provide opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures to live and work. Single-family detached homes can be carefully supplemented by a wider range of housing options, including rowhouses, condominiums, and even lofts that can be built above stores and offices.

For instance, Bassett Center Mall and the former Farah factory offer redevelopment opportunities with high visibility along I-10. Because these sites are almost completely impervious to water, additional infiltration areas and green spaces would improve environmental performance while rebuilding these sites in a dense, mixed-use format.

Alameda Avenue has become an auto-oriented street lined with used car lots and junkyards, but it could become more pedestrian-friendly through changes in its physical design. Development along the Zaragoza corridor is also following the auto-dependent model; large parts of the corridor, however, are still undeveloped, creating the opportunity to guide development in a coordinated form that builds toward a walkable environment with a diversity of mobility options, as illustrated in the Transportation Element.

⬚ figure An alternative vision for redevelopment along I-10.

Ensure that New Subdivisions Complete Our Community

A fifth priority is to ensure that new development matches the quality of El Paso’s best older neighborhoods. Since the adoption of the SmartCode in 2008, El Paso has had optional regulations that deter urban sprawl by allowing denser development and creating neighborhoods with the design elements of the City’s most revered historic neighborhoods. However, hundreds of development proposals have been permitted in El Paso since that time and few have used the SmartCode.

In response, the City has initiated a program to streamline permitting with the creation of City-commissioned SmartCode plans and City-sponsored rezonings to the SmartCode. The City has also explored how some fees can be waived for the creation of walkable and transit-supportive neighborhoods. The Urban Design Element describes the type of development that could qualify for these incentives.

These same design features could be required for development on large tracts of land owned by the City northwest and northeast of central El Paso. The EPWU-PSB is currently updating master plans to ensure that developer expectations are aligned with City goals early in the land sales process. The SmartCode lays the framework for development dense enough to support public transit and reduce future traffic congestion. This type of development also reduces infrastructure costs, preserves environmentally sensitive lands, provides a mix of activities to reduce unnecessary car trips, and has a character that defines El Paso as a choiceworthy place to live and invest.

The large vacant tracts just east of the City limits are a valuable resource for the future of El Paso. Most tracts further to the east and all the way to the County line will never be available for urban growth because in the 1960s and 1970s they were subdivided into a monoculture of unusable “homesites” and then sold off to buyers around the world. Those sales were heavily restricted by the Federal Trade Commission in a 1981 enforcement action against the Horizon Corporation. Decades later, without the prospect of even the most minimal services and amenities, most of these lots outside the City limits are still unusable and virtually unsalable. In the absence of massive lot reassembly, there is nearly no ability to recover this land for urban expansion.

Respect and Protect the Environment

It is both practical and highly desirable to preserve critical arroyos, avoid floodplains, and integrate preserved open spaces into new neighborhoods. This is another important priority of this plan.

Official El Paso plans and regulations call for protecting critical arroyos, yet current regulations and practices have fallen short. Although public and private funds have been used to save some arroyos, improved City regulations could help preclude unnecessary destruction of critical portions of these important scenic and natural drainage features. Currently, each acre of arroyo that is protected during the development process eliminates one-half acre of required parkland.

City regulations should encourage new development to use arroyos as focal points and usable open space, providing an incentive for developers to preserve them. The Urban Design Element of this plan illustrates how neighborhoods can be designed to be protect arroyos while also taking maximum advantage of arroyos for scenic views, recreation, and drainage. These concepts should be encouraged as standard practices in El Paso.

There are other sensitive lands in and around El Paso that are equally worth of protection. Most farmland in the Rio Grande valley that has been annexed into El Paso has been lost. This increasingly scarce natural resource deserves better protection. Also, there are many mountainous tracts around the Franklin Mountains State Park that are still in private ownership; intense development should not be permitted on these valuable tracts of land.

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Preserved arroyos provide valuable linear parks.

Manage El Paso’s Outward Expansion Managing El Paso’s outward expansion is perhaps the most complex and difficult strategy; it will be discussed at length in the following pages and in the goals and policies of this Element.

The City of El Paso has grown continually outward since its founding in 1873. To its enduring credit, El Paso has always expanded with contiguous new subdivisions that were immediately provided with full urban services. This is in sharp contrast to the scattered or “leapfrog” growth pattern so frequently found in other American cities.

However, even this contiguous growth pattern is now causing serious problems. With the City’s expansion forced into three wedges by the Rio Grande, the Franklin Mountains, and Fort Bliss, development is now taking place at great distances from central El Paso. Combined with the homogeneous character of new residential subdivisions, this pattern forces new residents into very long automobile trips to meet daily needs, which in turn creates nearly unsolvable traffic congestion on El Paso’s major roads. Excessive travel for daily needs is costly to the individuals who must provide and fuel private vehicles (as discussed in the Housing Element). This travel is also becoming an increasing burden on society as fuel costs rise and vehicle emissions pollute the air locally while warming the climate globally.

Further outward expansion should be managed to meet the following public purposes:

• Discourage development of farmland along the Rio Grande, or environmentally sensitive lands such as critical arroyos and steep slopes, or tracts that may be added to the Franklin Mountains State Park.
• Generally discourage additional outward expansion unless it can be demonstrated to be essential to accommodate growth, and the land to be developed is an excellent location for urban expansion, and new neighborhoods will meet at least the minimum standards of the City’s most revered older neighborhoods.
• Begin a new era of cooperation with El Paso County on managing growth, for instance by offering to relieve the County of the responsibility for regulating subdivisions in the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, by providing City water and fire hydrants to existing development, and by assisting the County in other growth-related tasks. The City and County should jointly seek legislative approval that would allow the City and El Paso County to cooperate more closely in managing growth.

Growth Management Outside City Limits Managing outward expansion is complex because of many competing interests, including the authority of nearby cities, El Paso County government, State government, rights previously granted to municipal utility districts, and the property rights of landowners.

Under Texas law, cities have very limited authority outside their City limits. This “extraterritorial jurisdiction” (ETJ) extends five miles outside El Paso, except where Socorro, Horizon City, Vinton, and Anthony have an overlapping ETJ.

Cities have the authority to annex unincorporated land in the ETJ into the city. El Paso also controls its own water and sewer utility and has consistently used its discretion over where utility lines can be extended to ensure that growth expands only onto contiguous land. The power to annex and to provide utilities (or to deny both) are essential to managing outward expansion. However, the State has granted other utilities the right to provide service in certain areas, overriding City control of utilities.

The power to levy impact fees and/or utility hookup fees is a financing mechanism but can also be an important tool for managing outward expansion. Growing on the outskirts usually requires expensive extension of roads and utility lines; some of the construction costs can be recouped through higher impact fees, but the long-term maintenance costs remain high.

Growth Management Within City Limits Within the City limits, El Paso controls the zoning of land, regulates how land is subdivided, and has the authority to adopt a comprehensive plan. These are the primary powers that can be used to manage growth within the City limits and have some ability to influence growth beyond the City limits.

Nearly all land to the east of El Paso is privately owned or controlled by the State of Texas. Some of this land has already been approved for development or is considered to have a vested right to develop under Texas law. To the northeast and northwest, the City of El Paso owns most of the undeveloped land, making management of growth there more straightforward.

Each governmental power is subject to state law and to many decisions made in the past. A major purpose of this Element is to carry out these efforts in a clearly-defined outward growth strategy. The following sections of this Element will set forth this strategy in detail.

ADDITIONAL LAND NEEDED FOR EXPANSION

Comprehensive plans contain both short-term and long-term components. Certain portions of this plan, including this element and the Economic Development Element, look forward to the year 2030. The Transportation Element uses the year 2035 to match the target date used by the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning.

Comprehensive plans are typically updated every 10 to 12 years, but they typically use long-term planning horizons 20 to 25 years into the future because infrastructure projects such as roads, transit, and utilities are major public investments that require long periods to plan, design, and construct. El Paso’s past experience matches this pattern: the 1999 comprehensive plan was based on the year 2025, and the 1988 comprehensive plan was based on the year 2010.

The Future Land Use Map in this element identifies where the expected population in 2030 will live and work. The expected number of people and jobs for 2030 is based on 2010 research by the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at UTEP, which considered effects of the Fort Bliss expansion and local industry recruitment efforts, as described further in the Economic Development Element. After a high-growth period ending in 2012, growth is expected to level off to about 1% per year through 2030, when the County’s population would reach 1,025,660.

This forecast anticipates an increase in the population of El Paso County of 249,880 residents between 2010 and 2030. Assuming the 2010 ratio of City/County population and City household size continues, this forecast would result in 202,653 additional people in the City of El Paso by 2030, requiring 67,777 additional dwelling units. The following analysis considers how this additional population would be accommodated on the Future Land Use Map.

The amount of land that will be consumed by future development depends on many factors, including:

• How compactly new development is designed. Compact development consumes less land for a given number of residents and jobs than sprawling development patterns.
• Whether future jobs are integrated into mixed-use communities rather than requiring separate office or industrial parks that would consume additional land.
• How much land is redeveloped at higher intensities.

This analysis considered availability of vacant parcels within previously developed areas of the City and undeveloped tracks within or near the City limits.

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2008-09); Institute for Policy and Economic Development, UTEP.

PLAN EL PASO Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

This analysis examines land on the Future Land Use Map that is designated in the four major growth sectors (G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4), plus land in the O-7 open-space sector which is the next tier of vacant land this plan anticipates would be developed.

The analysis began by determining the development capacity of anticipated compact development and redevelopment on City-owned land. A similar assessment was made of compact development by private developers on privately owned land.

The development capacity of land which may have vested rights under Texas law was then assessed, assuming development patterns will match those of the last ten years.

The development capacity of other vacant infill tracts larger than a city block was then estimated, assuming development patterns that match the historic pattern of their surroundings.

Based on these assumptions, 84,027 new dwelling units can be accommodated on the land described above. This amounts to approximately 124% of the 67,775 units needed for growth through 2030.

A lower percentage of growth would be accommodated if single-use office parks displace mixed-use communities. A higher percentage of anticipated growth can be accommodated on this same land if City regulations are modified as proposed in this comprehensive plan to introduce more multi-family housing. If these changes do not take place or are not effective, new dwellings will be needed on additional land by about 2035. This land would likely be in the O-6 sector which is east of the existing City limits and has been identified for potential annexation.

The MPO’s Mission 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan was adopted in August 2010. Because it was prepared prior to this comprehensive plan, it was not able to use the latest growth projections or this element’s Future Land Use Map as the basis for its 2035 regional road and transit network. Better-coordinated transportation planning can take place at the time of the next update to the MPO plan so that the MPO plan can identify road and transit improvements that match the growth patterns set forth in Plan El Paso.

Developable Tracts in El Paso

(in G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, and O-7 sectors)

Regional Land Use Patterns Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

AVAILABILITY OF POTABLE WATER

For its municipal water supply, El Paso County relies on surface water from the Rio Grande plus water from underground sources. EPWU-PSB currently supplies over 90% of all municipal water in El Paso County, half from the Rio Grande.

Water in the Rio Grande is supplied by snow melt in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Spring runoff is stored in the Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico before being released for irrigation and municipal use. EPWU-PSB obtains water from the irrigation district (El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1) through ownership of water rights land and by leasing water rights from agricultural water rights holders.

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Wells near Canutillo supply groundwater from the Mesilla Bolson to the Westside; wells in northeast El Paso and near the airport supply the Eastside from the Hueco Bolson. These underwater basins underlie portions of New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua. The Rio Grande plays an important role in the recharge and discharge of both basins.

Pumping from the valuable Hueco Bolson peaked in 1989 due to concerns over the sustainability of high pumping levels. Underground water levels had been declining and water quality had been decreasing as brackish water replaced the higher quality water being pumped out.

Six management strategies have been followed since that time:

1. Increase the use of Rio Grande water when it is available.
2. Decrease groundwater pumping except when Rio Grande water is limited.
3. Increase the per-gallon cost of water for high users as a conservation incentive.
4. Encourage desert plants that require little or no irrigation.
5. Expand the reuse of reclaimed water.
6. Promote consumer conservation with a variety of tools.

Demand for water has been declining since the late 1990s. Usage has been reduced from about 225 gallons per person per day in the 1970s to about 133 gallons per person in 2010.

Despite these efforts, additional water will need to be transferred from outside El Paso County to accommodate population growth between 2030 and 2040. Such transfers are often controversial and are more expensive than local sources. Careful management of local sources will minimize the amount of water that will need to be imported in the future.

Public costs increase when new development is placed on land that is distant from local water sources. The map below indicates areas in El Paso County where some groundwater from the Mesilla and Hueco Bolsons is of acceptable quality. The heavy white hatching indicates high quality water, suitable for drinking. Light hatching indicates lower quality brackish water that must be desalinated before use. No hatching indicates low-quality water. Desalination has proven feasible in El Paso County; a new plant near Fort Bliss intercepts brackish groundwater before it reaches freshwater wells and then converts it to high-quality water. However, this process is expensive because of its very high energy costs and the difficulty of safely disposing the residual briny water.

⬚ figure Groundwater Quality in El Paso County (in total dissolved solids)

PLAN EL PASO Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

OUTWARD EXPANSION STRATEGY

Step A: El Paso’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction

Within the City limits, El Paso has full authority over municipal planning, zoning, and the subdivision of land. Immediately outside the City limits, State law gives cities certain limited powers in an area known as their “extraterritorial jurisdiction” (ETJ).

The size of the ETJ is defined by State law; for El Paso, it extends five miles beyond the City limits. Exceptions include land already in other cities, land previously in the ETJ of other cities, federal land, and land in New Mexico and Mexico.

Under Texas law, counties cannot use zoning to regulate the use of land in unincorporated areas. Likewise, cities cannot apply zoning in their ETJ; zoning is allowed only after land has been formally annexed into a city. However, cities do have the authority to regulate the subdivision of land within their ETJ. Border counties also have this authority. Currently, the subdivision of land in El Paso’s ETJ requires approval of both City and County governments.

Prospective developers of land in El Paso’s ETJ now start by seeking approval of a subdivision plat from the City based on the City’s regulations. Then they must obtain similar approval from El Paso County based on the County’s regulations before the City will formally approve the plat, allowing individual lots to be sold.

The City’s Subdivision Code, Title 19, applies to land within the ETJ, with special provisions for ETJ land found in Chapter 19.11. That chapter should be strengthened as one method of carrying out this plan’s policy of discouraging suburban sprawl (see Goal 1.6). For instance, new subdivisions in the ETJ could be required to have smaller blocks and/or higher intersection density than the suburban requirements currently found in Title 19. They could also be required to have better connectivity to surrounding development and SmartCode-compliant street designs. Some of these standards may conflict with subdivision platting standards set by El Paso County, but Title 19 (in accordance with State law) already provides that in case of conflicting City and County subdivision standards in the ETJ, the more stringent shall apply.

Chapter 19.11 regulates only the specific site owned by an individual developer. Individual subdivisions also need to be fully interconnected with each other and with a suitable regional road network. To accomplish this, Policy 1.6.2 at the end of this element proposes the refinement of El Paso’s Major Thoroughfare Plan for the ETJ. By planning a densely interconnected road network for the ETJ, individual developers will not be creating isolated pods of development that can never become an integrated part of El Paso. Clearly, this kind of cross-jurisdiction coordination will require cooperation from City and County elected officials and transportation planning agencies.

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Cities and Extraterritorial Jurisdictions

Regional Land Use Patterns

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

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Cities and Extraterritorial Jurisdictions

Step B: Annexation Policy

Texas law allows cities to expand their boundaries by annexing land that is within that city’s ETJ. After annexation, cities can apply zoning and collect city taxes and are obligated in return to provide municipal services.

Because of contentious disputes across the state, the laws governing annexation have changed frequently in recent decades and are likely to evolve further. Since 1999, each city has been required to adopt an annexation plan describing where unilateral annexations may occur beginning in three years. Cities can no longer unilaterally annex vast territories without development potential simply to keep other cities from annexing that land. Once annexed, a city is committed to providing municipal services. Many services, including police and fire protection, must begin immediately. Water and sewer (wastewater) service must begin within 2½ to 4½ years. An annexation plan can be amended at any time to expand the map of annexable land, but actual annexation of new areas must then wait at least three years.

Certain types of annexation are exempt from the requirement that they be described in the annexation plan. These statutory exceptions include areas with less than 100 dwellings, sparsely occupied areas where annexation is requested by landowners, city-owned land, and portions of colonias.

El Paso adopted its formal annexation plan in 1999, stating that the City had no immediate intention of annexing any land that was required to be in an annexation plan. In 2007 the City commissioned a study to reexamine annexation issues and evaluate impact fees on new development. As a result of that study, in 2009 El Paso officials made an important policy decision to keep the 1999 annexation plan in force without changes. The effect of this decision is to forgo unilateral annexations of already-developed land or vacant land where the owners do not wish to be annexed. This decision can later be modified if circumstances warrant, subject to the statutory three-year “waiting period” before unilateral annexations can take place.

In September 2009, City officials adopted, by resolution, a new “annexation policy” that defines areas where voluntary (“exempt”) annexations would be considered. The City also adopted new procedures for requesting annexation (Ordinance 17195). A number of minimum requirements must be met, including:

• The land must be contiguous with the existing City limits.
• The landowners must agree to build all local, collector, and arterial roads at their expense and must submit a general development plan for the area.
• The landowners must pay water and sewer impact fees plus an additional $820 per unit annexation fee toward fire, police, libraries, and recreation centers.

With two adjustments, the new annexation policies can be made consistent with the strategies in this plan.

The first adjustment is that the 2009 preferred annexation map contains large tracts in the upper valley that are actively being farmed, particularly west of Doniphan Drive and north of Borderland Road. In this arid climate, viable farmland is limited to irrigated land in the Rio Grande valley. Much of this valuable resource has been lost due to El Paso’s location at one of the widest point along the valley. Remaining farmland should be considered a valuable resource whose displacement by urban expansion would be an unfortunate loss for the region. It would also eliminate a valuable opportunity for rural living near a major urban center.

Land south of Borderland Road has already been annexed into El Paso and is subject to the City’s 2004 Northwest Upper Valley Plan. Despite many statements about the value of the area’s rural character, that plan allows residential densities of 2½ units per acre, clearly a suburban density level unless development is concentrated on a portion of each tract, as shown on page 2.34.

Most land north of Borderland Road has not yet been annexed. Annexation creates an expectation that municipal services will be provided, which works against the long-term viability of farmland. Yet the land north of Borderland Road could still be developed in suburban patterns without annexation, especially if water and sewer service is extended to the area.

The City and EPWU-PSB should ensure that their individual regulations are complementary and do not encourage unnecessary development of irrigated farmland, which is identified on the Future Land Use Map in this Element as being in the O-3 open-space sector. Consideration needs to be given to incentivizing preservation of agricultural lands, including conducting a full evaluation of best practices that could mitigate their full development.

Examples to consider when dealing with irrigated farmland inside the City include:

1. Providing a density bonus for development of farmland when at least 50% of the lots allow for small-scale farming, the bonus being proportional to the area being reserved for farming (See Policy 1.5.2)
2. Discouraging the rezoning of agriculture land except where a percentage of small-scale farming has been reserved.

Examples to consider when dealing with irrigated farmland outside the City include:

1. Removing irrigated farmland from the preferred annexation map (see Policy 1.7.3).
2. Removing irrigated farmland from the City’s impact fee service area and the State’s map of Certificates of Convenience and Necessity (see Policy 1.5.2).

Regional Land Use Patterns Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

⬚ figure Extraterritorial Jurisdictions and Preferred Annexation Areas

3. Amending Title 19 to limit plats and utility extensions to proposed developments that commit to permanently keep at least 50% of the land for farming or to subdivide the land into tracts that are themselves large enough to support small-scale farming (see Policy 1.5.2).

The protection of farmland may also be accomplished through park credits, the purchase of development rights, outright purchase of land, or other mechanisms available to the City and County.

Step C: Water and Sewer Supply

Annexations and ETJ authority provide a city with tools to manage outward growth. However, the most critical management tool is often control over the extension of water and sewer (wastewater) lines. El Paso is in a better position than many other cities to effectively manage its outward expansion because it owns a large and well-managed utility system. Managing growth through utilities was standard practice until around 1990 when the system began to convert from a city-only service to a potential utility provider for large portions of unincorporated El Paso County.

There are several other factors that can also confound the use of utility management for managing growth. These include:

• The natural desire of utility operators to increase their customer base.
• State regulations that sometimes induce a utility to expand into new territory prematurely.
• Prior agreements or understandings that may have been reached with landowners or developers.
• Utility extensions might conflict with growth management goals but still be important to maintaining public health.

El Paso Water Utilities – Public Service Board

On May 22, 1952, and through Ordinance Number 752, the El Paso City Council created the El Paso Water Utilities – Public Service Board (EPWU-PSB), a governing board of trustees duly formed in accordance with Texas law, to operate, manage and have complete control of the El Paso waterworks plant and system and sewer system as a combined public utility. City of El Paso Water and Sewer Revenue Bonds, authorized by a general election held on December 8, 1951, were issued for the purpose of improving and extending the system and to provide for the payment of principal and interest on such bonds by pledging the net revenues from the operation of the system. The EPWU-PSB purchased property in respective areas of the City to grow the system and meet the needs of the City and its inhabitants in the future, and utilizes the water rights, wells, reservoirs and other related facilities and equipment for the operation of such. As managers of the land, over 24,000 acres, the EPWU-PSB maintains a fiduciary responsibility for the assets it secures on behalf of its ratepayers. Particular to any land sales, the EPWU-PSB must declare the lands inexpedient to its system. Once a declaration is made, the El Paso City Council is then required to authorize the land sale and condition for its development. The choice of whether the City should sell land, and how, is within the discretion of both the El Paso City Council and the EPWU-PSB.

The State ultimately decides which utility has the authority (and responsibility) to provide service outside the City limits. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality grants “certificates of convenience and necessity” (CCN) to utilities that authorize them to provide retail water and sewer service. In areas that El Paso hopes to annex, it makes sense for EPWU-PSB to hold a CCN to preclude another utility from doing so. In areas further from the City limits, it might also seem logical for EPWU-PSB to hold a CCN, especially if the other utility’s ability to provide service is questionable or it might install substandard distribution and collection systems. However, even long-term planning for utility line extensions can spur suburban sprawl because that planning will create expectations that affect the value of land and cause subsequent investments that work against the City’s planning goal of inward rejuvenation instead of outward sprawl.

At present, EPWU-PSB holds a CCN for water and sewer service well beyond the City limits and even beyond the preferred annexation areas described previously. EPWU-PSB should evaluate the viability of modifying the CCN boundaries to match the new O-6 “Potential Annexation” sector (see Policy 1.8.4). A CCN amendment requires state action, and certain legal implications could serve to impede future boundary adjustments. If a boundary adjustment is practical and beneficial, a CCN amendment should be requested by EPWU-PSB. Any future expansion to CCN boundaries should correspond to the City’s outward growth policies as enumerated in Plan El Paso.

EPWU-PSB officials can commit to provide service outside the City limits even in the absence of potential annexation (see, for instance, Section 19.11.010.D of the City’s subdivision standards). Sometimes these commitments can eliminate the incentive for a landowner to seek annexation. A commitment to provide utilities is probably more influential in shaping the path of growth than the City Council’s power to annex and zone land for development – yet it can take place without the knowledge of other City officials.

Regional Land Use Patterns

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

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Certificates of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) for Water and Sewer Service

Impact Fees

Recent changes in fiscal policy are adjusting the way utilities influence regional growth patterns. In 2009 the City Council decided to begin charging “impact fees.” Although the council decided against charging additional impact fees to pay for road improvements, builders now must pay a fixed impact fee that will cover 75% of the capital cost of providing water and sewer service projected over the subsequent ten years. These fees apply to all land within three designated “impact fee service areas” on the Westside, the Northeast, and the far Eastside. The fees are set at a fixed rate for each new dwelling unit in each service area, regardless of where a property is located within that service area. These impact fees replaced various prior methods of calculating the cost of service, which generally were based on a more detailed analysis of the cost of providing service to specific development projects. Credits have been built into the rates to reflect monthly utility fees that may also be used to pay for capital improvements; and the impact fee rates increase for larger water users.

Several aspects of the new impact fees may be creating unintended consequences for the City’s growth policy:

• A majority of the service areas are undeveloped land toward the outer reaches of the City limits. This is logical from a growth management perspective to the extent that it makes growth on the periphery pay to extend utility lines. Yet there are areas even further toward the periphery that are not in these service areas; City growth policy should be clearer that utilities won’t be extended to those areas to reduce expectations that growth can leapfrog to those tracts.
• Other impact fee service areas are in the ETJ outside the City limits, yet the boundaries are not the same as the preferred annexation areas described previously. This discrepancy could induce development activity even beyond the preferred annexation areas because the City appears to be committing to provide utilities in those very remote areas.
• Under the terms of the impact fee ordinance, any builder in a service area pays the same impact fee regardless of the actual cost of extending service to that particular property. Because the service areas are so large (about 63 square miles combined), property owners might insist that EPWU-PSB extend service to them regardless of the financial or growth management implications of that extension. In addition, the fees are based on a pro-rata share of the entire cost of water and sewer service for each service area. In effect, the impact fee program is an ambitious financing mechanism that funds development on the City’s periphery. The land-use assumptions upon which the impact fees are based should be adjusted to reflect the policies in this comprehensive plan; impact fee service areas and rates could then be adjusted accordingly.
• When establishing impact fee rates, the City Council decided to charge only 75% of the actual costs for extension of services. The remaining expenses will be absorbed by EPWU-PSB, which hopes to recover the money over time through utility bills – but there is no guarantee that this will happen. Thus, a program that was intended to make development on the periphery pay its full costs seems to be partially subsidizing that very development pattern.
• Under the new impact fee program, developers in the impact fee service areas have the benefit of eliminating the uncertainty that project-specific computations add to the development process, and the final cost may even be lower. Both factors are helpful to developers; the City may be inadvertently subsidizing and encouraging development at the periphery, which works against the goal of favoring infill development.

With certain adjustments, El Paso’s impact fee program could fully support the strategies in this comprehensive plan. A study of these potential adjustments should be conducted by the City and the EPWU-PSB to determine their implications and practicality and to consider other strategies that might achieve the same goals.

The first adjustment would be to modify the impact fee service areas (see Policy 1.8.2). In the northwest, this change would eliminate the upper valley farmland and retain all land within the City limits. In the northeast, this change would eliminate land that is designated as O-1 “Preserve,” O-2 “Natural,” and O-5 “Remote” on the Future Land Use Map. In the far east, this change would make the impact fee service area identical to the “Potential Annexation” area. These changes would avoid any impression that utility expansion policy is different than City growth policy and would preclude potential claims that future utility service beyond a preferred annexation area is guaranteed because of a simple impact fee payment.

The second adjustment would be to recalculate the land-use assumptions upon which the impact fee rates were based to reflect the adjusted impact fee service areas and the other outward growth strategies in this comprehensive plan (see Policy 1.8.3). The impact fee rates could then be re-adopted, preferably without the current 25% discount.

A third adjustment seems impractical at this time due to restrictions in State law but should be considered as a potential future adjustment. This adjustment would be to begin charging impact fees for transportation improvements to developers in the three impact fee service areas. Transportation to and from a peripheral location is far more costly than development nearer central El Paso, yet the State does not allow cities to charge transportation impact fees in the ETJ, which is a major part of the El Paso’s impact fee service areas. Transportation impact fees could still be charged within the City limits. However, most of the remaining land in the impact fee service areas is City-owned land where the

Regional Land Use Patterns Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

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Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and Impact Fee Service Areas

City has more direct control over managing growth and could require developers to pay for extra transportation costs through sales contract provisions instead of impact fees.

Step D: Future Land Use Map

The previous sections have described several different tools that are available to manage El Paso’s outward growth:

• El Paso regulates the subdivision of land in the ETJ, up to five miles beyond the City limits.
• The Comprehensive Plan’s Major Thoroughfare Plan includes a network of future roads throughout the ETJ.
• El Paso’s authority to annex, or decline to annex, can strongly influence growth patterns.
• EPWU-PSB has been granted a certificate of convenience and necessity to provide utilities everywhere within the City and considerably beyond in several directions.
• EPWU-PSB can provide, or decline to provide, water and sewer service outside the City limits.
• The City now charges impact fees for water and sewer service; the rate structure can be a growth management tool and might be able to recover the cost of water rights.
• The City could charge transportation impact fees to generate revenue and influence growth patterns.

Each of these tools is complex in its own right, being subject to State law, court decisions, technical analyses, and prior vesting decisions. It is not surprising that the results of these efforts sometimes conflict with one another. Now that El Paso has experience with each tool, the tools need to be refined in a coordinated fashion to more efficiently carry out the City’s planning and fiscal policies.

A “Future Land Use Map” is an ideal means by which to precisely formulate City growth policy and definitively map the results so later implementing actions, including refinements to the tools listed above, can be guided by a consolidated vision of the City Council.

A Future Land Use Map is an integral part of this comprehensive plan. This map is a replacement for the “General Land Use Map” in El Paso’s 1999 comprehensive plan. The 1999 map provided very little guidance as to outward expansion because it used detailed zoning-like designations even on already-developed land. Most of the undeveloped land within the City also received these designations (except for the Franklin Mountains, some parts of Fort Bliss, and City-owned lands in the far northwest). Some land in the ETJ also received designations, but the comprehensive plan did not indicate how those areas were selected. The 1999 map did not address the timing of potential development beyond indicating that some amount of development was expected by the year 2025.

To provide a clear guide to the form, direction, and timing of future growth, the new Future Land Use Map contains two separate but related components. The first is a base map that defines distinct sectors for all of El Paso County. There are two types of sectors: seven “O” or open-space sectors where growth is delayed or not anticipated, and nine “G” or growth sectors, where urban development is encouraged immediately.

The boundary of the “O-6” sector is a defining factor in managing outward growth because O-6 means “Potential Annexation” – developable land not in a growth sector today but which may be needed for outward expansion at some point. City decisions about annexations, ETJ regulations, impact fees, and utility expansions should be based on the boundaries between the nine growth sectors, the O-6 Potential Annexation sector, and the other open-space sectors.

The seven open-space sectors can be described as follows:

• O-1 – Preserve: Publicly owned land such as the Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Parks, all City and County parks and public drainage areas, and cemeteries (even if private). These lands will not be developed due to their ownership and current use.
• O-2 – Natural: Foothills, bosques, wetlands, critical arroyos, and other natural features owned by private or public entities but currently without protected status. Examples include the Castner Range and private tracts in and around the Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Parks. City regulations and policy decisions should help keep these lands in their natural state for drainage, natural habitat, and scenic protection. Public acquisition should be considered especially when key drainage features can be protected.
• O-3 – Agriculture: Active farmland in the Rio Grande Valley. Changes to City codes and policies may limit plat and utility approvals beyond the City limits in a coordinated effort to protect significant portions of farmland.
• O-4 – Military Reserve: Fort Bliss training areas north and east of the main cantonment, Biggs Army Air Field and East Fort Bliss. To the extent possible, these lands should not be developed because they are needed for military training.
• O-5 – Remote: Remote land in the desert and mountains. Except where vested rights are in place, City regulations and policy decisions should not encourage urban development during this planning period, which extends until 2030. It is not known at this time whether O-5 land will be needed for development further in the future.

Regional Land Use Patterns

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

• O-6 – Potential Annexation: Potentially developable land that is not needed for urban expansion at this time but is available if expansion is needed. Land can be redesignated from O-6 to a growth sector through a formal amendment to the Future Land Use Map.
• O-7 – Urban Expansion: Developable land currently owned by the City of El Paso where master planning is underway for potential urban expansion before 2030 using Smart Growth principles.

The seven open-space sectors are applied to land that is not currently part of the El Paso’s urban economy. In contrast, the nine growth sectors are applied to urbanized or urbanizing land. No attempt has been made in Plan El Paso to determine if or how much additional land may be needed for outward expansion after 2030.

The nine growth sectors can be described as follows:

• G-1 – Downtown: This sector includes the historic core of Downtown plus the larger Downtown area from Paisano Drive north to I-10, including the arts and convention center, Union Depot, City Hall, County Courthouse, United States courthouse, and Mexican Consulate. El Paso’s “Invest First in Downtown” policies apply in this sector.
• G-2 – Traditional Neighborhood: This sector includes the remainder of central El Paso as it existed through World War II. Blocks are small and usually have rear alleys; buildings directly faced streets; schools, parks, and small shops are integrated with residential areas. This sector is well-suited for use of the SmartCode as a replacement for current zoning when planned in conjunction with specific neighborhood plans or identified in this Comprehensive Plan.
• G-3 – Post-War: This sector applies to transitional neighborhoods typically developed from the 1950s through the 1980s. Streets were laid out with curvilinear patterns without alleys and shopping centers are located at major intersections behind large parking lots. This sector is generally stable but would benefit from strategic suburban retrofits to supplement the limited housing stock and add missing civic and commercial uses.
• G-4 – Suburban: This sector applies to modern single-use residential subdivisions and office parks, large schools and parks, and suburban shopping centers. This sector is generally stable but would benefit from strategic suburban retrofits to supplement the limited housing stock and add missing civic and commercial uses.
• G-5 – Independent City: This sector identifies the incorporated cities of Anthony, Clint, Horizon, Socorro, and Vinton. El Paso plans and regulations have no effect in these cities.
• G-6 – Rural Settlement: This sector applies to existing scattered subdivisions in non-urban locations. Some rural settlements are becoming suburbanized but most are still rural in character with a large percentage of vacant lots and very limited public services. Additional rural settlements are neither needed nor desirable due to excessively long commutes, difficulty in providing services to scattered homes, and an enormous surplus of existing vacant lots.
• G-7 – Industrial: This sector applies to industrial parks, large free-standing industrial uses, refineries, non-military airfields, trucking terminals, and mines, all on large tracts in areas dominated by vehicles. This sector is essential to El Paso’s economy; however, when an industrial use becomes obsolete, there can be potential for mixed-use redevelopment of the site. This sector also includes the existing rail yards which could be redeveloped as mixed-use communities if the rail yards were moved out of town.
• G-8 – Fort Bliss Mixed Use: This sector identifies non-military portions of Fort Bliss that are or can become integral parts of El Paso. Non-military development should be eligible for annexation into the City of El Paso provided it meets the Smart Location Principles and the Neighborhood Patterns contained in policies of the Urban Design Element of Plan El Paso.
• G-9 – Fort Bliss Military: This sector identifies the main cantonment of Fort Bliss, Biggs Army Air Field, and East Fort Bliss, all located outside the El Paso City limits. Despite El Paso’s lack of jurisdiction, healthy development at Fort Bliss is as important to El Paso as any other economic sector.

In addition to these sixteen base sectors, the Future Land Use Map contains a series of overlays that define key generators of movement and economic activity, plus prime locations for development and redevelopment. These overlays are described on the following pages.

PLAN EL PASO

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

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Future Land Use Map - Base Sectors Note: Under Texas law, a comprehensive plan shall not constitute zoning regulations or establish zoning district boundaries.

In addition to the base open-space and growth sectors, the Future Land Use Map contains a series of overlay designations. These overlays define key generators of movement and economic activity, prime locations for new compact neighborhoods, and protection zones.

Nine types of overlay designations are shown on the Future Land Use Map. The first five are specific geographic points of movement and activity:

• Border Crossings: The four international ports of entry between El Paso and Juárez are key regional links for the movement of people and freight, including raw materials and finished products traveling to and from maquiladoras in northern Mexico.
• Colleges: Campuses of the University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College are major activity centers for students, teachers, and staff.
• Hospitals: Hospitals are major activity centers for patients, doctors, and staff.
• Regional Transportation Hubs: The El Paso International Airport and the Union Depot are major regional transportation hubs, supplemented by numerous bus terminals between the border and Downtown El Paso.
• Local Transfer Centers: The eight transfer centers operated by Sun Metro are key links in daily movement through El Paso.

The sixth and seventh overlay designations are geographic areas where compact walkable neighborhoods are a key goal of City policy:

• Rapid Transit System (RTS) Stops: Four bus rapid transit lines are planned by Sun Metro. Each will terminate at a designated transfer center while also offering additional stops at approximately one-mile spacing. Each stop is designated on this map by a circle with an indeterminate outer edge. This circle indicates a presumed area of influence around each RTS stop where passengers will be arriving and departing as pedestrians. Each of these stops has the potential to generate or reinforce compact walkable redevelopment due to increased pedestrian activity. Each stop is also a highly desirable location for future residents and businesses who will be able to depend on regularly scheduled, high-quality public transportation.
• Future Compact Neighborhoods: A larger series of future compact neighborhoods are also designated on this map, including one surrounding each local transfer center. El Paso has only a limited number of areas where compact walkable development or redevelopment can take place with convenient access to existing services and facilities. Each of these areas provides an excellent opportunity for El Paso to grow without the constant outward expansion of past decades. Illustrative plans in other elements of Plan El Paso visualize the future physical context of each future compact neighborhood and many RTS stops and transfer centers

The eighth and ninth overlay designations are protection zones that identify land that deserves special attention in the planning and development process:

• Arroyos: Many arroyos have been destroyed or replaced by engineered channels. Other arroyos are already being protected by public ownership or private covenants. Arroyos as identified in this overlay have neither been destroyed nor protected and would likely be endangered by careless development practices in the future. The edges of the arroyos shown on this map are generalized.
• Military Buffer: In certain locations, new neighborhoods and other noise-sensitive land uses would be subject to potentially severe noise impacts from training activities at Fort Bliss. These uses should not be introduced into the designated military buffer zones.

Compact Urban Areas

The designation of base sectors and overlays allows the City of El Paso to group together a series of designations where special incentives, policies, or regulations should apply.

The Urban Design and Transportation Elements of Plan El Paso use this technique by defining as “Compact Urban” all land in the following designations:

• Base Sectors: G-1, G-2, and O-7.
• Overlays: Local Transfer Centers, RTS Stops, and Future Compact Neighborhoods.

In Compact Urban areas, the Transportation Element indicates that more walkable thoroughfares are anticipated, as discussed in “Compact Urban, Drivable Suburban” on page 4.36.

The Urban Design Element indicates that the preferred locations for higher density development are sites in Compact Urban areas (see policies under Goals 2.1 through 2.5), though additional locations are not precluded.

Those policies are carefully worded to makes it clear that a different set of standards will apply to thoroughfare design, new development, and redevelopment outside of Compact Urban areas, such as in the remainder of the G-3 “Post-War” and the G-4 “Suburban” sectors, while not precluding this approach elsewhere.

PLAN EL PASO Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

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Future Land Use Map - Overlays Note: Under Texas law, a comprehensive plan shall not constitute zoning regulations or establish zoning district boundaries.

DESIGN GUIDANCE

General guidance for urban design within growth sectors G-1 through G-4 is provided on the following pages.

Similar guidance is provided for open space sectors O-3, O-6, and O-7; some urban development is anticipated in each of those sectors.

As noted within each sector’s narrative, more specific guidance can be found in other elements of Plan El Paso, particularly the Urban Design and Downtown Elements as well as the Community Design Manual in Appendix D.

Additional guidance can be found in the 2010 report entitled: Plan El Paso 2010 – Connecting El Paso; Building Transit Oriented Neighborhoods at Remcon Circle, Oregon Corridor, and Five Points and Redeveloping ASARCO by Dover, Kohl & Partners.

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G-1 – Downtown:

This sector includes the historic core of Downtown plus the larger Downtown area from Paisano Drive north to I-10, including the arts and convention center, Union Depot, City Hall, county courthouse, United States courthouse, and Mexican Consulate. El Paso’s “Invest First in Downtown” policies apply in this sector.

Design Guidance: Downtown El Paso is remarkably intact, with most historic buildings still standing and an abundance of civic buildings. The traditional thoroughfare grid is largely in place. Pedestrian-oriented streetscape improvements, coupled with on-street parking, will help manage vehicular speed and create better accessibility and interaction between pedestrians and vehicles.

Well-built and beautifully crafted buildings line Downtown streets; however, many are vacant except for discount outlets on the ground floor. Particular focus should be placed on renovating and leasing the upper floors to provide new housing and employment options through adaptive reuse.

New buildings should continue the tradition of multi-story, multi-use buildings with retail on the first floor and offices or residences on the upper floors. The reintroduction of a stable, mixed-income residential population will provide a market for a wider range of dining and entertainment options.

Design References:

• Downtown Element of this plan.
• Connecting El Paso: See pages 4.4 through 4.10 and A.4 through A.6.

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G-2 – Traditional Neighborhood: This sector includes the remainder of central El Paso as it existed through World War II. Blocks are small and usually have rear alleys; buildings directly faced streets; schools, parks, and small shops are integrated with residential areas. This sector is well-suited for use of the SmartCode as a replacement for current zoning when planned in conjunction with specific neighborhood plans or identified in this Comprehensive Plan.

Design Guidance: G-2 neighborhoods already have walkable thoroughfare grids, a mix of uses and housing types, historic buildings, parks, and a strong sense of character. The City’s priorities are improving public infrastructure, restoring any abandoned buildings, and infilling empty lots and parking lots with street-oriented buildings.

Many G-2 neighborhoods are challenged by recent, auto-oriented development that turns its back to the street. Many of the new buildings feature blank walls toward the street or poorly proportioned façades that contribute little to the public realm. These buildings could be improved with windows and doors that add visibility, openness, light, and natural supervision to the sidewalk. Restoring a continuous street frontage will restore the sense of place in older neighborhoods.

Design References:

• Urban Design Element of this plan.
• Connecting El Paso: See pages 3.4 through 3.5, 3.11, 4.11 through 4.27, and A.7 through A.12.

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G-3 – Post-War: This sector applies to transitional neighborhoods typically developed from the 1950s through the 1980s. Streets were laid out with curvilinear patterns without alleys and shopping centers are located at major intersections behind large parking lots. This sector is generally stable but would benefit from strategic suburban retrofits to supplement the limited housing stock and add missing civic and commercial uses.

Design Guidance: Suburban retrofits in the G-3 sector can take either of the large-scale forms described below for the G-4 sector, but often are more incremental in scope.

The G-3 thoroughfare network, while curvilinear and without alleys, is already well-connected internally and to the regional network. However, major corridors are generally lined with the same auto-oriented development that has crept into the G-2 sector; the same remedies are needed here. The greatest retrofit efforts should take place at each proposed RTS stop, which will be energized by the presence of passengers. Future development around transit stops and transfer centers should be compact, character rich, and designed with an identifiable center and edge wherever possible. Amenities should be provided to allow daily needs to be met. Parking should be consolidated and shared.

Design References:

• Urban Design Element of this plan.
• Connecting El Paso: See pages 3.6 through 3.10.

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G-4 – Suburban: This sector applies to modern single-use residential subdivisions and office parks, large schools and parks, and suburban shopping centers. This sector is generally stable but would benefit from strategic suburban retrofits to supplement the limited housing stock and add missing civic and commercial uses.

Design Guidance: Suburban retrofits usually take one of two forms. The first is new development on vacant skipped-over tracts, in which case the design guidance is similar to the O-6 and O-7 sectors. The other form is major redevelopment of well-located but underutilized land, typically obsolete shopping centers or industrial sites. Occasionally this redevelopment is carried out in a single stroke, but usually it occurs incrementally as the market arises, through the creation of new streets and blocks and the replacement of existing buildings with new street-oriented buildings. Additional buildings fill in empty lots that create the "missing teeth" along the streetwall.

New development should include a mix of uses, including housing, offices, and stores. Street connections are made to nearby neighborhoods along with streetscape improvements and the addition of green and civic spaces.

Design References:

• Urban Design Element of this plan.
• Connecting El Paso: See pages 3.6 through 3.10; 4.28 through 4.39; and A.13 through A.16.

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O-3 – Agriculture: Active farmland in the Rio Grande Valley. Changes to City codes and policies may limit plat and utility approvals beyond the City limits in a coordinated effort to protect significant portions of farmland.

Design Guidance: As much irrigated farmland as possible should be retained for permanent use as commercial farms and rural homesteads.

When suburban development rights have already been granted, development can be clustered into compact, complete, connected neighborhoods. The same amount of development can be accommodated on less than half the site, allowing the preservation of farmland on the remainder. Each neighborhood consists of a range of dwelling types, respecting the rural character of the area. A public square often marks the center of the neighborhood and creates a gathering place for events and farmers markets. Civic buildings or pavilions mark the entrance and center of the neighborhood.

Examples such as Serenbe, near Atlanta, and Hampstead, in Montgomery, Alabama, demonstrate how compact, walkable neighborhoods can be created in ways that maintain rural character while preserving farmland.

Design References:

• Urban Design Element of this plan. See page 2.36 through 2.37 and Policies 2.1.13 and 2.6.3

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O-6 – Potential Annexation: Potentially developable land that is not needed for urban expansion at this time but is available if expansion is needed. Land can be redesignated from O-6 to a growth sector through a formal amendment to the Future Land Use Map.

Design Guidance: New neighborhoods should allow driving to be an option rather than a necessity. Every neighborhood has a vibrant center at its heart, where neighbors can meet and fulfill some daily needs. Blocks immediately surrounding the center accommodate a variety of building sizes, including multi-story, mixed-use buildings, apartment buildings, rowhouses, and detached homes. This variety creates the ability to live, work, and shop within walking distance.

Civic buildings provide focal points within each neighborhood. Buildings front onto greens rather than turning their backs to them. Small blocks are key to walkable neighborhoods. An interconnected thoroughfare network allows residents to access all parts of the neighborhood, and other neighborhoods, without having to use the regional network. Alleys provide access to the middle of blocks where additional parking may be located.

Design References:

• Urban Design Element of this plan: See pages 2.38 through 2.39 and 2.80 through 2.81.

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O-7 – Urban Expansion: Developable land currently owned by the City of El Paso where master planning is underway for potential urban expansion before 2030 using Smart Growth principles.

Design Guidance: Development of these large tracts should be organized by assignment of “community types” as described by the SmartCode: Regional Center Developments (RCD), Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND), and Clustered Land Developments (CLD). Each community type is based around pedestrian sheds (a five-minute walk) and each pedestrian shed would provide a mix of housing types and sizes throughout a neighborhood. The result is a connected network of walkable neighborhoods.

RCDs should be located where more commercial density or main streets are desired, such as along existing heavily traveled corridors or at the intersection of four neighborhoods. The placement of TNDs and CLDs depends on the size and type of neighborhood to be developed. CLDs require more undeveloped land and should be utilized in locations that have large preserved areas.

Schools and their play fields should be located where multiple neighborhoods meet, allowing more children to get to school by their own accord, reducing the need for busses and parents driving to school each day.

Design References:

• Urban Design Element of this plan: See pages 2.38 through 2.48.

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GOALS & POLICIES

Overall Goal: Encourage infill development within the existing City over peripheral expansion to conserve environmental resources, spur economic investment, repair social fabric, reduce the cost of providing infrastructure and services, and reclaim abandoned areas.

Downtown

Goal 1.1: The City of El Paso places the highest priority on the reinvigoration of Downtown, whose strategic location, walkable blocks, and historic buildings will once again make Downtown a vibrant destination and center of culture, shopping, government, and the arts. These policies, and policies in the Downtown Element of Plan El Paso, apply to land in the G-1 “Downtown” growth sector on the Future Land Use Map (see Goal 1.10).

Policy 1.1.1: City policies and programs should encourage the rehabilitation of upper stories of existing Downtown buildings as office, retail, entertainment, and residential space. Financial incentives should be considered to encourage investment from the private sector.

Policy 1.1.2: The City encourages new multi-story mixed-use buildings with windows and doors facing all sidewalks to be constructed on vacant lots. The City should not require any on-site parking for buildings Downtown.

Policy 1.1.3: Downtown redevelopment strategies will include new and improved civic buildings and civic spaces, plus shared parking for residents, employees, and visitors.

Policy 1.1.4: As civic buildings are added, updated, or replaced, they should be integrated into El Paso’s original street network and other land uses rather than being isolated in large complexes of civic buildings.

Policy 1.1.5: The City’s historic landmark design regulations should be expanded to highlight Downtown’s architectural heritage, to avoid unnecessary damage to this valuable resource, and to ensure that new buildings maintain and improve this historic character.

Traditional Neighborhoods

Goal 1.2: The City of El Paso highly values the traditional neighborhoods that were laid out in all directions from Downtown and will maintain and improve their highly walkable character, transit accessibility, diverse mix of land uses, and historic building stock. These policies apply to land in the G-2 “Traditional Neighborhood” growth sector on the Future Land Use Map. Also see goals and policies in the Urban Design Element.

Policy 1.2.1: The City should maintain and strengthen the historic landmark status of Austin Terrace, Chihuahuita, Magoffin, Manhattan Heights, Old San Francisco, Sunset Heights, Ysleta, and the Mission Trail Historic Corridor and District.

Policy 1.2.2: The City will actively consider historic landmark status for additional qualifying neighborhoods.

Policy 1.2.3: Vacant and underutilized parcels in and around the City’s traditional neighborhoods can be excellent locations for redevelopment that adds housing, shopping, employment, entertainment, and recreational options for nearby residents and transit patrons. Redevelopment of such sites should mesh with the scale and character of these existing neighborhoods rather than imposing a suburban or high-rise model on traditional neighborhoods. The City’s zoning and development regulations should be modified accordingly. Additional infill incentives should be considered by the City.

Neighborhood Retrofits

Goal 1.3: The City of El Paso wishes to diversify its post-war and suburban neighborhoods in strategic locations in order to increase the variety of housing options, including rowhouses, apartments, and condominiums, and to expand opportunities for employment and neighborhood shopping without requiring long car trips.

Policy 1.3.1: Most neighborhoods, even new ones, would benefit from a greater variety of activities within walking and bicycling distance. For instance, a greater number of smaller parks are preferable to a few larger ones that are accessible only to those with a private vehicle. Likewise, smaller schools often become the centerpiece of their neighborhoods rather than distant facilities to which most students must be driven or bused each day. This policy is most applicable within the G-3 “Post-War” and G-4 “Suburban” growth sectors on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy 1.3.2: Sun Metro bus routes and rapid transit system (RTS) stops and transfer centers offer independence to those who live in drivable neighborhoods but do not have access to a car. The land near transfer centers and RTS stops offers major redevelopment opportunities to take special advantage of those facilities. These locations are designated as overlays on the Future Land Use Map (see Goal 1.10).

Policy 1.3.3: The City has adopted the following special study area plans pursuant to the 1999 Comprehensive Plan:

a. Rim/University (2001);

b. Northwest Upper Valley (2004);

c. Chihuahuita (2004);

d. PSB Westside Master Plan (2005);

e. PSB Northeast Master Plan (2005; amended 2007 & 2008);

f. Downtown 2015 (2006);

g. Medical Center of the Americas (2008, amended 2011); and

h. Connecting El Paso (2011).

These special study area plans will remain in effect, except for any provisions that may conflict with this Comprehensive Plan, until such time as any of these study area plans are amended or repealed by the City Council.

New Neighborhoods

Goal 1.4: The City of El Paso notes that recent development patterns have created isolated and oversized concentrations of homogeneous land uses which force residents into automobile travel for daily needs and make it difficult for residents to stay within the same neighborhood when they need a different type or size of housing. The City wishes to augment this conventional development pattern with strategic suburban retrofits or urban infill where practical. This goal and policy apply to land in G-4 “Suburban” growth sector and to future development in the O-6 “Potential Annexation” and O-7 “Urban Expansion” open-space sectors on the Future Land Use Map. G-3 and G-4 sectors, as depicted on the Future Land Use Map, may be permitted to continue development and uses as are consistent with the surrounding and existing development in the area. Also see goals and policies in the Urban Design Element.

Policy 1.4.1: The City’s zoning and land development regulations should be reviewed and amended when appropriate to encourage new neighborhoods to have:

a. Greater interconnection of internal streets;

b. Provision of small parks and civic functions within neighborhoods;

c. A greater variety of housing types within each neighborhood; and

d. Protection of natural features such as critical arroyos.

Outward Expansion

Goal 1.5: The City of El Paso has grown primarily by outward expansion. This pattern has become untenable because the undevelopable wedges created by Fort Bliss and the Franklin Mountains have forced outward expansion so far from central El Paso. The amount of commuting required by this development pattern throughout the City will be increasingly impractical in an era of high gasoline prices and the need to control climatic changes caused in part by overuse of fossil fuels. The City of El Paso will be cautious about authorizing further outward expansion until it can be demonstrated to be essential to accommodate growth and the land to be developed is an excellent location for expansion.

Policy 1.5.1: The City strongly recommends that further outward expansion take the form of complete new neighborhoods that have characteristics of El Paso’s most revered older neighborhoods. This policy applies to future development in the O-6 “Potential Annexation” and O-7 “Urban Expansion” open-space sectors on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy 1.5.2: This plan discourages urban development of irrigated farmland along the Rio Grande, which is designated in the O-3 “Agriculture” open-space sector. The City and EPWU-PSB should ensure that their individual regulations are complementary and do not encourage unnecessary development of irrigated farmland. Consideration needs to be given to incentivizing preservation of agricultural lands, including conducting a full evaluation of best practices that could mitigate their full development.

a. Examples to consider when dealing with irrigated farmland inside the City include:

i. Providing a density bonus for development of formerly active farmland when at least 50% of the lots allow for small-scale farming, the bonus being proportional to the area being reserved for farming.

ii. Discouraging the rezoning of agriculture land except where a percentage of small-scale farming has been reserved.

b. Examples to consider when dealing with irrigated farmland outside the City include:

i. Removing irrigated farmland from the preferred annexation map (see Policy 1.7.3).

ii. Removing irrigated farmland from the City’s impact fee service area and the State’s map of Certificates of Convenience and Necessity.

iii. Amending Title 19 to limit plats and utility extensions to proposed developments that commit to permanently keep at 50% of the land for farming or to subdivide the land into tracts that are themselves large enough to support small-scale farming.

c. The protection of farmland may also be accomplished through Park Credits, the purchase of development rights, outright purchase of land, or other mechanisms available to the City and County.

Policy 1.5.3: Arroyos are ravines carved over many years by rainfall moving across the earth. Arroyos feature a high degree of biodiversity and are an important part of the local ecology and landscape and the regional drainage pattern. This plan discourages urban development of remaining critical arroyos through the following means:

a. In the immediate future, a critical arroyo map should be prepared to identify critical arroyos and related ecologically sensitive lands that should be entirely preserved. This map should supplement the 2007 Green Infrastructure Plan for El Paso.

b. A generalized map of arroyos has been adopted as an overlay on the Future Land Use Map in this comprehensive plan. That overlay should be supplemented or replaced by the new critical arroyo map through a comprehensive plan amendment.

c. Under nearly all circumstances, critical arroyos should be maintained in their natural state rather than being filled, channelized, or piped.

d. Arroyos can form attractive public spaces that add value to adjacent neighborhoods provided continuous access remains available abutting the rim of the arroyos and private lots are arranged so that fronts of buildings face the arroyos.

e. The protection of critical arroyos may be accomplished through Park Credits, the purchase of development rights, outright purchase of land, or other mechanisms available to the City and County.

Policy 1.5.4: The City wishes to begin a new era of cooperation with El Paso County on the management of growth.

Policy 1.5.5: Explore the potential of a transferable development rights program to shift development from conservation areas to preferred areas for growth recognizing the limitations of such a program. Successful TDR programs place a fixed density on potential sending areas and limit density in receiving areas except by use of transferred rights.

Policy 1.5.6: EPWU-PSB is encouraged to work with the City to identify infill infrastructure capacity opportunities and/or limitations within the City.

Policy 1.5.7: The City will explore the inclusion of transit impact fees for development on the outskirts of the City to accommodate increased transit need in locations where the population density may not otherwise justify transit expenditures. Any new impact fees must be in accordance with local and state impact fee limitations.

Extraterritorial Jurisdiction

Goal 1.6: The City will use the limited authority granted by Texas law to regulate the subdivision of land within its ETJ in order to shape future growth in accordance with Plan El Paso.

Policy 1.6.1: The City should strengthen its existing regulations that regulate the subdivision of land within the ETJ. Future subdivisions should be required to have smaller blocks and better connectivity to surrounding development than is currently required.

Policy 1.6.2: Future subdivisions also need to be interconnected with each other and with a suitable regional road network. This comprehensive plan’s Major Thoroughfare Plan needs to be improved with a more tightly interconnected road network for the ETJ so that future subdivisions will not create isolated pods of development that are unlikely to become an integrated part of El Paso (See Goal 4.3).

Annexation

Goal 1.7: The City of El Paso will use the annexation authority granted by Texas law to cautiously shape the future City boundaries in accordance with Plan El Paso.

Policy 1.7.1: Since 1999, the City of El Paso has maintained a policy against forcing unilateral annexations of already-developed land or vacant land. Should circumstances change, the City may revisit this policy and modify its formal annexation plan.

Policy 1.7.2: The City of El Paso also maintains a separate annexation policy that defines areas where voluntary annexations would be considered upon petition by affected landowners. In 2009 this policy was revised to require that voluntarily annexed land:

a. Must be contiguous with the existing City limits;

b. The landowners must agree to build all local, collector, and arterial roads at their expense and must submit a general development plan for the area; and

c. The landowners must pay water and sewer impact fees plus an additional per-unit annexation fee toward fire, police, libraries, and recreation centers.

This annexation policy should continue to require Smart Growth commitment on the larger tracts in the development agreements that accompany formal annexation.

Policy 1.7.3: This annexation policy should be revised to remove from its preferred annexation map the large irrigated tracts in the upper valley that are actively being farmed, particularly west of Doniphan Drive and north of Borderland Road. This removal is intended to help keep this valuable resource from being displaced by urban expansion.

Policy 1.7.4: In addition to the adjustment in Policy 1.7.3, the preferred annexation map should be revised after formal consideration of the annexation potential of land in Southeast Fort Bliss that military officials may make available for private development.

Water & Sewer Service

Goal 1.8: The City of El Paso will continue using access to its water and sewer utility as a tool to shape growth in and around the City in accordance with Plan El Paso.

Policy 1.8.1: The City should consider amending Title 19 of the City code to define the extent to which providing utility service outside City limits would require City Council approval.

Policy 1.8.2: The City and EPWU-PSB should evaluate the current impact fee program to consider the following modifications to the impact fee service areas:

a. In the northwest, adjusting the service area to eliminate upper valley farmland that lies outside the City limits and may be removed from the revised map of preferred annexation areas pursuant to Policy 1.7.3.

b. In the northeast, adjusting the service area to eliminate land that is designated as O-1 “Preserve,” O-2 “Natural,” and O-5 “Remote” on the Future Land Use Map.

c. In the far east, adjusting the service area to match the new “Potential Annexation” boundary on the Future Land Use Map so that utility expansion policy reinforces and carries out City growth policy.

Policy 1.8.3: The City and EPWU-PSB should evaluate whether the land-use assumptions upon which the impact fee rates are based should be adjusted to reflect the outward growth strategies in Plan El Paso. This evaluation should consider adjusting impact fees to capture 100% of the allowable cost.

Policy 1.8.4: EPWU-PSB should evaluate the viability of modifying its state-issued Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) boundaries to match the “Potential Annexation” sector (O-6 on the Future Land Use Map). Future expansion to the CCN should follow the City’s outward growth policies.

Industrial Lands

Goal 1.9: The regional economy depends heavily on manufacturing. The City of El Paso will designate ample land that is well-suited for industrial facilities that are best located north of the border and will ensure that industrial facilities do not adversely affect the health, safety, or welfare of the community. These policies apply to land in the G-7 “Industrial” growth sector on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy 1.9.1: Designate locations for industrial development in each planning area to reduce travel time for employees.

Policy 1.9.2: Encourage the development of new industrial areas and the redevelopment of existing older or marginal industrial areas.

Policy 1.9.3: Allow recreational, educational, and community uses to locate in light industrial and office parks and allow service commercial facilities in all industrial and office parks.

Policy 1.9.4: Discourage access to industrial development through residential areas.

Policy 1.9.5: Obsolete industrial sites and railyards pose technical challenges to redevelopment but are often ideally located within the City to offer new choices and opportunities for El Paso residents. The City should take affirmative steps to maximize this potential. These sites are generally in the G-7 “Industrial” growth sector on the Future Land Use Map (See Goal 4.11).

Future Land Use Map

Goal 1.10: A new Future Land Use Map is an integral part of Plan El Paso. This map has been created to assist City officials and private developers in understanding the growth management goals and policies of this plan, particularly as to the form, direction, and timing of future development (see Goal 1.11). The designations on this map are subject to change as El Paso grows and Plan El Paso is modified accordingly.

Policy 1.10.1: The Future Land Use Map contains two separate but related components. The first is a base map that defines seven open-space sectors and nine growth sectors for all of El Paso County. The second is a map of series of nine overlays that define key generators of movement and economic activity, plus prime locations for new compact neighborhoods and protection zones.

Open-Space Sectors

Policy 1.10.2: The seven open-space sectors on the base map are defined as follows:

O-1 Preserve: Publicly owned land such as the Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Parks, all City and County parks and public drainage areas, and cemeteries (even if private). These lands will not be developed due to their ownership and current use.

O-2 Natural: Foothills, bosques, wetlands, critical arroyos, and other natural features owned by private or public entities but currently without protected status. Examples include the Castner Range and private tracts in and around the Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Parks. City regulations and policy decisions should help keep these lands in their natural state for drainage, natural habitat, and scenic protection. Public acquisition should be considered especially when key drainage features can be protected.

O-3 Agriculture: Active farmland in the Rio Grande Valley. Changes to City codes and policies may limit plat and utility approvals beyond the City limits in a coordinated effort to protect significant portions of farmland.

O-4 Military Reserve: Fort Bliss training areas north and east of the main cantonment, Biggs Army Air Field, and East Fort Bliss. To the extent possible, these lands should not be developed because they are needed for military training.

O-5 Remote: Remote land in the desert and mountains. Except where vested rights are in place, City regulations and policy decisions should not encourage urban development during this planning period, which extends until 2030. It is not known at this time whether O-5 land will be needed for development further in the future.

O-6 Potential Annexation: Potentially developable land that is not needed for urban expansion at this time but is available if expansion is needed. Land can be redesignated from O-6 to a growth sector through a formal amendment to the Future Land Use Map.

O-7 Urban Expansion: Developable land currently owned by the City of El Paso where master planning is underway for potential urban expansion before 2030 using Smart Growth principles.

Growth Sectors

Policy 1.10.3: The nine growth sectors on the base map are defined as follows:

G-1 Downtown: This sector includes the historic core of Downtown plus the larger Downtown area from Paisano Drive north to I-10, including the arts and convention center, Union Depot, City Hall, County Courthouse, United States courthouse, and Mexican Consulate. El Paso’s “Invest First in Downtown” policies apply in this sector.

G-2 Traditional Neighborhood: This sector includes the remainder of central El Paso as it existed through World War II. Blocks are small and usually have rear alleys; buildings directly face streets; schools, parks, and small shops are integrated with residential areas. This sector is well-suited for use of the SmartCode as a replacement for current zoning when planned in conjunction with specific neighborhood plans or identified in this Comprehensive Plan.

G-3 Post-War: This sector applies to transitional neighborhoods typically developed from the 1950s through the 1980s. Streets were laid out with curvilinear patterns without alleys and shopping centers are located at major intersections behind large parking lots. This sector is generally stable but would benefit from strategic suburban retrofits to supplement the limited housing stock and add missing civic and commercial uses.

G-4 Suburban: This sector applies to modern single-use residential subdivisions and office parks, large schools and parks, and suburban shopping centers. This sector is generally stable but would benefit from strategic suburban retrofits to supplement the limited housing stock and add missing civic and commercial uses.

G-5 Independent City: This sector identifies the incorporated cities of Anthony, Clint, Horizon, Socorro, and Vinton. El Paso plans and regulations have no effect in these cities.

G-6 Rural Settlement: This sector applies to existing scattered subdivisions in non-urban locations. Some rural settlements are becoming suburbanized but most are still rural in character with a large percentage of vacant lots and very limited public services. Additional rural settlements are neither needed nor desirable due to excessively long commutes, difficulty in providing services to scattered homes, and an enormous surplus of existing vacant lots.

G-7 Industrial: This sector applies to industrial parks, large free-standing industrial uses, refineries, non-military airfields, trucking terminals, and mines, all on large tracts in areas dominated by vehicles. This sector is essential to El Paso’s economy; however, when an industrial use becomes obsolete, there can be potential for mixed-use redevelopment of the site. This sector also includes the existing rail yards which could be redeveloped as mixed-use communities if the rail yards were moved out of town.

G-8 Fort Bliss Mixed Use: This sector identifies non-military portions of Fort Bliss that are or can become integral parts of El Paso. Non-military development should be eligible for annexation into the City of El Paso provided it meets the Smart Location Principles and Neighborhood Patterns contained in policies of the Urban Design Element of Plan El Paso.

G-9 Fort Bliss Military: This sector identifies the main cantonment of Fort Bliss, Biggs Army Air Field, and East Fort Bliss, all located outside the El Paso City limits. Despite El Paso’s lack of jurisdiction, healthy development at Fort Bliss is as important to El Paso as any other economic sector.

Overlays

Policy 1.10.4: In addition to the base sectors, the Future Land Use Map contains a series of overlays that define key generators of movement and economic activity; prime locations for new compact neighborhoods; and protection zones:

a. Border Crossings: The four international ports of entry between El Paso and Juárez are key regional links for the movement of people and freight, including raw materials and finished products traveling to and from maquiladoras in northern Mexico.

b. Colleges: Campuses of the University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College are major activity centers for students, teachers, and staff.

c. Hospitals: Hospitals are major activity centers for patients, doctors, and staff.

d. Regional Transportation Hubs: The El Paso International Airport and the Union Depot are major regional transportation hubs, supplemented by numerous bus terminals between the border and Downtown El Paso.

e. Local Transfer Centers: The eight transfer centers operated by Sun Metro are key links in daily movement through El Paso.

f. Rapid Transit System (RTS) Stops: Four bus rapid transit lines are planned by Sun Metro. Each will terminate at a designated transfer center while also offering additional stops at approximately one-mile spacing. Each stop is designated on the map by a circle with an indeterminate outer edge. This circle indicates a presumed area of influence around each RTS stop where passengers will be arriving and departing as pedestrians. Each of these stops has the potential to generate or reinforce compact walkable redevelopment due to increased pedestrian activity. Each stop is also a highly desirable location for future residents and businesses who will be able to depend on regularly scheduled, high-quality public transportation.

g. Future Compact Neighborhoods: A larger series of future compact neighborhoods are also designated on the map, including one surrounding each local transfer center. El Paso has only a limited number of areas where compact walkable development or redevelopment can take place with convenient access to existing services and facilities. Each of these areas provides an excellent opportunity for El Paso to grow without the constant outward expansion of past decades.

h. Arroyos: Many arroyos have been destroyed or replaced by engineered channels. Other arroyos are already being protected by public ownership or private covenants. Arroyos as identified in this overlay have neither been destroyed nor protected and would likely be endangered by careless development practices in the future. The edges of the arroyos shown on the map are generalized.

i. Military Buffer: In certain locations, new neighborhoods and other noise-sensitive land uses would be subject to potentially severe noise impacts from training activities at Fort Bliss. These uses should not be introduced into the designated military buffer zones.

Policy 1.10.5: The Future Land Use Map identifies two base sectors with existing walkable urbanism (G-1 and G-2), one with planned walkable urbanism (O-7), and three overlays where walkable urbanism is anticipated to emerge (Local Transfer Centers, RTS Stops, and Future Compact Neighborhoods). The Transportation Element of Plan El Paso defines these as Compact Urban areas where multimodal transportation design will become the norm to enhance neighborhood character, safety, and walkability (see policies under Goal 4.1).

Application of Plan El Paso

Goal 1.11: The City of El Paso will use the principles set forth in Plan El Paso as tools to shape future development, to protect natural resources, to direct capital improvements, and to guide public policy in a coordinated manner for the mutual benefit of El Paso’s residents and landowners.

Policy 1.11.1: Plan El Paso provides the basis for amendments to the City of El Paso’s zoning and subdivision regulations, which are currently found in Titles 19, 20, and 21 of the City’s code. The adoption of Plan El Paso does not change the zoning districts on any property, nor does it interfere with or extend vested rights.

Policy 1.11.2: Plan El Paso, including its Future Land Use Map, will be used as policy guidance in situations such as the following:

a. Amendments to El Paso’s zoning and subdivision regulations will be a major implementing tool for converting Plan El Paso’s goals and policies into objective standards.

b. Rezoning of land is another implementing tool of Plan El Paso (see Policy 1.11.3). Public hearings to rezone land can be initiated by the landowner or by the City, as provided in Title 20.

c. Decisions on farmland protection should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly by Policies 1.5.2 and 2.6.3.

d. Decisions on arroyo protection should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly by Policy 1.5.3.

e. Decisions on annexing land should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the policies under Goal 1.7.

f. Decisions on potable water and wastewater should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the policies under Goals 1.8, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, and 10.1 to 10.6.

g. Decision on natural resource protection should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the policies under Goals 5.3, 5.11, and 10.12 to 10.17.

h. Decisions on stormwater should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the policies under Goals 5.5 and 10.8.

i. Decisions on the design and placement of parks should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the policies under Goals 5.8, 5.9, and 5.10.

j. Decisions on the design and placement of thor-oughfares should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the Transportation Element.

k. Decisions on the design and placement of pub-licly owned civic buildings and civic spaces should be guided by Plan El Paso, particularly the Urban Design, Downtown, and Public Facilities Elements.

Policy 1.11.3: Decisions on rezoning requests will be made in accordance with Plan El Paso and in accordance with all requirements of City and State law. When evaluating whether a proposed rezoning is in accordance with Plan El Paso, the City Council may also consider the following factors:

a. The proposed zoning district’s effect on development or redevelopment of the property, particularly whether the rezoning will further or at least not conflict with specific policies listed under other goals of Plan El Paso.

b. Whether the property is in a “Compact Urban” area, defined in Plan El Paso as being in a base sector with existing walkable urbanism (G-1 and G-2) or planned walkable urbanism (O-7), or in an overlay where walkable urbanism is anticipated to emerge (Local Transfer Centers, RTS Stops, and Future Compact Neighborhoods). For instance, Compact Urban areas:

i. are preferred locations for higher density development and redevelopment (Policy 2.1.12);

ii. are ideal for a balance of housing, jobs, shopping, recreation, and civic uses (Policy 2.2.6);

iii. will be served by walkable thoroughfares (Policy 4.1.5); and

iv. are suitable for zoning districts that would orient most buildings toward streets (Policy 2.4.5).

c. The proposed zoning district’s effect on the property and surrounding property, after evaluating the following factors:

i. The physical context of the property and surrounding properties, including recent or anticipated changes to that context.

ii. Any historic district or other special designations that may be applicable.

iii. Any adopted small area plans (see Policy 1.3.3), including land-use maps in those plans.

iv. Potential adverse effects that might be caused by approval or denial of the requested rezoning.

v. Anticipated effects on the natural environment.

vi. Whether the area is stable or in transition.

vii. Any changed social, economic, or physical conditions that make the existing zoning no longer suitable for the property.

URBAN DESIGN 2

Overall Goal: Incentivize development projects of exemplary location and design throughout the City.

Current Conditions 2.2

Urban Design ................................................................................ 2.2
Downtown ..................................................................................... 2.4
Neighborhood Public Spaces ........................................................ 2.5
Building Types ............................................................................... 2.6
Architecture ................................................................................. 2.10
Streets ......................................................................................... 2.11
Landscape ................................................................................... 2.12
Parking ........................................................................................ 2.13
Lighting, Sign & Utilities .............................................................. 2.14

Community Concerns 2.15

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns 2.17

Central: Community Concerns ..................................................... 2.18
Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns ..................................................................... 2.19
    Segundo Barrio ........................................................................ 2.20
    Railyards "Central Park" ........................................................... 2.22
    Mesa Street Near UTEP ........................................................... 2.24
    Cincinnati Avenue ................................................................... 2.28
    Alameda Avenue
        Piedras Street to Patriot Freeway ....................................... 2.30
        Glenwood Street to El Paso Drive ....................................... 2.32
    Bassett Place Mall ................................................................... 2.34
    Reconfiguring Outparcels ....................................................... 2.38
    Airport ..................................................................................... 2.39
Westside: Community Concerns .................................................. 2.40
Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns ..................................................................... 2.41
    West Transmountain Road ....................................................... 2.42
    Upper Valley Development ...................................................... 2.46
    Development Abutting Arroyos ............................................... 2.48
    Schools ................................................................................... 2.50
    Neighborhood Playgrounds .................................................... 2.50
Northeast: Community Concerns ................................................. 2.52
Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns ..................................................................... 2.53
    SmartCode Demonstration Site:
        Community Type Scale ....................................................... 2.54
        Multiple Neighborhoods Scale ........................................... 2.56
        Neighborhood and Lot Scale .............................................. 2.60
    Northgate Mall Redevelopment ............................................... 2.63
    El Paso Community College ................................................... 2.67
    Angel's Triangle ...................................................................... 2.68
Eastside: Community Concerns .................................................... 2.70
Eastside Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns ..................................................................... 2.71
    Hawkins Boulevard & Gateway Boulevard ............................... 2.72
    Zaragoza Road ....................................................................... 2.74
    Zaragoza Road & I-10 ............................................................ 2.77
    Zaraplex on Zaragoza Road .................................................... 2.80
    Montana Corridor Transfer Center ........................................... 2.82
    East of Zaragoza Road ........................................................... 2.84
    El Paso's Avenue .................................................................... 2.86
Mission Valley: Community Concerns ........................................... 2.88
Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns ..................................................................... 2.89
    Alameda Avenue
        Midway Drive to Yarbrough Drive ....................................... 2.90
        Ysleta & Mission Valley Transfer Center ............................... 2.93

Goals & Policies 2.102

Smart Location Principles .......................................................... 2.102
Neighborhood Patterns ............................................................... 2.103
Street Design Principles .............................................................. 2.103
Building & Site Design Principles ................................................. 2.104
Civic Space Principles ................................................................. 2.106
Rural & Open Space Design Principles ........................................ 2.106
CNU Accreditation ....................................................................... 2.106

"PLANNING SHOULD BE COMPREHENSIVE. EVEN THOUGH A GRAND URBAN DESIGN COULD ONLY BE REALIZED IN BITS AND PIECES, AND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF YEARS, STILL WE SHOULD ALWAYS KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING... CITIES GROW MOSTLY BY ACCIDENT IN RESPONSE TO TRENDS IN THE REAL ESTATE MARKET. VERY LITTLE THOUGHT IS GIVEN TO THEIR QUALITATIVE CHARACTERS. BUT THERE COMES A TIME WHEN DEVELOPMENT MUST BE SUBJECT TO CONTROL, WHEN FURTHER GROWTH MUST BE PLANNED..." – GEORGE EDWARD KESSLER

CURRENT CONDITIONS

URBAN DESIGN

The City’s urban design is the sum of the design of all its individual elements, both the built environment and the natural environment, and their relationship to one other. Primary elements of the built environment include public open spaces, buildings, site design, streetscapes, parking, and signage. Primary elements of El Paso’s natural environment include trees, plantings, arroyos, mountains, and other features of the landscape.

Urban design is a response to an existing set of conditions. The response to these conditions is functional in nature but also reflects social, economic, political, aesthetic, and symbolic intentions. Urban design is a mix of problem-solving and art. It is a willful act.

El Paso’s urban design represents a mosaic of solutions to accommodate human activity under different sets of conditions and in the pursuit of a variety of different goals. As an art however, urban design is more than the satisfying of purely functional requirements of a building program. The end result of urban design efforts define the character of a City.

Good urban design allows for the future redevelopment or reuse of areas in a way not necessarily perceived when originally designed and constructed. It also allows flexibility of use and allows areas to reinvent themselves over time as popular attitudes shift.

The overall urban design of a City ties together the physical planning with land use and policy planning. Where the urban design of El Paso has been successful, places were created that people have enjoyed, reused, and taken care of for generations.

⬚ figure South El Paso Street

⬚ figure Madeline Park

⬚ figure Nestor A. Valencia Mission Valley Transfer Center

Urban Design

Current Conditions

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Street Map, 1940

The Downtown grid laid out by Anson Mills is evident in the 1940s street map. On the east side of the Franklin Mountains the grid shifts from an alignment based on the Rio Grande River, streets of Juárez, and railroad, to one based on cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. The grid has proven resilient to the fluctuations of market and international relations and has hosted a myriad of different uses throughout history.

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Sanborn Map, 1908

Historically, where street grids are made irregular to adapt to topography, such as at Mundy Park, the resulting geometry varies from the typically orthogonal, square block pattern of El Paso. These formal, triangular symmetries are used to reconcile the irregular shape. Homes vary in size on the same street and all homes face the public space with front porches.

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

DOWNTOWN

Within Downtown, El Paso hosts a variety of urban open spaces. San Jacinto Plaza, Cleveland Square Park, and the Arts Festival Plaza are high-profile spaces which see an increasing amount of use. Neighborhood pocket parks like Armijo Park, Tula Irrobali Park, and the linear greens of 8^th Avenue have continued to be the centers of the South Central and Chichuahauita neighborhoods.

The City has created a central pedestrian system of greens, plazas, comfortable streetscapes, and pedestrian passages connecting the Union Plaza District, Civic Center, Pioneer Plaza, Plaza Theater, Art Museum, and San Jacinto Plaza within the Downtown core. These pathways cater to visitors from both outside the City and residents by offering an interconnected network of destinations.

This system is incomplete in segments, however, and this is where pedestrians face hostile environments. These places are the result of streets that lack pedestrian amenities like sidewalks and street trees. They are often wide, high-speed, one-way streets, and with buildings which do not address the street. These problematic features create uninteresting, even dangerous, unwatched areas.

Filling in the gaps in the pedestrian system Downtown has been part of a larger initiative to revitalize Downtown El Paso. This initiative has included building public and private sector partnerships to stimulate investment in mixed-use developments for vacant infill properties, and encourage business owners to rehabilitate historic structures. Downtown-wide parking strategies to build structured parking help to address the parking demand that once encouraged the tearing-down of buildings and squares.

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San Jacinto Plaza is a versatile space surrounded by a showcase of landmark buildings.

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Public spaces, such as the space between Pioneer Plaza and the Arts Festival Plaza, offer a walkable environment with outdoor dining.

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The historic neighborhood parks of Segundo Barrio and Chihuahuita have local, year-round use.

Urban Design

Current Conditions

NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SPACES

El Paso has a wide spectrum of park spaces of varying degrees of functionality and quality.

Neighborhood parks created prior to World War II, like Mundy Park and Madeline Park, date from a period in which the park was considered a prime selling feature for the neighborhood and it was designed accordingly. As automobile ownership increased and neighborhoods were built in less walkable and connected formats, recreational space has become privatized in the form of larger personal yards. The quality of the neighborhood public spaces has decreased in recent decades with most new neighborhood open spaces being minimally equipped simply to satisfy requirements within the subdivision code.

Arroyo Park is one of the few neighborhood parks created from an arroyo. Arroyo Park forms a distinctive edge between the Kern Place and Rim-University neighborhoods and features a scenic drive along its edge, and recreational facilities such as tennis courts and mountain bike trails. By contrast, in most recent neighborhood designs, the arroyos are eliminated, replaced with a relatively small concrete channel and walled off, transforming the historic value and beauty of the land into a drainage ditch.

Several recent initiatives bode well for the future of El Paso’s new parks. In an ongoing initiative to improve the usability and attractiveness of public spaces created through the subdivision process, the City has lowered the minimum size requirements of parks to give them a more comfortable scale. The City also requires a row of tree plantings around the perimeter of the parks and encourages developers to include public facilities like playgrounds.

⬚ figure Arroyos can make spacious, interesting park spaces with long trails, like at Arroyo Park.

⬚ figure Most recently built open spaces meet large, mandated size requirements but have few other positive features. Surrounding homes are often situated with their backs turned to these spaces.

⬚ figure Small neighborhood parks were once developed as amenities. The increase in adjacent property values resulted from thoughtful design.

⬚ figure New open spaces that are designed as pocket parks, with less acreage but with more programming, are becoming more common in the City.

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

BUILDING TYPES

Building Types The building types illustrated in the master plans are types already found in El Paso. In some cases they are El Paso’s most prized addresses though often not currently allowed to be built under the existing zoning and land development regulations. The permitted relationship of buildings to the public space and to one another should be calibrated from successful existing relationships already found in El Paso. Many of the best building types, and the public realms that they shape, preceded the current regulations. The building types and outdoor spaces the community wishes to emulate can be studied, codified and built new in other areas.

⬚ figure Mixed-use Building

⬚ figure Live/Work Building

⬚ figure Apartment Building

⬚ figure Mansion Apartment

⬚ figure Duplex House

Urban Design

Current Conditions

⬚ figure Small House

⬚ figure House

⬚ figure Accessory Dwelling Unit

⬚ figure Neighborhood Commercial Building

⬚ figure Mansion House

⬚ figure Civic Building

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

Building Style

New homes and buildings should observe local architectural patterns for renovating or building new. The purpose of this is to preserve local culture and social traditions. Architectural quality also facilitates local acceptance of infill development by respecting the existing context.

The various styles of El Paso architecture all share a common intention - to provide relief from the sun while capturing as many breezes as possible. Generously scaled porches, tall ceilings, full-height windows, shade gardens, porch fans and wood shutters all distinguish the traditional architecture of El Paso and the desert southwest from elsewhere in the country. In addition to individual elements, desert southwest architecture possesses certain compositional features discussed below.

Simplicity

Most traditional architecture is simple. Its beauty is to be found in its balance, order, proportion, and compositional harmony. A traditional house is often a simple form, like a rectangular box, with secondary subordinate masses added.

In general buildings should be rectangular in plan with more complex massing achieved by adding simple masses. Additive massing allows incremental enlargement of buildings over time. The aggregate complexity of the building maintains a sense of order because one mass is dominant over other smaller masses.

The most important building elements, such as a generous porch or a well-designed door surround, should be emphasized. This should be balanced by simplifying other elements. This creates a hierarchy where attention is focused on a building's most important parts. A well-balanced design should be interesting but not overwhelming or confusing.

Decoration should respect the hierarchy of building elements in a façade. It should also respect the hierarchy of the building's importance within the neighborhood. Background fabric buildings should typically be less ornate than civic or focal buildings.

Practicality

The elements of traditional El Paso buildings are based on engineering necessity and exhibit a decorative frugality. Decorative elements with no functional purpose are rare and when done, are understated.

Traditional building elements evolved for practical, functional reasons. Shutters provide security and protect windows during storms. Dormers provide light and air for attic rooms. Simple massing and standardized proportions were used because it is less expensive and easier to construct buildings that are not unnecessarily complicated.

⬚ figure Small House: Craftsman

⬚ figure Small House: Spanish Revival

⬚ figure Corner Duplex: Pubelo-Colonial

⬚ figure Large House: Craftsman

Urban Design

Current Conditions

Modern building materials such as waterproof membranes and sealants have reduced the pragmatic need for practical traditional details. This unfortunately often results in traditional building elements that are detailed in ways that look as though they would not actually function.

When traditional building elements are used, they should look as though they could actually perform their task. Think of the practical reasons for a traditional building element being used and ask – could it really work? Shutters for instance, should ideally be operable, but at least look like they are capable of covering the windows with which they are paired with. Purely decorative touches should resemble their historic, functional appearance. The discipline of architecture has formalized the arrangements and proportions of classical and traditional elements. Columns and entablatures, when done correctly, have looked fairly consistent through time.

Apparent Structure

Contemporary construction methods such as long horizontal spans and cantilevers have made possible buildings that visually appear to defy structural logic. These gravity-defying details can be very disconcerting to the eye when applied in a traditional building.

When designing, keep in mind the structural characteristics of traditional materials being employed, even if hidden structural elements are used. Wood has more tensile strength than masonry, and therefore may span further if used as a trabeation. Masonry has greater compressive strength than wood but cannot span as far, unless configured as a load-bearing arch. Therefore door and window openings are narrower. Columns should be sized appropriately for the mass and proportion of structure above them. Brick spanning an opening should be supported by a lintel or arch. Details that look like they could work structurally give a feeling of comfort and permanence to the building and neighborhood.

Texture

New traditional buildings should be designed with texture so that the complexity added by shadows becomes a part of the composition. Windows should be set in a few inches to provide depth and a feeling of substantiality. Eaves and moldings should be designed with authenticity and the shadows they cast in mind.

Creativity

It must be stated that the purpose of these guidelines is not to stifle individual creativity. Commodity, firmness and delight remain the first principles of architecture but the way of achieving these goals remain open to interpretation.

There is no substitute for an architect who can dedicate their skill and training to each individual project. However, the ultimate judge of architectural quality is the general public and their values are to be discovered in the buildings that have been preserved and protected through the generations.

⬚ figure Townhouses: Contemporary

⬚ figure Townhouses: Mission-Spanish

⬚ figure Apartment Building: Mission-Spanish

⬚ figure Mixed Use: Italianate

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

ARCHITECTURE

El Paso’s historic architecture includes buildings designed artfully with both function and beauty in mind. They showcase a variety of styles. Neoclassical, Beaux Arts, Italian Renaissance, Prairie, Craftsman, Modern, and International, with a particularly strong emphasis in Mission, Spanish Eclectic, and Pueblo Revival. In every style, adjustments have been made to adapt to the regional climate. Overhangs, recessed doorways and windows, colonnades, arcades, and a maximum provision of natural ventilation, sunlight, and views characterize El Paso’s historic structures.

Historic missions and communities, like Ysleta in Mission Valley, tend to be of an Adobe style. Downtown El Paso hosts unique historic architecture including the Union Depot built in 1905-1906 and designed by Daniel Burnham in a Neo-Classical Revival Style. One of the most prolific architects was El Paso resident Henry C. Trost (1860-1933). Trost designed over 200 buildings in El Paso, including the Abdou Building, Camino Real Hotel, the Newberry Building, the Basset Tower, the Palace Theatre, the Plaza hotel, Singer Sewing Company Building, State National Bank Building, and the recently renovated White House Building.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has its own unique architectural style depicted throughout its campus. Beginning in 1917 the school adopted a Bhutanese style of architecture. The distinct architecture unifies the campus and sets it apart from the rest of the City.

Residential architecture throughout the City is eclectic. Older residential neighborhoods close to the Downtown have buildings in a variety of styles.

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Monumental civic buildings like the Scottish Rite Temple are recognizable landmarks in El Paso.

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Multi-family housing in Downtown El Paso accommodates numerous households of differing income levels.

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The Spanish Mission style responds to climactic conditions with wide eaves and strategic use of windows to control the heating effect of the El Paso sunlight.

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Henry C. Trost’s largest concentration of buildings anywhere in the country can be found in El Paso. Trost & Trost architects was a firm of national repute at the turn of the 20th century.

Urban Design

Current Conditions

STREETS

The design of El Paso’s streets has evolved over time as the design of neighborhoods and commercial centers have changed. Streets were once multimodal, accommodating pedestrians and the streetcar as well as the automobile. Once street designs began to change to formats that only accommodated cars, automobiles became dominant and eclipsed the other modes of transportation.

In the City’s historic pre-auto neighborhoods, trees continue to improve property values and establish a sense of place. Urban street trees are planted in aligned rows, with regular spacing using consistent species. Proper, formal tree placement shapes public space, produces shade continuous enough to make walking viable, and has a calming effect on traffic. The street trees which have endured through the years are typically native species which are drought and pollution tolerant.

An essential distinction of the City’s vibrant, pedestrian-oriented districts, like the Union Plaza District, South El Paso Street, and Cincinnati Street, is that the whole public space is designed as an ensemble. Auto elements (such as travel lanes, parking, and curbs), public components (such as trees, sidewalks, and lighting), and private elements (shopfronts and buildings) are coordinated to create a unified outdoor space.

⬚ figure El Paso’s historic neighborhoods benefit from an investment in the public realm with wide planting strips, street trees, and on-street parking.

⬚ figure Many of El Paso’s post-war neighborhood streets are unfortunately designed with the sole purpose of moving traffic quickly, and feature few pedestrian amenities.

⬚ figure South El Paso Street has seen over a hundred years of changing uses yet continues to thrive by preserving the pedestrian realm.

⬚ figure Wide streets with one-story buildings and parking between the building and the street are typical of El Paso’s arterial roadways.

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

LANDSCAPE

Located in the Chihuahuan Desert, at the base of the Franklin Mountains in the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso is home to a wide variety of habitats. El Paso hosts many areas where long-maintained landscape elements define public and private spaces, provide well-shaded parks and plazas, and create aesthetic appeal, while granting environmental benefits. Increasingly, the City and its residents are using drought-tolerant landscape and porous ground coverings. Native, naturalized plants and xeriscaping are becoming more frequently installed than imported trees and plants.

Many desert plants, especially some species of cacti, are fragile and slow-growing. Once impacted by development, they may take decades to return to their former state. For this reason, neighborhoods developed without innovative site design practices to preserve existing vegetation must either make a concentrated effort to plant new trees and care for them or go indefinitely without any vegetation.

There is a tradition of stone walls in the City that utilizes locally quarried rock. Local materials and low rock walls can improve the visual appearance of the City when used in moderation. The stone walls are most appealing when they are used to define the edge of property and help to define the space between public and semi-public areas. When taller walls are needed, the low stone wall can be used as a base for a more transparent material such as wrought iron. Unfortunately, the wholesale walling off of neighborhoods with tall, solid rock walls has created unwatched streets and high walls have become the dominant visual image of the City for people traveling the along the City’s arterial roads.

⬚ figure Native, drought-resistant plants used with pervious surfaces, like local gravel, create varied landscapes.

⬚ figure Formal greens with tree cover and long views mark some of the City’s most choiceworthy public spaces.

⬚ figure Grand public lawns of sod are used effectively when they also serve as drainage facilities such as at the UTEP Biosciences Research Building.

⬚ figure Stone walls of local granite unify the built environment with the natural environment.

Urban Design

Current Conditions

PARKING Perhaps the greatest determinant of urban design in El Paso at present is the way in which parking is handled. Parking can be planned unobtrusively in parking decks lined with buildings (such as at the Oregon Transit Station), at the rear of urban blocks, or underground (such as at the Camino Real Hotel); valuable parking can also be provided on-street (the historic neighborhoods of the Rim Road, Sunset Heights and Manhattan Heights are examples).

On the other hand, parking lots located in front of buildings make modes of travel other than automobiles inconvenient, if not impossible. Walking or biking between destinations becomes dangerous and uncomfortable (as in the case of most of Mesa Street). Unlined parking garages (as is present at the Civic Center and at the Union Plaza Transit Terminal garage) create long, unwatched, and tedious environments. Excessive impervious areas like parking lots can also accelerate stormwater run off, overwhelm natural hydrological systems, and lead to flooding.

⬚ figure The Union Plaza Transit Terminal garage is an asset to the Union Plaza District because it provides plentiful parking. However its blank ground level façades have a dampening effect on other street activity.

⬚ figure Residents in historic neighborhoods rely in part on on-street parking to satisfy their parking needs.

⬚ figure Architectural detail loses much of its effect behind large parking areas.

PLAN EL PASO Current Conditions

LIGHTING, SIGNS, & UTILITIES

The location and scale of lighting, signs, and utilities in El Paso is typically a response to the uses and character of areas.

Lighting and signage in pedestrian-oriented areas and along major thoroughfares are very different in nature. At times, highway-appropriate lighting and signage occur in pedestrian environments where they should be small and focused toward pedestrians and not vehicles. Lighting, road signs, and other street furniture often interrupt sidewalks and the pedestrian realm, inhibiting pedestrian circulation. A critical component of creating a scenic corridor is control of signage along the roadway. Uncontrolled signage becomes a blighting factor and promotes a negative image which affects tourism, investment decisions, and economic development.

Lighting for major thoroughfares tend to come from large “cobra head” fixtures because of the need to light large areas brightly to increase visibility for drivers, especially at large interchanges. Lighting for pedestrians should come from smaller scaled lamps, and then fixtures do not need to be as bright. The use of lower light levels and “dark sky compliant” fixtures also helps to reduce light pollution throughout the community.

Tall signs are prevalent along major thoroughfares throughout the City. These large billboard type signs, detached from buildings, became common with strip shopping center development. They are intended to catch the eye of drivers as they zip by on busy, fast moving thoroughfares. Signs tend to be large, numerous, complex, and located away from buildings and next to roadways in order to increase the amount of time a driver can see and read the sign as they drive by with time to slow down and pull off the main thoroughfare to reach their destination.

Signs on historic buildings within the Downtown are different from the shopping center signs. Although some of them are large, they create identity and wayfinding. Some signage is incorporated into the architecture of buildings and becomes a natural part of the façade. This type of signage enhances and defines the architecture of a building.

In the older parts of the City, utilities are located within the alleys, freeing the main thoroughfares from the visual clutter of utility poles, overhead wires, mechanical equipment, and utility boxes. The newer suburbs and more rural parts of the City do not have alleys and so utilities are located within the public streets, often within the limited pedestrian zones. At the building level utilities are often located facing streets or on roofs with no screening, to the detriment of the community.

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Large monument billboard signs detached from structures are visible to cars along the highway.

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Signage that is incorporated into the architecture of the building helps to enhance the character of the Downtown.

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Simple vertical lettering above a marquee is visible to both pedestrians and vehicles.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

El Paso is diverse and the urban design concerns and strategies for each area of the City differ depending on the current form of development, varying types of development pressures, and physical characteristics. Although some community concerns are universal, specific concerns for each sector of the City (Central, Westside, Northeast, Eastside, and Mission Valley) have been addressed in following sections. This section focuses on the overall community’s concerns followed by strategies for addressing them.

Within each main sector, there is a focus on redevelopment opportunities and strategies for reimagining the existing environments into viable, flexible, development patterns that meet many of the City’s overall development goals.

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Areas of the City

Respond to Context The City of El Paso has three distinct geographic areas that should each be approached with different strategies: the desert, the mountains, and the valley.

The desert areas of the City are areas where a majority of growth has taken place and can be subdivided into West, Northeast, and East. Further development in these areas should concentrate on enhancing, connecting, and retrofitting existing urban areas with sustainable development in an ecologically responsible manner.

The mountains are an important natural resource that should be protected. The most significant natural areas are protected by Franklin Mountain State Park. Beyond the protected areas, there is a significant amount of development that has taken place at the foot of the Franklin Mountains. Further development in these areas should respect the natural topography of the land and protect the arroyos. These natural features serve as invaluable natural drainage features and natural wildlife corridors while achieving the goal of a more livable and sustainable city.

The valley contains the only productive irrigated farm land in the region, and as such is a unique and important resource for the City that should be preserved. Irrigation ditch corridors are also used for recreation by hikers and horse owners. The area affords the City a unique rural environment that many residents value. Any development in this area should preserve farmland areas and the rural character that surrounds them.

PLAN EL PASO Community Concerns

Recent Development Does Not Resemble Favorite Places

The L&J Cafe on Missouri Avenue receives the highest reviews from residents from all over El Paso for many reasons, but one is that it is a restaurant with an authentic neighborhood feel. The historic structure was built to fit within the neighborhood. It is not surrounded by a field of parking. It is, instead, right up to the street, and the building’s parking is along the street. The signage is small pedestrian-scale, and the building’s architecture is authentically from El Paso. No new restaurants have the charm of L&J Cafe, though its formula for success – its design – is entirely replicable.

Each generation in El Paso inherits the legacy and responsibility handed down from predecessors such as Anson Mills, Henry C. Trost, and Daniel Burnham. El Paso residents are charged with managing change so that ecology, economy, and culture are sustained and advanced. The keys to this are straightforward: first, to adhere to the lessons in reliable precedents, and second, to treat each planning decision as an important part in a cumulative chain of events.

El Paso’s community character is not the result of piecemeal development; El Paso’s character is found in its compact, connected historic neighborhoods, rural valley preservation, and Downtown. El Paso could improve its quality of life and gradually construct an enhanced human habitat by growing more complete neighborhoods – if growth and reinvestment can be channeled into positive physical forms, and each new debate about growth is approached with a problem-solving attitude.

To meet this challenge, El Paso must strive to restore its existing urban centers and neighborhoods, reconfigure sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, conserve natural environments, and preserve El Paso’s built legacy.

Place Buildings by the Street; Place Parking in the Rear & On-street

Parking should be located on-street and behind buildings in mid-block parking lots or parking garages that are lined with buildings instead of in fields of parking in front of buildings. This will allow buildings to be street-oriented and enhance the public space of the street by making it accessible to multiple modes of transportation, such as pedestrians and bicyclists in addition to vehicular traffic.

More Useful Public Spaces

During the charrette process, community members expressed the desire for a “greener” El Paso. Participants stressed the need for more street trees, useful park spaces, and connections between parks. As a result, in this plan importance has been placed on balancing infill development and redevelopment with restoring and protecting open space. San Jacinto Plaza is a model of a “Law of the Indies” urban park that serves the entire community. It contains public art, connectivity through the park, shade trees, seating for people, and a pavilion for concerts. Most new subdivisions contain public park acreage due to City regulations, but these spaces are often devoid of activity due to a lack of programming, shade of any kind, and access. The lack of in-depth planning for neighborhood parks leaves them underutilized and often buildings literally turn their backs on them. Although large open lawns in parks can be useful for playing pick-up sports games, residents want more activities in their parks, even if the end result is a smaller park. Residents also desire playgrounds shaded by canvas while shade trees are established and have time to grow. They also want their parks connected to a larger system of City parks with walking and biking trails.

Access to larger urban parks is preserved in El Paso through parks like Arroyo Park and the Franklin Mountains State Park. Other opportunities for large urban parks, similar to Arroyo Park, should be explored in each part of the City.

Prioritize Streets for Walkability

Corridors such as Mesa Street and Alameda Avenue are being converted into transit spines as part of the El Paso Rapid Transit System (RTS) Plans. These corridors (especially Mesa Street and Alameda Avenue) and the areas around transfer stations and bus stops should become prioritized streets for walkability. All transit users begin and end their journeys as pedestrians. Prioritizing streets for walkability enlivens the areas around transit and bus stops to attract more users and to help businesses close to stations thrive. Creating higher quality pedestrian environments makes transit options more effective. Transfer stations should be integrated within a surrounding city-style form of mixed-use centers. This will attract users for transit services.

The paths along streets to the transfer stations or bus stops should be direct and pleasant. They should be of the highest pedestrian quality and not pass across or by exposed parking lots, blank walls or other dead zones that are unpleasant to pedestrians.

Prioritizing for walkability along the transit corridors will attract more pedestrians along the route and also make a more pleasant environment to drive and ride through. A street tree campaign should be started to increase the planting of street trees.

New Neighborhoods Discourage Homebuying El Pasoans expressed that new neighborhoods in East, West and Northwest El Paso were not inviting or attractive. This sentiment was expressed especially by young people, currently renting apartments, who said that they could not muster enough enthusiasm for purchasing in the new neighborhoods. El Pasoans state that the historic neighborhoods tended to be out of the price range of first-home buyers. New subdivisions routinely present a wall to major streets and look uninviting. Subdivision life was described as "dull" and "boring." New architecture displays a mismatch of styles, and lack a proportional logic. Charrette participants said that the development community "should plant more trees," "should hire architects," and make the subdivisions look "less cookie-cutter."

More Walkable, Mixed-use Neighborhoods Every new neighborhood in El Paso should incorporate some level of mixed-uses and be designed with pedestrians and cyclists in mind. Having living, working, shopping, educational, and recreational opportunities in close proximity (within walking or biking distances) is an advantage of growing importance as cities mature. Specialized developers can form joint-ventures in order to achieve a mixed-use community without having to alter their business models significantly.

In addition to a mix of uses, neighborhoods should strive to have a diversity of housing types to limit the monoculture of suburban housing. This will help to create affordable housing throughout the City without creating large concentrations of any one type of housing. A diversity of housing also allows a variety of people in different stages of their lives to live harmoniously together, generating a more stable, active community.

STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS Appropriate Signage and Lighting Signage and lighting should be selected based on its appropriateness to its context. Highway auto-oriented lighting is appropriate along major thoroughfares, but should not be used in neighborhoods or urban, pedestrian contexts. Pedestrian-scaled lighting used in pedestrian-oriented environments provides enough light for pedestrians and motorists while not overly flooding the night sky with unnecessary harsh lighting. Pedestrian-scaled lighting is typically characterized by shorter light poles (less than 15' tall posts), lower levels of illumination, and shorter spacing between lamp posts. Dark sky compliant lighting fixtures can also help reduce light pollution throughout the city. Although lower levels of light are typical in pedestrian areas, adequate pedestrian lighting at intersections, mid-block crossings, and transit stops are essential for pedestrian safety.

Signage should also be context sensitive. Signage along highways and strictly auto-oriented corridors tends to be oversized and detached from buildings (because buildings are not street-oriented, but sit behind fields of parking). This is so that speeding cars have enough time to see signage and are able to slow down and turn as they approach a desired business. Conversely, in more pedestrian-oriented environments, all modes of mobility move slower. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists are all moving at slower speeds. This allows for signage to be smaller and scaled more toward the pedestrian. Even slow moving cars have the ability to see signage and slow down to turn at the next intersection to loop back to a business or access parking in mid-block locations.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) and Urban Design:

The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system was created to provide an objective system for evaluating neighborhood-scale “smart growth,” “livability,” and “green development” given the many varying interpretations of these terms. LEED certification was originally used to evaluate single architectural projects but was expanded to include neighborhood development. LEED-ND was created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

LEED-ND criteria encourage healthy living, reduce urban sprawl, and protect the environment. Each illustrative plan within this Comprehensive Plan was designed to meet LEED-ND criteria; however, full certification is not possible until the project is constructed. LEED has four levels of certification: Certified, Gold, and Platinum. Certification is based on three categories for evaluating development: Smart Location and Linkage, Neighborhood Pattern and Design, and Green Construction and Design.

While it may be tempting to simply require all new development in El Paso to be LEED-ND Certified to insure the highest level of performance, this is often not realistic given physical, economic, institutional, and political challenges. LEED-ND can continue to provide an objective guideline. However, the most relevant principles from the system have been translated into Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies, with many tailored to the particular challenges and aspirations of El Paso.

CENTRAL: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

A large portion of the central sector of El Paso consists of the Downtown. Specific strategies for addressing the Downtown core have been addressed in previous plans and studies such as the 2006 Downtown Redevelopment Plan and Plan El Paso 2010: Connecting El Paso – Building Transit-Oriented Neighborhoods and Redeveloping ASARCO, as well as the Downtown Element of this Comprehensive Plan. Because Downtown is covered in detail elsewhere in the Comprehensive Plan, and in corresponding plans, this section on urban design in the Central sector addresses the area outside of the Downtown core.

Segundo Barrio is Not Downtown Segundo Barrio is a neighborhood adjacent to Downtown in the same way as Sunset Heights. As such, the strategies for addressing this historic community should be different from strategies for the Downtown. As investment and revitalization of the Downtown occurs, the large-scale development of the Downtown need not bleed over into Segundo Barrio. Preservation and infill should be the focus of strategies for the neighborhood in order to enhance the community, without pricing the present inhabitants out of the market.

Enhance Mesa Street and the Entertainment District Mesa Street from the Downtown area to Glory Road is a bustling collection of restaurants and small businesses, culminating in one of El Paso’s two “entertainment districts” at Cincinnati Avenue. The community desires for this stretch of road to behave as a multimodal street and become more than just a throughway to the Westside of the City. This area, adjacent to UTEP and running parallel to the improved Oregon Corridor RTS line, is utilized by many students and others that arrive by transit, bike, or on foot. In order to help the corridor thrive and make it easier for people to access businesses, the streets should be enhanced with wider sidewalks, bike facilities, on street parking, and street trees to allow accommodations for all modes of travel.

Small surface parking lots currently line Mesa Street between the right-of-way and businesses, creating numerous curb cuts and separating businesses from one another. The new Glory Road Transfer Station at the end of the Oregon Corridor provides additional parking at the end of Cincinnati Avenue, which should offset the need for some of this surface parking.

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Illustrative Plans

1. Strategies for addressing the redevelopment of City Hall, Union Plaza District improvements, Convention Center, and San Jacinto Plaza area are addressed in the Downtown Element of Plan El Paso.
2. Segundo Barrio: Preservation of the existing historic neighborhood and addition of new open space.
3. Railyards “Central Park”: If the storage railyards are relocated, a large inner part of the City can be redeveloped to create more useful park spaces and reconnect parts of the City.
4. Mesa Street: Re-balancing of the street for multiple modes of transportation along a walkable corridor.
5. Cincinnati Avenue: Creation of a pedestrian-oriented area to strengthen the entertainment district restaurants and businesses by enhancing the existing sense of place and encouraging walking.
6. Alameda Avenue – Piedras Street to Patriot Freeway: Prioritizing Alameda Avenue as a walkable corridor and reinvigorating the historic commercial street.
7. Strategies for addressing the Medical Center of the Americas area are addressed in the Health Element of Plan El Paso.
8. Alameda Avenue – Glenwood Street to El Paso Drive: Filling in the gaps to create walkable neighborhood fabric.
9. Bassett Place Mall: Redevelopment of a shopping mall into a mixed-use center.
10. Airport: Sample design for a new hotel and entertainment area for visitors by the airport.
11. Strategies for addressing the Oregon corridor and Five Points area are addressed in the Plan El Paso 2010: Connecting El Paso - Building Transit-Oriented Neighborhoods and Redeveloping ASARCO report.

CENTRAL: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

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Illustrative plans for several key planning areas demonstrate important community design and planning strategies for the Central area of El Paso.

PLAN EL PASO Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SEGUNDO BARRIO

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General Recommendations

Urban Design Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SEGUNDO BARRIO

Strategic Infill Existing lots within the Segundo Barrio are relatively small, and any infill should occur on existing lots in a similar scale to the surrounding neighborhoods. New homes should utilize traditional strategies for energy consumption such as passive cooling and heating. Multi-family buildings can be arranged in courtyard type buildings with doors and windows facing public rights-of-way in order to provide eyes on the street. The most important aspect of any infill or revitalization in this historic part of town is that the existing residents are able to stay and not become priced out or forced out of their community.

Neighborhood Green Space Traditional greens can be inserted into the neighborhood in locations where entire blocks become vacant. These greens can become community gathering spaces for festivals.

⬚ figure Vacant parcels in Segundo Barrio can be assets to the community.

⬚ figure Segundo Barrio can be infilled with community gardens and new multi-family buildings, adding to the vitality of the neighborhood.

PLAN EL PASO Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

RAILYARDS “CENTRAL PARK”

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El Paso residents have expressed a desire for a grand public open space that can serve as a central park for the City. One possible site for such a space is the underutilized, centrally located railroad yards just south of I-10 between Campbell Street and Cotton Street. The railroad functions on this site have been reducing in size for years, and may move to another location entirely. If the railyards relocate, over eighty well-located acres could become available for use as a grand new central park for the City, plus development sites to provide the urban fabric and economic benefit to make it feasible.

Space for a Wide Variety of Park Uses The Central Park, as envisioned, is large enough to contain a variety of functions. There is space for open informal play fields, sites for pavilions and gardens, active recreation play fields, and a pond for paddle boats. The park can be configured to include sites for grand focal civic structures as well. Over time, as the City finds the need for new museums or performance spaces, they can be placed here. If well-designed, views of these focal structures can become signature postcard views for the City.

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Existing railyards south of I-10

Strong Built Park Edges Care must be taken in the layout of the park to include sites around all edges for the infill of cohesive urban fabric. New buildings around the edges of the park will benefit greatly from their close proximity to the park. They must in turn provide the best possible edges for the park by facing it with high quality façades featuring front doors and windows facing the park. Streets around the edges of the park, lined with trees and fronted by beautiful buildings, will be wonderful places to stroll.

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A grand new Central Park for El Paso

RAILYARDS "CENTRAL PARK"

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General Recommendations

Ⓐ Main Street is extended into the park, terminating on a site for a new signature civic building.

Ⓑ Streets are extended providing access to all areas within the park.

Ⓒ Streets crossing the park align with those north of I-10 to facilitate possible future connections across or under the interstate.

Ⓓ Sites for new buildings providing eyes on the public space are reserved around all sides of the park.

Ⓔ Parking lots are located behind buildings and screened from view from public streets and spaces.

The park is large enough to accommodate a variety of spaces including:

Ⓕ Open flexible play fields,

Ⓖ Civic pavilions with gardens,

Ⓗ A paddle boat pond,

Ⓘ A desert garden, and

Ⓙ A variety of active play facilities accommodating sports such as: soccer, baseball, tennis, and basketball.

Ⓚ Development should be in the form of dense, street-oriented buildings of sufficient intensity to support transit service and produce income to endow the longterm maintenance of the park.

PLAN EL PASO

Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

MESA STREET NEAR UTEP

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General Recommendations

Ⓐ New, street-oriented buildings should embrace the sidewalk and face the street with windows and doors.

Ⓑ On-street parking should be used to provide a transition between moving vehicles and pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Ⓒ Parking lots should be located mid-block.

Ⓓ Stanton Street should be faced by new buildings which are appropriate in scale to the existing neighborhood fabric, helping to smooth the transition to the neighborhood.

Ⓔ Where possible, new street connections should be explored to increase connectivity and subdivide oversized blocks.

Mesa Street near UTEP – Existing Conditions Mesa Street serves as both a primary corridor leading into Downtown El Paso, as well as the main street within one of the City’s nighttime entertainment districts. Many of the City’s fine restaurants and nightlife destinations reside on Mesa Street. Current conditions have unfortunately been designed with a focus solely on facilitating automobile travel. Little attention is currently paid to sidewalks, curb-cut locations, or any other items which contribute to the pedestrian experience. The lack of pedestrian facilities hampers short trips on foot to businesses from the surrounding community, often only a block (or less) away. While the posted speed limit is 35 mph, the majority of cars currently travel down Mesa Street at speeds between 40 and 50 mph - well above the safe range for pedestrian activity.

Mesa Street near UTEP – Proposed Improvements In order to improve the experience along Mesa Street, the City should employ a step-by-step approach to improvements. Adjusting travel lane dimensions, widening sidewalks, and encouraging street-oriented buildings will, over time, improve the behavior of drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Many of the existing buildings on Mesa Street house successful commercial operations. A phased approach to changes will allow the current uses and businesses to remain, while gradually enhancing and optimizing the streetspace, setting the stage for redevelopment in appropriate locations.

Urban Design

Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

MESA STREET NEAR UTEP

Mesa Street functions in many ways like El Paso’s “Main Street” offering the greatest variety of shopping, dining and services of any of the City’s corridors. The street’s design, however, is not in keeping with its role. Mesa’s prominence in the transportation network should be reflected through memorable, dignified street design that lends a positive impression of the City.

Streets of both character and capacity achieve a more pleasant pedestrian experience, lure more businesses, and increase economic vitality. Additional housing options increase the numbers of residents and visitors in the area who can access these amenities by foot.

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Existing conditions

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STEP 1: Mesa Street is converted to a multiway boulevard. Street trees, a central median, slip lanes, bike lanes, and parallel parking are added, and bus stops are incorporated along the outer medians. Paved sidewalks and dignified lighting replace gravel landscaping along the edge of parking lots.

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STEP 2: A canopy of street trees enhances the quality of the streetscape and provides shade to passers-by. Infill development replaces parking lots, and pedestrian interest is held with pedestrian-scaled façades, storefronts and signage. Additional infill is constructed on the northern side of Mesa Street, and the corridor begins to feel like a unified whole. Pedestrian safety is bolstered by a combination of design elements. Parallel parking provides convenient access to businesses. Street-oriented architecture, with doors, windows, and balconies that face the street, creates a natural sense of surveillance.

PLAN EL PASO Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

MESA STREET NEAR UTEP

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Mesa Street - Existing Conditions

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Mesa Street - Existing Street Section

Mesa Street – Existing Conditions

Despite being one of the City’s key entertainment districts, Mesa Street’s current physical configuration lacks spatial definition and fails to enable a sense of place that fosters walkability or active street life. The wide travel lanes, continuous turn lanes, and lack of visual friction encourage vehicle speeds above the posted speed limit of 35 mph. Buildings are typically set far from the street, behind parking lots. Many of the adjacent strip shopping centers have frequent or continuous curb cuts which result in discontinuous sidewalks, inhibiting pedestrian safety and comfort. The configuration of signage is optimized for visibility by fast moving motorists, not pedestrians.

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Mesa Street - Step 1 Visualization

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Mesa Street - Step 1 Street Section

Mesa Street – Step 1

In Step 1, on-street parking should be implemented on one side of the street, adjacent to the existing sidewalk. No private redevelopment is necessary to implement this improvement; it is accomplished simply by adjusting travel lane dimensions within the roadway from twelve feet to ten feet. The on-street parking should occur on the west side of Mesa Street for three blocks between Glory Road and Boston Avenue and on the east side of Mesa Street between Boston Avenue and University Avenue. This first stage of changes to the roadway will begin to slow down drivers due to the slight decreases in lane size and incorporation of on-street parking. Including on-street parking in the street’s design will help to increase safety along the sidewalk and begin to effect drivers’ behavior. This parking will be vital for future street-oriented buildings. In addition, “sharrow” symbols should be painted on the outside travel lanes to indicate to drivers that the street is meant to be shared with cyclists.

MESA STREET NEAR UTEP

⬚ figure Mesa Street - Step 2 Visualization

⬚ figure Mesa Street - Step 2 Street Section

Mesa Street – Step 2

Building upon the foundation established in the first phase of improvements, future redevelopment along Mesa Street should include additional adjustments to the lane width dimensions. In Step 2, the curb location will shift by approximately eight feet to allow for on-street parking on the opposite side of the street of the parking provided as part of step 1. New buildings will enjoy an address on a wide sidewalk which is protected by the on-street parking spaces. Street trees and pedestrian scaled lighting should also added along the street edge to shade and light the pedestrian realm. New development should be required to have buildings located close to the thoroughfare with off-street parking positioned behind the building and away from the sidewalk. The buildings should be street-oriented, featuring doors and windows which face and address the public realm.

⬚ figure Mesa Street - Step 3 Visualization

⬚ figure Mesa Street - Step 3 Street Section

Mesa Street – Step 3

As additional redevelopment opportunities become available, new buildings should follow the pattern established in previous steps. Positioning buildings at the back of wide sidewalks on both sides of the street will change the spatial composition of Mesa Street. The effect will be a more intimate and comfortable street which encourages slower vehicle speeds and increases pedestrian and cyclist activity. The visual friction created by the new building placement, street trees, and on-street parking will help to civilize driving behavior and make Mesa Street more comfortable for pedestrians and cyclists.

An alternative design for Mesa’s Street’s new wide sidewalks can incorporate a cycle-track which provides a safe, off-street location for cyclists. Cycle-tracks are widely used in Europe and throughout the United States in places like Madison, WI and New York, NY and are often part of a large-scale connected bicycle network.

⬚ figure Mesa Street - Step 3 Cycle-track option

CINCINNATI AVENUE

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General Recommendations

Cincinnati Avenue – Existing Conditions The heart of El Paso’s Cincinnati Avenue entertainment district, on the edge of the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) campus, is home to several of the City’s most vibrant restaurants and shops. Cincinnati Avenue also offers a direct connection to the City’s Rapid Transit System (RTS) at the Glory Road Transfer Station at the end of the street. Despite these great ingredients for walkability, the design of Cincinnati Avenue is not yet optimally conducive to pedestrian activity. Narrow sidewalks, auto-oriented street dimensions and buildings set far apart behind parking lots currently make walking and biking uncomfortable - even dangerous.

Cincinnati Avenue – Proposed Conditions In order to solidify Cincinnati Avenue as a premier walkable destination, it is imperative to provide streetscape improvements that will place a renewed emphasis on the public realm. In place of surface parking lots which currently abut sidewalks, new street-oriented liner buildings (narrow buildings placed between the pedestrian realm and parking areas) should be added over time help to provide spatial enclosure and “eyes on the street.” New paving patterns should be used to help transform the street into a plaza shared by vehicles and pedestrians. A change in pavement color and texture, paired with more intimate street proportions, will alert drivers to the presence of pedestrians. Arcades and colonnades over sidewalks can be used to reinforce walkability while addressing the demands of El Paso’s climate.

Urban Design Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

CINCINNATI AVENUE

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Existing Conditions With the implementation of a new Rapid Transit System (RTS) stop nearby along the Oregon Corridor, Cincinnati Avenue will become the main connection between the RTS and the entertainment district. It is also home to a newly built parking garage which serves both the district, UTEP, and the RTS. Unfortunately, the current conditions on Cincinnati Avenue include uncomfortably narrow sidewalks which are faced by blank walls, angled parking, and parking lots.

Incremental Improvements Improvements over time for Cincinnati Avenue should include modifications to existing buildings and adjustments to street design elements that will serve to enhance the pedestrian experience and street activity. The inclusion of pavers or a textured paving pattern is a signal to vehicles that this is a pedestrian-dominant area within the city, and will encourage slower speeds and increased awareness. Street-oriented buildings should front the sidewalks with doors and windows to help provide a comfortable place for pedestrians to walk. Colonnades, arcades, and balconies should reach across the sidewalks and provide shade and shelter for a more comfortable pedestrian experience. New street-oriented building fabric will provide additional opportunities for retailing and dining in this high pedestrian traffic area.

Proposed Improvements at Dusk The Cincinnati Street entertainment district comes to life especially during the evenings when residents and UTEP students congregate to eat and drink. Lighting from within restaurants and bars as well as from signage, street lamps and other light fixtures should continue to increase, as a signal to everyone that they are in a special, vibrant place and to be more aware of pedestrians and cyclists.

⬚ figure Existing Conditions

⬚ figure Proposed Improvements

⬚ figure Proposed Improvements at Dusk

ALAMEDA AVENUE - PIEDRAS STREET TO PATRIOT FREEWAY

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Alameda Avenue, also known as Texas Highway 20, begins at Texas Avenue and runs southeast to the City’s limit and into the County. A variety of cafes and restaurants, stores, and services are located along Alameda Avenue, to the west of Patriot Freeway, and make this avenue a vital commercial corridor. Protection and enhancement should be a focus for this area given the fine-grained integration of commercial life on the corridor and residential life in the neighborhoods. The area also features many historic buildings and high quality street-oriented building fabric.

As Alameda Avenue continues east of Patriot Freeway it currently begins to fray. The buildings, sidewalks, and streets are in need of repair. Uses along the corridor often do not cater to nearby residences. Underutilized lots and used car dealers dominate the streetscape. The traffic that once traveled Alameda Avenue now travels I-10 and this shift caused much of the disinvestment along the corridor.

Alameda Avenue still accommodates many motorists and has a built-in customer base in the surrounding neighborhoods. With careful enhancement and revitalization, this area is poised for a more prosperous future.

Urban Design Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ALAMEDA AVENUE - PIEDRAS STREET TO PATRIOT FREEWAY

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General Recommendations

Ⓐ The City’s planned RTS system has the potential to support compact centers of reinvestment and redevelopment at select areas along the route, especially within a short, five-minute walk of the stations. Emphasis should be placed on repair of the street fabric with new infill buildings.

Ⓑ The many children that walk to neighborhood schools should be accommodated by safe streets with ample sidewalks and slow speeds on and off Alameda Avenue.

Ⓒ Opportunities for constructing small greens or plazas on abandoned and underutilized lots should be sought near neighborhood centers, to distinguish the heart of the community from other areas along the linear corridor.

Ⓓ The term “alameda” means “public walk shaded with trees” and Alameda Avenue once had a continuous canopy of trees. Regularly spaced street trees should be restored to the median and both sides of the street along Alameda Avenue. The planting strips throughout the neighborhoods should also be used for replanting trees.

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Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ALAMEDA AVENUE - GLENWOOD STREET TO EL PASO DRIVE

In its current state, Alameda Avenue from Glenwood Street to El Paso Drive is highly auto-oriented. It is two lanes in each direction with an often interrupted, unplanned median. Used car lots, auto repair shops, and junkyards are the primary uses along the street. Buildings are set back from the right-of-way with numerous curb cuts and parking dominates the front portions of the lots.

Create a Mixed-Use Environment

As redevelopment opportunities occur, a balance of new buildings and open spaces should be sought. A greater mix of uses should also be pursued to allow for daily functions to be accomplished within a short five-minute walk of residences. This will additionally help to attract pedestrians to the avenue and create an active and walkable street. There is a stronger sense of security with increased pedestrian traffic, window shoppers, outdoor diners, and cyclists.

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ALAMEDA AVENUE - GLENWOOD STREET TO EL PASO DRIVE

Balanced Street Section

Alameda Avenue should, over time, be converted into a more pedestrian-friendly, less auto-dominant environment. Adjusting the physical design of the street is the first step in the transformation of Alameda Avenue. One of Sun Metro’s new Rapid Transit System (RTS) routes runs along Alameda Avenue. The proposed street design, illustrated below, includes a dedicated bus lane in each direction allowing buses to move faster than the surrounding traffic. Travel lanes should be reduced to one in each direction, with a parallel parking lane on both sides of the street. Sidewalks should be widened.

Addition of a new roundabout at the intersection of Alameda Avenue and El Paso Drive should be studied. By replacing the existing traffic signal with a roundabout, vehicular and pedestrian movement capacity through the intersection will likely improve. A roundabout is also a potentially safer alternative for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.

Many of the streets in the neighborhoods to the south of Alameda Avenue terminate at an irrigation/drainage canal. Several of the streets should potentially bridge over the drainage canal to link the residents of these neighborhoods to Alameda Avenue. These additional connections to Alameda Avenue would help to improve the overall circulation in the area.

Building Placement & Use

Buildings that are set back away from the right-of-way are generally less conducive to creating walkable environments. Buildings should generally be placed close to front property lines. Priority should be placed on increasing the number of mixed-use buildings along the Alameda Avenue corridor. In addition to bringing the buildings up toward the right-of-way, street trees should be added to help to reduce the perceived width of the street. Where feasible, parking should be located at the rear of lots and accessed from an alley. In many cases, an alley can be added incrementally as properties along Alameda Avenue redevelop, to provide for rear parking access. Moving parking to the rear of lots and active uses to the front of lots will help to form streets that comfortably facilitate multiple modes of travel including transit, cycling, walking, and auto.

Promote Neighborhood Gathering Spaces

One of the elements lacking within the residential areas along the Alameda Avenue corridor is green spaces where local residents can gather. It is important to create neighborhood gathering spaces to reinforce a sense of community. The plan below shows two examples of such spaces, located where pedestrian sheds meet between neighborhoods and at the RTS stop for this stretch of Alameda Avenue. These spaces could be further activated with neighborhood-serving uses such as a super market where people shop for groceries before heading home or getting on the bus.

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Detail of the proposed street section for Alameda Avenue and the intersection with El Paso Drive.

PLAN EL PASO

Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

BASSETT PLACE MALL

Bassett Place Mall is located at the junction where the Eastside, Northeast, and Mission Valley portions of the City meet. The area is hemmed in by I-10 to the south, Fort Bliss to the north, and is surrounded by large amounts of commercial development and surface parking lots making the area a prime infill and redevelopment opportunity with high visibility along I-10. Because the site is almost completely impervious to water, additional infiltration and green spaces can improve the environmental performance of the area even while rebuilding the site in a dense, mixed-use format. Public open space can be created in the form of new streets and town squares that will reduce block size and therefore increase ease of access for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

Montana Avenue, the First Wave of Improvement

Montana Avenue is one of the few roads that connects the far east side of El Paso back to the central portion of the City. The roads linkage to all parts of the City is one of the reasons it was selected as one of the RTS corridors and should benefit from the first improvements, including wider sidewalks, crosswalks, human-scaled lighting, accommodations for transit vehicles, and street trees in some locations.

The Invisible Network of Support

Alleys and secondary streets are important for many reasons. First, they enable trash pick-up, parking, and other building services such as loading and unloading to occur away from the view of the street and the walking environment. Second, they may relieve traffic pressure upon Montana Avenue. Currently, some adjacent parking lots lack connections between one another, so drivers must return to Montana Avenue rather than move from one lot to another. This can be remedied by first connecting parking lots, and then by creating a network of alleys, secondary streets, and drive aisles that can be thought of as a commonly shared circulation system.

Plan for Diversity

Currently, this section of Montana Avenue seems to offer only auto-oriented retail. Retail diversity can be increased by introducing smaller footprint buildings, pedestrian-friendly buildings that are visitable by customers arriving by car and by foot, and by reducing building setbacks. Reducing setbacks will allow signs to shrink, as they are meant not to catch the attention of a driver moving at high speeds, but rather the attention of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers moving at lower speeds.

Creating a Street-Oriented Gas Station Along Arterials

A typical gas station has a small service store at the rear of the lot with gas pumps open toward the arterial streets. The typical gas station configuration leaves the corner at intersections open and contains wide curb cuts, often extending the length of the lot. This area contains all auto oriented development which makes the sense of space and quality of street life non-existent. The same ease of use of a gas station can be accomplished without the detriment to the public realm by placing the service store at the corner of the lot while having the gas pumps at the rear of the lot. Curb cuts can be reduced, but access to the service station is similar to the typical configuration.

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Existing Conditions: Existing suburban commercial development includes a typical gas station at the intersection of two arterial roads.

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A "gas-backwards" flips the conventional layout of a gas station by placing the convenience store at the corner and the gas pumps in the rear.

BASSETT PLACE MALL

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General Recommendations

(A) The intersection of Paisano Drive and Montana Avenue should be reconfigured as a two-lane roundabout.

(B) Montana Avenue should be configured with wider sidewalks, crosswalks, bus shelters, and street trees.

(C) The intersection of Geronimo Drive and Montana Avenue should have a bus shelter and be defined by multi-story buildings.

(D) The superblock of the Bassett Place Mall can be divided into smaller blocks to create new addresses for development and increase permeability and walkability.

(E) Shared parking analyses, on-street parking on side streets, and strategically placed parking structures can reduce the amount of surface parking lots. Parking structures, surface lots, and any blank walls should be lined with buildings containing habitable space.

(F) Once alleys are introduced, curb cuts on Montana Avenue can be reduced and parking and trash pick up can be moved to the rear of lots.

(G) Introducing urban, residential building types, such as rowhouses, flats, and live-work units, enables more people to live within walking distance of transit stops and commercial space, thereby reducing automobile dependence and encouraging physical activity.

(H) A landscaped buffer and access lane allows for a better presentation of development along I-10.

(I) New gathering spaces can serve as recreational fields, passive parks, or even as performance venues.

(J) Rather than turn their backs to the street or sit behind large surface parking lots, buildings should draw close to the avenue, shaping the street space and providing shade for pedestrians.

PLAN EL PASO

Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

BASSETT PLACE MALL

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The following sequence illustrates the potential for an incremental transformation over time of Bassett Place Mall. Near term projects would include public investments in infrastructure to encourage long term investments on private property.

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Existing Conditions: Bassett Place Mall is visible from I-10. The enclosed mall is surrounded by acres of parking. Parcels along Montana Avenue are developed in an auto-oriented manner.

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Step 1: Crosswalks, bus shelters, and a designated transit lane begin to make Montana Avenue more hospitable to the RTS and its riders. A corner gas station can be reconfigured as a "gas backwards," as illustrated previously on page 2.34.

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Step 2: Infill and redevelopment build out the street wall along Montana Avenue. Along with the redevelopment opportunities on the other three corners, a focal building at the bus stop begins to create the a complete sense of place by placing street-oriented development on all sides of the intersection.

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Step 3: Streets and public spaces are created on the mall site. Buildings fill in around the parking deck and portions of the mall are removed to create mixed-use buildings. Anchor stores may be kept and built around as mid-block areas. Topographical changes allow for a deck of parking to be built without the need for ramps. The new development helps shape a public square, creating an outdoor room.

BASSETT PLACE MALL

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Step 4: A lined parking structure provides additional parking.

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Step 5: Reserved building parcels are developed.

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Step 6: Long-term improvements would include liner buildings with habitable space that surround large footprint buildings and garages. Rooftops of large-footprint anchor stores and garages can be ideal sites for harvesting solar energy, moving this district towards a future of reduced reliance upon the electrical grid. Surface parking lots may be replaced with parking structures as real estate values and land-scarcity justify such an upgrade.

PLAN EL PASO Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

RECONFIGURING OUTPARCELS

As illustrated at the Bassett Place Mall, the commercial strip can be retrofitted throughout the City while existing auto-oriented businesses remain in use. The following is a typical example of developing street-oriented buildings while auto-dependent, drive-thru buildings potentially remain open if desired.

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Existing Conditions: Currently, there are too few crosswalks between Bassett Place Mall and the opposite side of the street. The sidewalks are discontinuous due to the number of curb cuts and rather than forming a street wall, buildings poke out of parking lots.

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Step 1: The main arterial is reconfigured; the outermost lanes re-striped to accommodate buses. On-street parking is added, sidewalks are made more continuous, and crosswalks are added. Parking lots are reconfigured to allow for building pads at the fronts of the lots, while the rear portions of the lots are planted with shade trees; drive-thrus remain.

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Step 2: Infill buildings provide a continuous street wall along Montana Avenue and colonnades shade the sidewalk. Driveways and intersecting streets should have speed tables to make the sidewalk appear continuous. Roof terraces can have private outdoor space for offices or apartments and photovoltaic panels on the roof can reduce reliance on the electrical grid.

Urban Design

Central: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

AIRPORT

The area outside of the airport has been populated with multiple hotels. This area can become better organized so that instead of a few hotels sprinkled between parking lots, it can become a destination in itself that has activities for visitors and residents alike.

The RTS transportation system will connect to the airport making it possible to visit much of El Paso without renting a car.

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WESTSIDE: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Preserve The Views of the Franklin Mountains One of El Paso’s greatest natural features is the tip of the Franklin Mountains extending into the City. The Franklin Mountains provide El Paso with access to large amounts of scenic open space, hiking trails, mountain biking, and picturesque drives just a short distance from large portions of the El Paso community.

Transmountain Road, one of the few east-west connections between the Westside and northeast portions of the City, is currently largely undeveloped and offers a scenic entrance to the Franklin Mountains. Residents do not want the unspoiled mountain views replaced with forgettable, highway-style suburban commercial development dominated by large, low-slung buildings randomly scattered amidst parking lots. Development that occurs should be controlled so as to limit detraction from views of the Franklin Mountains.

Preserve The Valley El Paso is surrounded not only by desert, but also by a diversity of farmland located in the valley around the Rio Grande. The upper valley has its own unique identity within El Paso which should be respected. The farmland, horse trails, and rural community character should be preserved. As development pressure increases in the valley over time, a simple “no growth” scenario is not likely to be practical. Growth will likely eventually come to the valley, and as such it should be planned for. One solution that allows for growth but still preserves the character and working landscape of the valley is to incentivize clustered developments. Clustering is the locating of housing at a higher density on just a part of a site, thereby preserving open space and working landscapes on the remainder of the site.

If housing is not allowed to cluster, and large lot zoning (such as 2.5 units per acre) is permitted, this will likely result in the subdivision of entire sites into private individual lots, leaving no meaningful open space or landscape being preserved. The unfortunate result would be the creation of suburban subdivisions similar to those constructed in recent decades throughout El Paso, and a loss of the farmland and open space that give the valley its unique character.

Streets in the Valley should be Different than Streets Elsewhere in the City Another aspect that sets the valley apart from the rest of the City is its rural roads. Even as development comes to the valley, the scenic nature of the rural roads should remain. This includes narrow lanes, drainage swales instead of gutters, and trails instead of sidewalks. Mobility via horseback riding and biking should be emphasized, however, so that not every errand is by car or truck.

Illustrative Plans

1 West Transmountain Road: Strategy for the preservation of the entrance to the Franklin Mountains while still permitting vested development rights and the ideal way development should address adjacent arroyos.

2 Upper Valley Development: Strategy for allowing development in the upper valley while preserving farmland, open space, and the rural character of the area.

3 Strategies for addressing the ASARCO sites and Remcon Circle area are addressed in the Plan El Paso 2010: Connecting El Paso - Building Transit-Oriented Neighborhoods and Redeveloping ASARCO report.

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WESTSIDE: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

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Illustrative plans for planning areas demonstrate community design and planning strategies for the Westside of El Paso.

PLAN EL PASO

Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

WEST TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD

West Transmountain Road is an important corridor that links the Westside and Northeast of El Paso. Transmountain Road is also one of the main entry points into the Franklin Mountains, enabling El Paso residents access into the Franklin Mountains State Park to enjoy outdoor recreation such as hiking and mountain biking as well as spectacular views. Development pressure along the Transmountain Road corridor, especially near the intersection with I-10, is increasing and the area is currently zoned commercial with few restrictions. The following strategies offer ways to shape future development so that the views and scarce ecology of the mountains are conserved.

Tame the Arterial

West Transmountain Road is currently slated by TxDOT to become four lanes with a wide median and with frontage roads on either side to access adjacent properties. The four lane section is to extend all the way through the Franklin Mountains, while the frontage roads are planned to extend from Pipeline Road to Desert Boulevard. This is a conventional suburban configuration, and would feature buildings pushed far from the road with parking in the front (a conventional auto-oriented development model).

A second, preferred alternative scenario should be investigated, transforming Transmountain Road into a multiway boulevard and making it an attractive destination rather than just a commercialized suburban corridor to move vehicles quickly over the mountains. A multiway boulevard is comprised of a series of parallel traffic lanes that separate high-speed vehicles from slow-speed vehicles. The slow-speed access lanes along the edges of a boulevard allow buildings with a variety of uses to move closer to the street. It then becomes possible, for example, for restaurants to have attractive outdoor dining — something that would not be viable in a conventional arterial section. Wide medians between a boulevard’s through lanes and access lanes additionally allow a pedestrian and bike trail to be incorporated into the boulevard design, creating a safer environment for these users and allowing the street to move multiple modes of transportation: pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.

Create Mixed-Use Neighborhoods

While the parcels along Transmountain Road are zoned for commercial use, it is important to integrate residential, office, and other uses into the area. Providing a mix of uses will help create a supply of retail customers within close proximity to stores. It will also help reduce the distance people need to travel to meet some of their daily needs, greatly reducing or often eliminating the need for travel by car for every trip. Residential and other uses should be utilized as a transition between the mixed-use blocks along Transmountain Road and the scenic arroyos.

Accommodate Large-Format Retail in a Pedestrian-Scaled Environment

Many of the parcels along Transmountain Road are large and lend themselves to large-format retail and warehouse development. This type of single-use development has its economic benefits, but also results in an unwalkable auto-dominant environment that increases fuel consumption and congestion on the regional road network. The benefits of large-format uses can be maintained, while mitigating by drawbacks, by integrating them into a traditional street and block network. Commute times can be reduced, and fuel can be conserved by shortening some trips and keeping others off of the regional road network. Large parking fields characteristically associated with large-format uses can be accommodated in several ways. In most cases, the parking can be located within the interior of a block adjacent to the use. This block is then lined with additional varied-use buildings that help to screen the parking. In other cases, structured parking can be located adjacent to the large-format use. Being located within a block structure also allows on-street parking to be used to meet some parking needs, as well as allowing for passenger loading zones and parking directly in front of retailers.

Preserve Arroyos

Wherever possible, critical arroyos should be preserved. Incorporating the arroyos as features of any development plan allows nature to be brought into the development while preserving the natural stormwater flow of the area. Providing ready access to nearby open spaces, such as arroyos, is a time-tested method for increasing the value of adjacent real estate. Neighborhoods should be designed so that public access along the arroyos is maintained by way of a street frontage or pedestrian trails. Lots should face toward the arroyos, extending the benefits of these public spaces to numerous residents. Multi-use trails can be added within the arroyos which can, in some cases, connect to trails within Franklin Mountains State Park.

Urban Design Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

WEST TRANSMUNTAIN ROAD

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General Recommendations

Ⓐ Transmountain Road should become a multiway boulevard with landscaped medians and local access lanes.

Ⓑ Street-oriented, varied-use buildings should front Transmountain Road, creating a pedestrian-oriented environment.

Ⓒ Arroyos should be preserved as open space amenities.

Ⓓ Street trees should be planted along primary streets.

Ⓔ Large-format retailers should be incorporated into blocks, with their parking areas screened by liner buildings.

Ⓕ Neighborhood streets should form an interconnected network.

Ⓖ Schools should be provided to serve residents of the new neighborhoods.

Ⓗ Neighborhood civic space should be designed to provide a gathering place for residents.

Ⓘ Public streets and civic open spaces should be utilized, where possible, to provide connections to natural open space and the arroyos.

PLAN EL PASO

Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

WEST TRANSMUNTAIN ROAD

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Conventional Suburban Highway Scenario - Not Preferred

Below is an example of how Transmountain Road would look if built in a conventional suburban format. This auto-dominant model of development has, all too often in recent decades, been typical on the majority of major arterials in El Paso. The design focuses on the movement of vehicles to the detriment of everything else, including quality views to and from the Franklin Mountains. High-speed traffic moves through middle lanes with exits directing vehicles onto fast-moving parallel frontage roads to access the parking lots of adjacent properties. Single-use buildings, likely to be either warehouses or large-format retail stores, would be located to the rear of these parking fields, pushing people as far away from the roadway as possible. There is very little sense of place in this strictly auto-oriented development pattern, where everyone must drive large distances. Sidewalks are generally non-existent; regardless, no one would want to walk in this type of environment. Billboards and tall monument signs are placed to appeal to speeding motorists. The businesses along this type of road are those where you arrive and depart by car

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Transmountain Road – existing conditions

– there would be no reason to linger or to want to walk anywhere including from one store to another. On Transmountain Road, this type of design would do little to add to the landscape in which it is placed. While a view corridor to the Franklin Mountains would likely be maintained as the buildings are low and far from the road, the view would be framed by a mundane, placeless scene that could be anywhere, and that would greatly detract from the beauty and uniqueness of the landscape.

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Transmountain Road – conventional suburban highway scenario

WEST TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD

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Preferred Multiway Boulevard Scenario A preferred, alternate treatment of Transmountain Road envisions a multiway boulevard built within the existing right of way. This type of design achieves the traffic movement goals of conventional highway designs while also creating a pedestrian-friendly destination and sense of place unique to El Paso. Much like a highway, the central lanes of the multiway boulevard would move higher speed vehicles; the main difference is in the side access lanes. While highway frontage roads typically function only as movers of vehicles, the slow moving boulevard side access lanes create an environment where slow-speed motorized vehicles, non-motorized vehicles, and pedestrians can safely interact. An additional benefit of these slow lanes is that they provide valuable addresses for businesses.

As the traffic is much slower, and pedestrian accommodations exist, people are more likely to feel comfortable in this environment. Restaurant tables can be placed next to these slow streets. Buildings can have doors and windows that face the street. On-street parking helps fulfill the parking needs of the businesses.

Wide medians separate the faster central lanes from the slower traffic in the side access lanes. These medians may be landscaped with native vegetation and provide a safe location for hiking and biking trails. The medians are also locations for civic art — they provide sites for monuments, statues, pavilions, and other works of art.

As in the conventional suburban highway scenario, the multiway boulevard would preserve a view corridor to the Franklin Mountains but the elements that frame the view would also add to the beauty of the landscape, rather than detract from it.

⬚ figure Transmountain Road – potential boulevard scenario

Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

UPPER VALLEY DEVELOPMENT

Farmland Preservation

Although the City has identified the Upper Valley as an area for future expansion, concerned residents have fought to put limits on new development in an effort to preserve rural lands. The Save the Valley initiative helped to pass a master plan amendment limiting new construction in the upper valley to a density of 2.5 dwelling units per acre. At a maximum build-out, however, this restriction to low-density, spread out development has the inadvertent potential to accelerate the destruction of rural and farmland areas for the development of moderately larger lots. Examples around the country have proven this density of development to be a recipe for maximum land consumption, high vehicle miles traveled, and an economically and ecologically unsustainable form of growth. The accompanying diagrams and renderings illustrate the result of developing at 2.5 units per acre versus clustering the same development rights on a portion of a site while preserving the rest of the land for open space or farmland.

LEGEND

General Recommendations Ⓐ Development should be clustered into compact neighborhoods, preserving farmland and open space in perpetuity.

Ⓑ Neighborhoods should consist of a range of dwelling types, while respecting the rural character of the area.

Ⓒ Neighborhoods should feature a main public gathering place for events and farmer's markets.

Ⓓ Important sites within neighborhoods should be reserved for civic buildings.

⬚ figure Upper Valley — Existing Conditions

⬚ figure Upper Valley Development — Conventional Development

⬚ figure Upper Valley Development — Clustered Development with the same number of dwellings

UPPER VALLEY DEVELOPMENT

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Efforts should be made when developing to protect as much land as possible for permanent use as productive farmland and natural open space.

The current zoning requirement of a maximum of 2.5 dwelling units per acre should be preserved with the intent of exploring lower density zoning restrictions for future development of the Upper Valley area. An alternative development option should be available allowing for the clustering of development rights into compact, complete, connected neighborhoods. These illustrations show how development could be accommodated into a more compact area, helping to preserve a much larger amount of land outside of the developed areas. Development under this scenario should be predicated on the transfer of development rights for the usable agricultural land preserved by clustering. The City of El Paso should facilitate implementation of a targeted TDR program to support this development alternative.

Compact, walkable neighborhoods can be created in a way that maintains a rural character and fosters a sense of community, while preserving land for agriculture that benefits the neighborhood and larger community. Development in the Upper Valley should strive to follow these best practices and create world-class examples of sustainable rural communities.

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Upper Valley — Example of Existing Conditions: A square quarter-mile is farmed by a single land owner.

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Example of Conventional Development in the Upper Valley: A square quarter-mile site is completely consumed by 225 units at a density of 2.5 units per acre.

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Example of Clustered Development in the Upper Valley: By allowing the same 225 permitted units to be clustered on a portion of the square quarter-mile, the remainder of the site could be preserved in perpetuity as usable agricultural land.

PLAN EL PASO Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

DEVELOPMENT ABUTTING ARROYOS

El Paso’s arroyo gulches are an important part of the local ecology and landscape. Carved over many years by the movement of rainfall across the earth, these shallow, moist ravines feature a high degree of biodiversity.

Arroyos as Great Public Spaces If development is properly configured, arroyos can form very attractive public spaces that add value to adjacent neighborhoods. The key is to provide continuous public access along the neighborhood edge abutting the rim of the arroyo. This should be done with a public street or a public pedestrian walkway. Next, lots must be arranged so that the front or side façade faces the arroyos (not the backs of buildings). This will ensure that the walkway around the rim of the public space of the arroyo is beautiful and feels looked after. If frequent access points are provided, the arroyo will function as a valuable amenity for an entire neighborhood. An example of this is Arroyo Park which lies between the Kern Place and the Rim-University neighborhoods.

The Difficulty of Arroyos as Dedicated Parks One of the reasons that arroyos rarely become parks is due to the issuance of park credits to land developers. The City currently provides developers with a 50% park credit for preserving arroyos as open space, however, the City is particular regarding which arroyos can fulfill the park credit requirements. Developers cannot count on an arroyo being counted as open space early in the subdivision design process when the decision to incorporate an arroyo must be made. Additionally, the development community is not guaranteed City maintenance of the arroyo by the Parks Department and other departments.

The definition of an arroyo is also a complicated question. These natural features vary in size, depth, and ecological importance from case to case. The City currently utilizes the Mountain to River – A Green Infrastructure Plan for El Paso, adopted in January 2007, as a basis for arroyo and other ecologically sensitive area protection. Another question that arises is whether the arroyo only be counted as park space if it is preserved rim to rim, or can stabilizing walls that support channel slopes be used to reduce overall size?

Certainty for the development community can only come from a clear definition of the term “arroyo” and mapping of preferred arroyos and arroyo portions to save. Maintenance responsibilities would also have to be outlined before the subdivision design process begins.

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When adjacent development is configured to face the arroyos as often as possible, arroyos can serve as valuable linear neighborhood parks.

Urban Design Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

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Billy Rogers Arroyo Park is a 75 acre natural area located near the center of El Paso, between the Kern Place and Rim Road neighborhoods. The park designation protects about a mile of the arroyo that extends from the South Franklin Mountains to the Rio Grande.

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Arroyo Park was a purposely preserved arroyo during the area’s subdivision. The dry creek bed temporarily fills with water after heavy rains as water drains from the Franklin Mountains and this created a hazard to new houses. The park was also recognized as a possible amenity early in the design process. In time the arroyo raised property values of surrounding homes. Image source: US GIS.

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A public walk around the rim of an arroyo. Houses face the pathway and protective walls keep the arroyo safe for small children without eliminating the views.

PLAN EL PASO Westside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SCHOOLS

Current development practices create large isolated schools surrounded by drives and parking lots, creating an environment where everyone is forced to drive. Even when a school is located adjacent to a neighborhood a large physical separation and unwelcoming, unwalkable drives discourages neighborhood residents from walking or biking to school.

Creating walkable, neighborhood-friendly schools require attention to detail in the school's relation to the neighborhood. Bringing school buildings close to the street help to narrow the gap between school and neighborhood and encourage a closer interaction between schools and the neighborhoods they serve. Streets surrounding a walkable school should be designed as low-speed, tree-lined, pedestrian friendly thoroughfares. Well-designed pedestrian friendly streets will encourage students to walk and bike from surrounding neighborhoods in a safe environment. Students that walk to school can also help the school district save money on busing children to school, especially in a future of more expensive energy prices.

The activity of children being dropped off and picked up at school can be filtered to surrounding neighborhood streets reducing the need for large stacking lanes. On-street parking adjacent to the school helps to alleviate the need for large drives and reduces the design speed of the road, making the street more walkable and crossable. Sports fields and other facilities can be integrated and shared with the surrounding community. Doing so will help the schools become a center for the entire community and create a place that can be used all day long, seven days a week.

NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYGROUNDS

Close proximity to playgrounds is very important when creating family-friendly neighborhoods. Ideally, no residence should be more than a couple of minutes walk from a neighborhood playground.

For playgrounds to feel safe and well looked-after, they must be faced by the front presentation faces (not backs) of buildings. Buildings can front playgrounds either across streets, or across pedestrian sidewalks. Shade from the intense El Paso sun is critical. Playgrounds should be equipped with a combination of trees, landscaping and structures to provide shady spots.

If playgrounds can be located adjacent to a neighborhood store or coffee shop, parents can buy a cool drink or a snack to enjoy while sitting and watching their children play.

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Great playgrounds can be surprisingly small. They should be easy to walk to for surrounding residents.

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Elementary School on Northern Pass Drive and Middle School on Paseo del Norte Drive

General School Design Recommendations

Ⓐ Welcoming and memorable front entrances for each school face the street.

Ⓑ Buildings are placed to form well-shaped outdoor spaces.

Ⓒ Parking lots are screened from view from the street.

Ⓓ Classrooms are arranged around courtyards.

Ⓔ Colonnades, porticos, and louvered shutters provide shade.

Ⓕ Connected sidewalks, shaded by street trees, make it possible to walk or bike to school.

Ⓖ Multi-building campuses are created with connecting outdoor pathways.

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NORTHEAST: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Control Development on Public Lands

The City of El Paso owns large amounts of land in the northeast portion of the City that is managed by the El Paso Water Utility and Public Service Board (EPWU-PSB). The northeast portion of the City is also where many El Paso residents get their drinking water. The City lands should be protected and only controlled growth should occur in this area. Responsible growth can be achieved by making more complete communities instead of continuing single use outward sprawl. The City of El Paso adopted the SmartCode in July 2008 in order to control growth in the City, particularly on City-owned properties. Large portions of the City lands are currently being planned utilizing an assortment of mixed-density zones. Although these plans conform to Smart Growth principles, revised plans should be developed to limit large parcel single-use subdivisions.

More Housing for Military Families

The northeast portion of the City is a desirable area for Fort Bliss personnel and their families due to its proximity to base entrances. Although base personnel do not necessarily remain in El Paso for long periods of time, many wish for a sense of belonging and community during the years that they are stationed in El Paso. Creating affordable housing for families close to Fort Bliss is a primary concern for residents in the northeast portion of El Paso.

Redevelop Northgate Mall

Northgate Mall is slated to be the location of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) terminus along the Dyer Corridor. As such, the property should be redeveloped in coordination with the construction of the RTS transfer station. Northgate Mall is uniquely located along Dyer Street, adjacent to a high school and surrounded by single-family homes. The high demand for retail moved to the north where Dyer Street meets Transmountain Road, leaving this former mall site, in a key location, available for other uses. With a pedestrian-friendly redesign and a fine-grained mix of uses, this former mall site is available for other uses to form a new heart of the surrounding neighborhood. Uses should focus on a well-balanced blend of residential, commercial, office, restaurants and workplace. The redesign should also feature important public amenities, such as a park or plaza, and a community center.

Make Neighborhoods Safer Through Design

Although El Paso has largely grown in a contiguous manner, as new areas developed some older ones have become neglected and partially abandoned. These areas often feel unsafe and undesirable. Reinvesting in these areas will take time, but they can be revitalized and be made vital again. In order to limit the amount of outward sprawl, it is important for the City to encourage investment in and redevelopment of underutilized and vacant parcels in order to responsibly accommodate increasing populations on already disturbed lands.

Illustrative Plans

1. SmartCode Demonstration Sites: Demonstrates the application of the SmartCode on large tracts of land by using community types to create diverse neighborhoods.
2. SmartCode Demonstration Sites: Demonstrates the application of SmartCode regulations at the level of multiple neighborhoods.
3. SmartCode Demonstration Sites: Demonstrates the application of the SmartCode planning at the individual neighborhood and lot level.
4. Northgate Mall: Strategy for redeveloping the Northgate Mall area into a mixed-use transit-oriented development centered around the Northgate RTS Transfer Station.
5. El Paso Community College: Strategy for infilling development in skipped over parcels within developed portions of the City.
6. Angels Triangle: Strategy for adding infill and reconfiguring blocks to create safer neighborhoods in accordance with Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.

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Urban Design

NORTHEAST: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

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Illustrative plans for planning areas demonstrate community design and planning strategies for Northeast El Paso.

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: COMMUNITY TYPE SCALE

El Paso is expecting to grow into large parcels of undeveloped land at the edges of the developed City. Although some residents question the sustainability of building on the City lands, current development plans and zoning exist for many of these areas, and responsible plans for building in the future should be put in place. Sample demonstrating sites in the northeast sector of the City have been selected to illustrate how the SmartCode can be used to plan large parcels of undeveloped land. These plans are illustrative only and are not intended to be the exact layout of the properties illustrated. Plans for the SmartCode demonstration areas have previously been prepared using General Mixed-Use zoning which is intended to be a zoning that permits a general mix of uses and densities. Initial sector plans using this conventional zoning approach for this area typically show a good mix of uses and density throughout the 3,300 acres to the west of Highway 54 (Patriot Freeway). However, upon looking at the details of these plans, the development of a connected network of mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods that support both affordable living and smart growth is not sufficiently mandated nor accomplished. Use of the City’s SmartCode regulations would likely solve these shortcomings.

Use SmartCode Community Types to Plan Large Areas

An approach to planning new communities at the scale of multiple neighborhoods with more certainty in the final outcome, form, and sufficiently integrated mix of development would be to use Community Types as described by the El Paso SmartCode. By overlaying the area to be developed with a series of Regional Center Developments (RCD), Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND), and Clustered Land Developments (CLD), the intensity and type of development to occur is prescribed while not limiting a quarter-mile neighborhood to a single use. Each community type is based around a pedestrian shed, or five minute walk, and each pedestrian shed would provide a mix of housing types and sizes throughout a neighborhood. The resulting community design would consist of a connected network of walkable neighborhoods. The network of interconnected neighborhood streets would provide an easy choice of multiple routes throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, connecting residents to open space, services, and potentially public transit and employment opportunities. Neighborhood design would provide for non-residential uses appropriate to place type and each neighborhood would have its own identity, focused around its own central public space.

RCDs should be located where more commercial density or main streets are desired and supportable. These would be located either along existing heavily traveled corridors such as Highway 54 or at the intersection of multiple neighborhoods.

The SmartCode demonstration site for community types illustrates two RCDs. The first is located along the visible frontage where the property is adjacent to the major thoroughfare and will have the greatest visibility from the larger community as they pass the site. This location for an RCD also has an advantage as the properties across the thoroughfare could also be developed as a mixed-use center creating a sense of place that expands across the roadway. The second RCD is located along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, adjacent to the edge of several neighborhoods. This location makes the RCD within a ten-minute walk of a large number of households and enjoys the benefit of being along an existing roadway that may be used by people living outside the SmartCode demonstration area.

The placement of TNDs and CLDs depends on the size and type of neighborhood to be developed. CLDs require more undeveloped land and should be utilized in locations that have large preserved areas. They should be located on the lands primarily approaching the slopes of the Franklin Mountains as more of the land is within the natural flowways of the arroyos. This will allow some development to occur while preserving the natural landscape, habitats, and drainage of the mountains. The flatter portions of the land should be designated as TNDs.

Place Schools at the Edges of Walkable Neighborhoods

Schools and their play fields should be located where multiple neighborhoods meet. Ideally, the schools would be utilized by the surrounding neighborhoods. By locating schools within walking or biking distance of several neighborhoods, more children are able to get to school by their own accord, reducing the need for buses and parents needing to drive their children to school.

Organize the Community With Edge Roads

Development can be accessed and organized by a series of avenues along the edges of neighborhoods.

In the SmartCode demonstration site for community types, a grand avenue running through the center of the neighborhoods connects McCombs Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. This avenue is strengthened by the adjacent neighborhoods whose perimeter lots would face out towards the avenue. This strong central spine and other neighborhood edge roads helps facilitate direct travel between neighborhoods and creates a sense of a strong shared community space. Additional street connections between neighborhoods would also exist to create an overall permeable street network.

Urban Design

Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: COMMUNITY TYPE SCALE

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SmartCode Community Types placed over an existing master plan using General Mixed-Use zoning to demonstrate planning large mixed-use areas.

General Recommendations

Ⓐ Schools should be located at the edges of neighborhoods.

Ⓑ An existing utility easement should be located along the edge of neighborhoods.

Ⓒ Arroyos and the slopes of the Franklin Mountains should be preserved by building smaller clustered developments as permitted.

Ⓓ A grand avenue can connect McCombs Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and lead toward an RCD.

Ⓔ RCDs should be located by existing roads to increase use by passers-by.

Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS SCALE

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SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS SCALE

Designing at the Level of Multiple Neighborhoods SmartCode community types should be used to organize large amounts of undeveloped land and help create an overall street network. As plans become more detailed, the SmartCode provides regulations on a required mix of housing types, uses, and community space. The three TND neighborhoods between an existing golf course and a major thoroughfare have been drawn in more detail here as an example to illustrate how the community type designation creates the framework for detailing the neighborhoods with the additional SmartCode regulations.

At this scale of neighborhood planning, the network of greens and civic spaces and detailed network of blocks and streets should be identifiable. Even though neighborhoods will likely have edges defined by streets, lots should face out toward streets. The exact mix of units and location of specific lot lines does not need to be determined at this time, but the allocation of transect zones should be identified. The mix of transect zones, size of blocks, thoroughfare types, and civic spaces should be known and in compliance with the El Paso SmartCode.

Neighborhoods This SmartCode demonstration site is to be located between an existing golf course and a major thoroughfare. This area is approximately 350 acres, a size large enough to accommodate three TND pedestrian sheds. Note that the shape and size of each neighborhood is roughly the size of a pedestrian shed, but the neighborhoods are not circular and do not always stay within the confines of the pedestrian shed. The pedestrian shed should be used as an organizational tool that is refined when this scale of design is worked out. Each pedestrian shed, or neighborhood, should have its own identifiable center and edge.

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Community Types

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Neighborhoods

PLAN EL PASO Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS SCALE

Street Network The street network should feature the major streets connecting between the neighborhoods. The street network in this example connects to the larger community across the golf course to McCombs Street. A secondary circulation route connects each of the main civic centers within the neighborhood. Each neighborhood has secondary parks and special places which are also connected within each neighborhood and to the adjacent neighborhood green network (refer to Civic Space diagram on top, right hand corner of page 2.59).

Street, Alley, & Pedestrian Path Network In addition to the streets, alleys should organize the blocks so that the fronts of buildings and lots can face the street while garages and parking are accommodated off of the alleys. Pedestrian connections to the rear lots (off the alleys) enhance the pedestrians’ ability to circulate through multiple routes and around the neighborhoods.

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Street Network

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Street, Alley, & Trail Network

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS SCALE

Civic Spaces

Neighborhoods should be organized around a series of greens, civic building locations, and open spaces. A large central green should mark the center of each neighborhood and each green should take on its own form. In this example, one neighborhood has a long narrow green with small civic buildings at each end. Another is a large rectilinear, almost square, green with smaller attached greens leading towards it for three blocks from the major thoroughfare. The third central green is smaller, creating a more intimate space for its center. In addition, there are larger common greens where all of the neighborhoods merge. This common center allows the three neighborhoods to unite into a connected network of walkable neighborhoods. Either at this common green, or out by the major thoroughfare, would be the ideal location for a small corner store, retail, offices, or transit stop locations.

Smaller common green spaces should be located throughout the neighborhoods, creating special spaces and amenities for a majority of the housing.

Special sites should be reserved for civic buildings. Locations should be deliberately selected that will conclude the long view down a street or for anchoring a prominent street corner or neighborhood square. These unique settings within the neighborhood are permanent anchors for civic pride.

Proposed Transect Zones

A series of mixed-use transect zones should be prescribed for the neighborhoods in accordance with Table 14 of the El Paso SmartCode. T5 sections of the neighborhood should be concentrated around the green that is common to all of the neighborhoods, with some additional T5 development located in this example along the major thoroughfare. General neighborhood areas consist of T4 with T3 located around the edges of the neighborhood.

The building types and density for each of the transects are prescribed in Table 14 of the SmartCode. The mix of transects and densities within them create variations within each neighborhood that prevent monocultures.

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Civic Spaces

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Proposed Transect Zones

PLAN EL PASO

Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOT SCALE

Once neighborhoods have had a block structure established and alleys have been designed, the final scale of community development plans occurs when the detailed mix of unit types is lotted out and platted. Alleys help to illustrate the intended direction that lots will face, and where larger fields of parking may be located in mid-block locations. This level of detail is important so that streets are properly fronted with buildings.

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General Recommendations

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOT SCALE

Neighborhood

Note that the shape and size of the neighborhood is roughly the size of a pedestrian shed, but the neighborhood is not circular and does not always stay within the confines of the pedestrian shed. The pedestrian shed should be used as an organizational tool that is refined when this scale of design is worked out. Each pedestrian shed, or neighborhood, should have its own identifiable center and edge.

Civic Spaces

A large green should be centrally located to serve as a gathering space for the entire neighborhood. A corner store and potentially a small amount of neighborhood retail could be located on the green with parking located within the block and on the street.

In addition to the large central green, each of the quarters, or wards of the neighborhood should have its own small gathering space, which helps to give each segment of the neighborhood its own identity. Denser building types, such as apartment buildings and rowhouses, could be located close to these greens. Small houses and larger single-family homes could be located further from the center of the neighborhood.

Schools with large playfields should generally be located at the edge of a neighborhood so as not to disrupt the neighborhood's pedestrian walking shed. If possible, a school may be located adjacent to the edge of more than one neighborhood, increasing the number of households within walking distance. The school building itself should be located towards the street. The bus drop off and parking lot should be located unobtrusively so as not to disrupt pedestrian connectivity from the neighborhood to the school. Schools fields should be located toward the edge of the neighborhood and can be outside of the pedestrian shed.

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Neighborhood

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Civic Spaces

PLAN EL PASO

Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

SMARTCODE DEMONSTRATION SITE: NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOT SCALE

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Ward Map At this level of detail it can be seen that the neighborhood is broken down into different wards, each with its own central community space.

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Street Network A high level of street connectivity is achieved by creating multiple routes and connections to adjacent neighborhoods.

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Proposed Transect Zones The transect zones and densities are allocated in accordance with the Smart Code.

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Unit Types Unit types can be located within multiple transects. Each neighborhood has a mix of unit types creating a diverse, mixed community.

NORTHGATE MALL REDEVELOPMENT

Main Street Northgate The former Northgate Mall site may no longer be able to support large, regional destination shopping, however it could support a multi-story mixed-use main street if connected to the City’s Bus Rapid Transit System and as part of a complete urban setting with a “built-in” customer base of shoppers within walking distance. Mixed-use buildings with retail on the ground floor in shopfront format and residential or office above could provide a unique destination for the community. Ample tree-lined sidewalks with awnings and cafe dining should become the rule by use of the El Paso SmartCode. Parking lots are located mid-block in order to not detract from the pedestrian experience.

By capitalizing on the inherent advantages of walkable, urban development, Northgate’s Main Street can effectively take advantage of the City’s investment in rapid transit system (RTS), civic, and recreational spaces. These amenities help ensure that residents from all parts of the City will visit the main street while residents of the settlement enjoy the luxury of living in a complete neighborhood.

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The Northgate Mall complex is currently vacant and unused and scheduled for demolition.

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Mixed-use development at the heart of the neighborhood provides a Main Street for the entire community.

NORTHGATE MALL REDEVELOPMENT

Northgate Transfer Center

The Northgate Transfer Center should be an important anchor in the redevelopment of the entire Northgate Mall site into a town center. Likewise, the greater Northgate neighborhood should be a critical asset to the Transfer Center. With this in mind, it is important that the Transfer Center be designed in such a way as to encourage pedestrians to walk throughout the entire site. Parking for transit should be provided mid-block in order to maintain the visual interest of the public realm. Blocks should be a walkable size. Transit terminal buildings should be designed as proud monuments that reflect the history and culture of El Paso.

Wren Avenue should be redesigned as a more welcoming, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare. Narrowing the existing traffic lanes should give enough room to add on-street parking. The outer lanes can also be converted to bus-only lanes to facilitate the movement of buses and give transit priority.

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Fixed-route buses circulate into the transfer center. Parking is provided in a mid-block structure with habitable buildings facing public spaces.

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RTS service circulates around a formal civic square allowing faster circulation of express buses.

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A new RTS terminal can make a proud civic structure. Memorably located at the end of the park and defining the “outdoor room” of the square the transfer station would welcome pedestrians, drivers, and transit riders.

Urban Design

Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

NORTHGATE MALL REDEVELOPMENT

Northgate Transit-Oriented Development The redevelopment of Northgate Mall presents a unique opportunity to reshape this important node as transit-oriented development. By providing a variety of housing types and uses, the site can become a dynamic, diverse center that will complement the City’s transit investments and create a center for the surrounding community. The City’s addition of civic amenities, such as playing fields and a community center, will add value to the neighborhood.

Creating an urban fabric that will take advantage of these amenities, and reduce dependence on the automobile, would provide a wide range of benefits. To achieve these goals, single-use buildings and surface parking lots should be replaced with multi-story, mixed-use buildings, and an interconnected network of walkable streets. These traffic calmed, tree-lined streets should form walkable blocks with buildings facing the streets in order to create attractive, meaningful, pedestrian-friendly spaces. Streets should accommodate the automobile but should also be safe, comfortable, and interesting for the pedestrian.

⬚ figure A variety of housing types and civic amenities should be incorporated in the neighborhood.

⬚ figure A complete, walkable neighborhood with a variety of building types and spaces would form an important center for the surrounding community.

⬚ figure A pedestrian-friendly neighborhood street should feature a variety of housing types, a design for slow driving, and sidewalks within conversation distance of front porches.

PLAN EL PASO Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

NORTHGATE MALL REDEVELOPMENT

The terminus of the Dyer Corridor RTS line is located at the Northgate Mall property. To capitalize on the transportation investment in this location, the vacant Northgate Mall should be redeveloped to better support this expanding infrastructure.

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General Recommendations

EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The area surrounding the El Paso Community College off of Transmountain Road and Highway 54 has a lot of potential for future development. The area contains many assets to the community, including a movie theatre, Cohen Stadium, Skyline Optimist Youth Park, El Paso Community College Transmountain Campus, a veterans home, and Sue Young Park. The area also contains an arroyo and major flowway connecting the Franklin Mountains to a large catchment area used to hold flood waters.

Although development should not occur within the arroyo and catchment area, space between existing development can be in-filled to create an interconnected, walkable community and provide affordable student housing. A series of linear greens can become a central organizing feature of the neighborhoods and allow water to continue to flow in a natural pattern toward the catchment area. The El Paso Community College neighborhoods could connect into the mixed-use development at the Northgate Mall location on the other side of the catchment area.

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PLAN EL PASO Northeast: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ANGEL'S TRIANGLE

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The Angel’s Triangle area is bordered by the Patriot Freeway, Hondo Pass Avenue, and Dyer Street. The Triangle is characterized by large blocks; some are square, and others are elongated in the north-south direction. The Freeway is a barrier to connectivity with neighborhoods to the west. There is also a perception that safety and security may be lacking on certain blocks in the neighborhood. The following drawings show how a typical superblock can be transformed over-time to provide livable densities while incorporating principles of sustainability and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).

From Superblock to Walkable Village

1. Introduce New Streets and Paseos Increasing the permeability of large blocks by introducing new slow-moving streets and paseos is the first step in creating a walkable village. A paseo is a pedestrian-only street or walkway that provides shortcuts through long blocks. Their design should be tipped in favor of the pedestrian. Currently, there are informal pathways traversing the blocks in Angel’s Triangle. Because the blocks are excessive in size, they are already being reduced by drivers and pedestrians who ignore property boundaries. This informal mid-block traffic occurs despite the absence of buildings, leading to a safety and natural surveillance problem. As these informal pathways evolve over time into slow-moving streets or pedestrian paseos, care should be taken that they are properly fronted by existing and infill buildings to provide adequate natural surveillance.

2. Use Architecture to Encourage Safety New courtyard buildings should not only provide transparency and loggias inward, but also offer transparency and fenestration outward, toward the public and semi-public realms. Accessory dwelling units and rear façades provide natural surveillance to alleys and rear parking courts. Mixed-use commercial buildings increase pedestrian traffic and encourage walking, adding to the village-like atmosphere. Multi-story buildings have more people viewing an area and give a better view toward the street creating more surveillance and “eyes on the street.”

3. Shape New Plazas Small plazas can be created as former superblocks are subdivided. These plazas should be lined by buildings with a high degree of transparency.

4. Increase Self-Sufficiency Planting courtyards, paseos, and placitas with desert-adapted or edible plants can create new habitat and enable the community to achieve a degree of self-sufficiency. Retrofitting existing buildings and designing new buildings to harness the sun’s power can reduce demand for costly, non-renewable energy. The roofs of courtyard buildings should typically slope inward to direct rainwater into underground cisterns.

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Existing Conditions. While courtyards are an excellent climatic architectural response, the courtyards in the sample block have most of their windows facing inward. Façades facing the public realm or semi-public spaces suffer from blankness or small size and number of doors and windows.

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CPTED Solutions, Step 1: Divide the block into four blocks that are better scaled to the surrounding block structure. Formalize the currently informal pathways into slow-moving streets. Plat the resulting blocks to encourage unit type diversity. Establish a clear sense of fronts and backs.

ANGEL’S TRIANGLE

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CPTED Solutions, Step 2: Infill buildings reinforce the sense of fronts and backs. Lots and blocks are clearly defined by building fronts and garden walls.

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CPTED Solutions, Step 3: Desert-adapted trees and plants are installed on existing and proposed planting strips and swales. They are spaced wide enough and staggered in order to maintain surveillance “line of sight” across public spaces.

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Sustainability: Flat roofs are ideal for photovoltaic panels that can be gradually introduced onto buildings. Courtyards can be planted with desert-adaptable and edible plants.

EASTSIDE: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Control Eastward Expansion

As development pressure continues to grow in El Paso, the eastern edge of the City, particularly along Zaragoza Road, has become an attractive location for unbridled expansion to occur. The vast majority of this existing development does not do a sufficient job of providing for the multiple needs of its residents or customers. For the most part, these projects are typically single-use in nature. Little effort has been made to allow the mixing of uses.

Residential Subdivisions

In the case of residential development, the homes of each subdivision often fit within a narrow range of size and income level. There is little, if any, variety in unit type. The green spaces that are mandated appear to be the leftover spaces within the development, with minimal thought given to their placement within the neighborhood. Many of these spaces lack the appropriate landscaping that would help to make them an attractive place for residents to spend leisure time.

In some cases, houses are sited so as to turn their backs on these spaces. The rock walls surrounding many of these developments cut them off from their surroundings and as a result, the streets that connect them have a very sterile, hostile character.

Commercial Strips

Commercial development on the Eastside has generally followed the strip-mall or big-box model surrounded by a sea of parking. The overabundance of parking in front of these stores assumes that all customers will be arriving in their cars. Little effort is made in the siting of these developments to integrate them into neighborhoods. Often, the only way to access stores is from the arterial road network.

Deteriorating Streets

Major streets like Viscount Boulevard and Montwood Drive have deep potholes which make navigating the area difficult. Safety striping along the street has worn off. Sidewalks are often too narrow for pedestrians and many of the sidewalk crossings do not have ramps for wheel chairs. Periodic street maintenance throughout the City should be regularly addressed.

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Illustrative plans for planning areas demonstrate community design and planning strategies for the Eastside of El Paso.

Illustrative Plans

1 Hawkins Boulevard and Gateway Boulevard: Example of densifying and diversifying an existing urban area.

2 Zaragoza Corridor: Strategy for making a multiway boulevard on an arterial street.

3 Zaragoza Road and I-10: Strategies for creating coherent blocks, streets, and a sense of place out of large commercial blocks.

4 Zaraplex: Strategy for reconfiguring a strip mall and unlocking potential on isolated properties.

5 Montana Corridor Transfer Center: Sample design for the end of the Montana Corridor RTS Line.

6 East of Zaragoza: Demonstration of controlling growth outside the eastern edge by utilizing the SmartCode principles.

EASTSIDE: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

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Illustrative plans for planning areas demonstrate community design and planning strategies for the Eastside of El Paso.

HAWKINS BOULEVARD & GATEWAY BOULEVARD

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The site of the now demolished Farah Building offers an opportunity to create a signature mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to the Cielo Vista Mall and I-10. Current plans for the site call for a high-end shopping center, however a vision for a more walkable and complete neighborhood has been proposed, while incorporating similar retail building footprints.

Allow for Phasing but Create Complete Spaces

The key to creating a successful mixed-use neighborhood is to carefully phase development in a way that creates complete and active spaces each step of the way. While it makes sense to lay out many of the blocks and streets (along with infrastructure) early on, structures can be developed gradually. Phasing should focus on constructing both sides of a street segment or all sides of public spaces at a time to prevent a disordered looking development. Views at the end of each street and from each square and park space have been carefully terminated with new buildings to hide any unfinished blocks beyond.

Architecture which Responds to Local Precedent

In a dry climate such a El Paso’s, trees cannot be relied upon in all locations to provide shade along streets and sidewalks. While trees may be planted and irrigated in special locations, architecture and building placement can help to make the pedestrian environment more comfortable. Arcades, colonnades, and galleries over the sidewalk should be an integral part of all buildings with shopfronts. Placing multi-story buildings across from each other along narrow streets allows them to cast shadows over the street for much of the day. The tradition of courtyard buildings and roofs with deep overhangs should also be revived to contribute to the historic character of the area and to create additional shade in both public and private spaces.

Plan for Future Expansion

The plans for the former Farah Building site includes a design for the adjacent parcel to the north. All streets and blocks have been designed such that the two areas could be developed at different times while still working seamlessly with one another. Future street connections to other adjacent parcels have been made possible as well.

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View of new mixed-use development on the former Farah Building site. The central square and tower mark the heart of the neighborhood.

HAWKINS BOULEVARD & GATEWAY BOULEVARD

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General Recommendations

ZARAGOZA CORRIDOR

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General Recommendations

ZARAGOZA CORRIDOR

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General Recommendations

• G The entrance to the Zaragoza corridor at Montana Road is marked by a high-quality urban neighborhood, indicating the character of the corridor.
• H Urban centers sprout up at important intersections and become focal points for surrounding neighborhoods.
• I The Eastside Transit Terminal is a catalyst for walkable urban development, creating the transit infrastructure needed to support high-quality urban development.
• J Surrounding suburban residential developments are reconnected to the larger community.
• K A first step in implementation of the multiway boulevard could be south of Joe Battle Boulevard where new outparcel buildings could line the access lanes with storefront retail which relies on the large parking fields already developed.

PLAN EL PASO Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ZARAGOZA CORRIDOR

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Development along the Zaragoza Road corridor currently follows an auto-dependent pattern of isolated parcels of development. Large parts of the corridor, however, are still undeveloped, creating the opportunity to guide development in a coordinated form that builds toward a walkable environment with a diversity of mobility options including improved transit options and facilities.

Zaragoza as a Multiway Boulevard

The implementation of a multiway boulevard on Zaragoza Road creates the infrastructure necessary to support a more balanced multimodal environment. A multiway boulevard would provide through center lanes, slower side access lanes with on-street parking and bicycle facilities, accommodations for improved transit, and wide sidewalks for pedestrians. An initial layer of mixed-use development faces the boulevard, establishing an urban environment. Parking is provided behind the buildings facing the boulevard. In mid-block locations, a parallel network of streets helps with circulation and lays the groundwork for future development.

Over time, attached and detached residential development fills in along the parallel network of streets. Residential development provides a transition from higher density commercial uses along the boulevard to the detached single-family residential developments on either side of the corridor. The establishment of a walkable neighborhood surrounding the Zaragoza corridor provides new customers within walking distance of businesses and transit on Zaragoza Road. The neighborhood itself becomes an amenity, and attracts investment that reconnects surrounding neighborhoods to the corridor.

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Zaragoza Road is reconfigured into a multiway boulevard, and an initial layer of mixed-use buildings are developed along the new corridor.

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Existing conditions on Zaragoza Road include high speed travel lanes and wide dirt medians making vehicular transportation the only option.

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Zaragoza Road is reconfigured into a multiway boulevard.

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The blocks are filled in with street-oriented mixed-use development.

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Over time, a complete neighborhood is developed along Zaragoza Road, with a diverse mix of uses and unit types.

Urban Design

Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ZARAGOZA ROAD & I-10

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General Recommendations

Ⓐ A coordinated, fine-grained, highly interconnected network of new streets and blocks is incrementally created as individual parcels are developed.

Ⓑ Fronts of buildings face streets, squares, and plazas. Backs of buildings and service-related areas such as trash, loading, and parking are concealed in mid-block locations.

Ⓒ Public investment in sidewalks, street trees, and on-street parking makes private development investments easier.

Ⓓ Public squares and plazas are distributed throughout the new development.

Ⓔ High traffic flow intersections may benefit from roundabouts.

PLAN EL PASO Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ZARAGOZA ROAD & I-10

From Suburban Strip to Walkable Thoroughfare

Fix What Happens in the ROW The first step in the conversion of an auto-oriented, commercial strip into a walkable urban thoroughfare is to optimize the public right-of-way (ROW). Continuous sidewalks, shade from landscaping and buildings, and on-street parking are critical. The public ROW is the common element tying all the various properties along the corridor together. By reconfiguring the ROW first, public investment can be leveraged to catalyze private redevelopment investments.

Build Complete, Whole Public Spaces As private redevelopment occurs on individual parcels, the emphasis should be on creating a series of complete urban spaces. Finished, whole public spaces are inviting places where people want to be. It is critical when building a street segment, square, or plaza that the buildings shaping all sides of the space be constructed in order for the full value of the space to be recognized.

Plan for Connectivity Over Time When laying out public spaces, keep in mind that an important goal is to increase connectivity by implementing an interconnected network of streets and blocks across property lines. An overall plan for connectivity should be followed so that as each parcel is developed, a well-connected urban fabric is created. Each parcel being developed must provide street connection points in the correct places so that neighboring properties can properly connect.

Correctly Orient Building Fronts and Backs When implementing a block and street network, be sure that the front presentation faces of buildings face streets, squares, and plazas. Service functions such as trash collection, loading, and parking should be located in back, and be concealed mid-block. When this pattern is followed, public spaces, which occur between adjacent blocks, will be faced with high-quality façades and will therefore feel like inviting places to be.

A Rich Mix of Building Types and Uses An interconnected network of properly-sized blocks and streets with a properly-oriented grammar of building fronts and backs is a highly flexible system. A tremendous variety of building types, sizes, and uses can be accommodated. Mixed-use buildings with retail ground floors can be placed facing important shopping spaces. This can transition to relatively high density residential fabric, which can then transition smoothly to single-family detached residences. Important focal sites should be reserved for civic buildings.

Setting a Walkable Precedent As the first parcels along a suburban strip corridor begin to redevelop into a walkable format, they serve as a seed for additional walkable redevelopment. Over time, one parcel at a time, an auto-oriented corridor can grow into a remarkably multi-modal pedestrian and bike-friendly thoroughfare.

The retrofit of strip corridors into great walkable urban thoroughfares is a long-term process. Change often happens incrementally when a multitude of property owners are involved. A key to encouraging property owners to begin the process of retrofitting is to give them a strategy to achieve a high quality public space without necessarily needing the participation of neighboring property owners. With careful attention to building and parking configuration, great public spaces can be achieved on remarkably small parcels.

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Version 1: This placita, or small plaza, configuration is ideal for corner sites. The two buildings are offset subtly to create a usable open space. An arched walkway provides pedestrian access from the rear parking lot, while connecting the buildings on their upper floors.

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Version 2: This placita is formed by a “U”-shaped mixed-use building. A ground floor pedestrian passage through the building provides access to the rear parking area.

ZARAGOZA ROAD & I-10

East El Paso features a number of suburban, auto-oriented, commercial corridors. With careful planning and implementation, these corridors can grow to become complete streets that are amenities for adjacent walkable neighborhoods. Zaragoza Road near I-10 is one such corridor. Multiple property owners will need to work together to create a cohesive plan that can be implemented over time.

⬚ figure Existing Conditions: Suburban commercial development

⬚ figure Step 1: Adding trees, sidewalks, and on-street parking in the public ROW

⬚ figure Step 2: Initial private investment in street-oriented infill development

⬚ figure Step 3: Incremental infill links seamlessly to previous development

⬚ figure Step 4: New development adds up over time to form a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood.

PLAN EL PASO

Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ZARAPLEX ON ZARAGOZA ROAD

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General Recommendations

ZARAPLEX ON ZARAGOZA ROAD

The Zaraplex shopping center on Zaragoza Road has the potential to be transformed from its current single use format, into a mixed-use, urban center. Through careful planning, urban buildings can replace under-utilized surface parking lots in front of the strip shopping center, creating urban streets and memorable public spaces. Left over land behind the Zaraplex can be developed into an urban neighborhood with a mix of housing types and sizes that capitalize on the proximity to a walkable urban center.

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Existing Conditions: Suburban shopping center

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Step 1: A public square is added and urban buildings help define the space. Under-utilized surface parking is replaced by buildings defining streets with on-street parking and additional parking mid-block.

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Step 2: A street is cut though existing buildings to access the land beyond and increase connectivity through the site.

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Step 3: A new neighborhood is connected to the commercial center.

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Step 4: Over time, existing buildings are retrofitted as more urban types.

PLAN EL PASO Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

MONTANA CORRIDOR TRANSFER CENTER

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General Recommendations

Ⓐ The Montana Corridor RTS transit terminal and Fire Station #37 are designed with transit-oriented development centered around a public transit square.

Ⓑ Streets adjacent to the transfer center are redesigned as pedestrian-friendly, multimodal corridors, encouraging new, quality, urban development.

Ⓒ Development is designed with walkable streets and inviting public spaces.

Ⓓ Hueco, an existing traditional neighborhood development under construction is built-out with a mix of uses and unit types.

Ⓔ Zaragoza Road is redesigned as a multiway boulevard and developed as an important mixed-use corridor.

Ⓕ Important connections are made in existing residential neighborhoods.

MONTANA CORRIDOR TRANSFER CENTER

The plan for the end of the Montana Corridor RTS transit terminal and Fire Station #37 creates a high-quality, transit-oriented urban environment centered around a public transit square. Buses circulate around the transit square, encouraging a high level of interaction between transit riders and development. The planned fire station anchors one corner of the square with a civic tower designed to interface with the pedestrian-oriented environment. Streets that are safe, comfortable, and interesting to the pedestrian will encourage transit riders to walk from their neighborhoods to use transit.

The City's investment in RTS for the area is dramatic and every effort should be made to develop the rest of the property in a way that is supportive of transit. Transit-oriented design requires an integration of uses and higher level of discipline in building siting and façade composition than is ordinarily required of suburban development. With its restaurants, offices, cafes, and green spaces, the ultimate plan for the center is to create a focal point for community life in a way that does not yet exist in this part of the City.

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Proposed plan for the Montana Corridor RTS Transfer Center and Fire Station # 37. An area designated for parking could in time become a full parking garage which would be screened from view by multi-story buildings.

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The Montana Corridor RTS Transfer Center envisioned as a vibrant urban environment. Buses circulate around a public transit square shaped by mixed-use buildings.

PLAN EL PASO Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

EAST OF ZARAGOZA ROAD

Driving as an Option, Not a Necessity As development continues to occur on the Eastside, it should be configured in a way, and provide the amenities necessary, to allow driving a car to be an option rather than a necessity. The SmartCode seeks to remedy some of the problems that often come with conventional development that require the use of a car for all of a households daily needs. Two model neighborhood plans have been designed for the area east of Zaragoza Road; the designs demonstrate how ideal neighborhoods can be designed to allow a mix of uses while creating a livable place. The ideas and lessons contained in these plans can be transferred to other development sites around the City.

A Vibrant Center The neighborhood center is the heart of the neighborhood; it is the place where community members can come together to and where many of a resident's daily needs can be met. Dense residential building types, mixed-use buildings, and civic buildings are all located in close proximity to each other. The variety of uses within this small area creates the ability to live, work, and shop within walking distance.

The neighborhood square, or placita, whether it is hardscaped or landscaped, is the place where residents can enjoy an evening stroll, the place where the holiday craft fair is held, the place where residents can engage in civic life. Its sides are lined by a variety of building types and uses, providing the necessary elements for a vibrant center for neighborhood activity. Lots are arranged to face these spaces, taking advantage of public amenities. The greens are appropriately landscaped, adding to the value of surrounding properties. Linear green spaces that penetrate the neighborhood place more residents within a short walk of nature.

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EAST OF ZARAGOZA ROAD

A Genuine Mix of Uses and Building Types

One of the most important elements in neighborhood design is the mixing of uses and building sizes. The blocks immediately surrounding the square accommodate a variety of building sizes. Rowhouses and apartment buildings sit next to multi-story, mixed-use buildings. The upper floors of mixed-use buildings are occupied by residential flats or office space, providing a customer base for the retail uses on the ground floor. The variety of residential types allows for a diversity of income levels to be accommodated while providing everyone with the benefits of the central public space.

A Genuine Mix of Uses and Building Types

Complete communities serve the cycle of the day with a range of uses supporting daily needs. Complete communities serve the cycle of a lifetime with housing variety suitable for every period of people's lives: homes with yards for one's youth, apartments near interesting commercial and restaurant areas for young adulthood, large homes in sylvan settings to raise children in adulthood, and townhomes near services and public places in senior years.

The Tradition of Spanish Urbanism

The placita, the central square or plaza, is a time-tested element in the tradition of Hispanic urbanism. A settlement's first church was located on the placita. It was around the placita that the major streets would converge. From the first Spanish colony in the United States at St. Augustine, Florida (1565) to the last in Sonoma, California (1823) the placita marked the center of the community. This was done often in accordance to law. The Laws of the Indies mandated by Spain of new colonies required legible placitas for the location of civic buildings. Contemporary placitas throughout the region are a place for recreation, socializing, shopping, civic functions and dining.

Parking for the commercial uses is handled through the use of mid-block parking lots and on-street spaces. Parking for residents is typically accessed through rear alleys. By moving the parking to the middle of the block, the streets become more pedestrian-friendly spaces and a balance of all mobility options can be achieved on the streets.

Interconnected Streets

Another important principle is the idea of an interconnected network of streets. This allows residents to easily access all parts of the neighborhood, and other neighborhoods, without having to utilize the regional road network. This includes access for pedestrians and cyclists as well.

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The neighborhood center offers attached units for seniors. Well planned communities compensate for declining incomes in later years by deceasing the cost of living.

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The placita at the center of neighborhoods, transit hubs and mixed-use settlements could become a signature approach to public spaces in El Paso. This would show a continuity through time of the Spanish urban heritage.

PLAN EL PASO Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

EL PASO'S AVENUES

Making Collector Roads more Pedestrian-Friendly

El Paso's avenues, often referred to as collector roads, are cross city streets that connect neighborhoods. The following simulation illustrates ways of addressing an avenue between neighborhoods as a neighborhood edge road that is a multimodal street worthy of being a street address, instead of a barrier. By incorporating collector roads in the neighborhood fabric, there is a reduction in infrastructure costs which makes the overall City more pedestrian and bike friendly.

Typical Conditions Today: El Paso's avenues are like a speedway channeled between two six foot tall stone walls. Although the street section has five foot wide sidewalks behind a four foot dirt strip on either side, nothing about the design of the roadway or the way the buildings address the street make it a place that pedestrians would want or need to be. However, there are steps that can be done to make this street, or future streets, a more inviting part of a neighborhood. By thinking more about the design and configuring the street in a way that is dignified and that balances the needs of multiple modes of transportation, it can be an amenity to adjacent homes instead of something they must turn their backs toward.

Improvement Option 1: Adding street trees to the planting strip will provide shade in the brutal El Paso heat and break-up the visual appearance of the road as a speedway. The planting of drought tolerant trees will take a commitment by the City to water them until they are established, but once they are established they become relatively low maintenance while adding a tremendous benefit to adjacent neighborhoods for many years.

Improvement Option 2: If the road is thought of as a connecting neighborhood street instead of a thoroughfare between two places, houses may face the street instead of turning their backs toward it. More people would walk along the street if it is easier to access from their homes and there is shade provided. Openings in walls will allow people access to the street and the sidewalks. Portions of the solid stone wall could be replaced with more transparent materials such as wrought iron to create openings in the wall. More transparency in the street wall creates safer streets and more interest for a pedestrian or bicyclist.

⬚ figure Typical Conditions Today

⬚ figure Improvement Option 1

⬚ figure Improvement Option 2

Urban Design

Eastside: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

Improvement Option 3: Additional drought tolerant plantings between the street trees creates a physical separation between the moving vehicles and the sidewalk. This will help pedestrians feel protected and more likely to use the street.

Improvement Option 4: If the number of travel lanes are reduced in each direction with parking permitted on the street it would reduce the travel speed of cars, to one that pedestrians and bicyclists feel more comfortable being near. Also, by reducing the speed of vehicles, it reduces the chance of a pedestrian being critically injured if an accident does occur.

The on-street parking and single travel lane make the street function like a neighborhood street. Pedestrians will feel comfortable walking. Guests can park on the street and visit by entering through the gate facing toward the street. Vehicles are still able to travel from one point to another, but the street has been rebalanced to include other modes of travel and uses.

Improvement Option 5: If the street were originally designed as a neighborhood street, there would be no need for the large solid wall. This street is still on the edge of two neighborhoods but it would be integrated as part of the neighborhood and a street that people would be proud to live on and use.

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MISSION VALLEY: COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Preservation of Farmland

Mission Valley is still one of the few areas in El Paso that is able to support productive farm fields. Although most of the farmlands are located within the County, outside El Paso’s City limits, every effort to preserve these areas should be encouraged. The few fields within the City limits should be preserved and measures to preserve the valuable farmlands with ETJ’s (Extraterritorial Jurisdictions) should be taken.

Flood Management

Historically the Rio Grande would flood periodically, making the upper and lower valley areas fertile with good soils. Today the river rarely floods due to modern controls of the river but poor street drainage, especially during the monsoon season, is a continuing concern for residents in the Mission Valley. Certain streets reliably flood. The drainage policy for new construction and the drainage around low-lying streets should be assessed to reduce the risk of flooding.

Preservation of Historic Resources

Mission Valley is rich with history, including the start of the historic mission trail that extends into El Paso County. Mission Valley is one of the oldest areas of El Paso, predating the development of the Westside by over 300 years. The historic missions, as well as portions of their surrounding original settlements can, in many cases, still be seen. These original settlements were located along the Rio Grande on arable land. Some of the oldest schools in the City are also located in the Mission Valley area. These historic Mission Valley schools, like Ysleta High School, are both socially and physically integral to their neighborhoods. Many of these schools have remarkable civic presence and face the street proudly. These historic assets create civic pride and contribute to community life. For this reason, the preservation of historic resources and buildings should continue, and be emulated throughout the City.

Gasoline Prices

Mission Valley residents are especially vulnerable to rising fuel prices given their long commutes. Efforts should be made to cultivate a better jobs / housing balance over time in Mission Valley to reduce average commuting distances.

Dangerous School Zones

“Sallies,” removable school zone signs, were once placed in the center of roadways to signal to drivers that they were in a school zone; however, the State has outlawed the signs. Schools were required to replace the temporary signs with permanent signs; these are to be placed on the side of the roads, making the signs no longer in the driver’s direct field of view. Blinking signs may help signal drivers that they are in a school zone, but residents expressed interest in more permanent solutions. At the intersections where children tend to cross the street, traffic calming measures such as raised pedestrian crossings with textured surfaces, narrower traffic lanes, pedestrian-friendly curb radii and curb extensions should be included.

Illustrative Plans

1 Alameda Avenue from Yarbrough Drive to Midway Drive: Strategies for enhancing Alameda Avenue around the RTS stops 2 Strategies for Alameda Avenue and Hammer Way can be found in the Health Element. 3 Ysleta and Mission Valley Transfer Center: Strategic infill to subtly transform a historic community into a transit-oriented neighborhood around the Transfer Center.

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MISSION VALLEY: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

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Illustrative plans demonstrate community design and planning strategies for the Mission Valley.

PLAN EL PASO Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ALAMEDA AVENUE - MIDWAY DRIVE TO YARBROUGH DRIVE

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General Recommendations

Anticipate Proposed Transit

Transit options in El Paso have been scarce, making personal vehicular travel the preferred mode of transportation. The proposed RTS line along Alameda Avenue will allow residents to travel safely and efficiently throughout El Paso without a car. The RTS will provide improved multimodal access, increased land development values around stations, and efficient time-travel savings. The proposed RTS stations at Yarbrough Drive and at Midway Drive allow for a higher density of buildings with parking garages to accommodate increased ridership.

Restore Connections

Connections to the Alameda Avenue corridor from neighborhoods to the northeast are few, making crossing over the railroad tracks and canal difficult. A road crossing the railroad tracks and canal should be introduced at Midway Drive to allow more connectivity for these neighborhoods. In the event that a future stop is proposed at Midway Drive, this connection would also allow increased accessibility to transit opportunities. As transit along the corridor develops, pedestrian routes should be enhanced and increased.

ALAMEDA AVENUE - MIDWAY DRIVE TO YARBROUGH DRIVE

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General Recommendations

(I) A pedestrian connection across the canal should be pursued to allow for better connectivity from nearby neighborhoods to the elementary school.

(J) Over time, additions can be added onto existing buildings to complete the streetwall.

(K) Parking should be located in the middle of the block and lined by habitable space. Additional parking spaces will be helpful to accommodate increased numbers of transit riders.

(L) By introducing a variety of new park spaces, a green network can be assembled that improves the quality of life in the area and helps to create more sustainable neighborhoods.

(M) Proposed RTS Stop and transit-ready development to accommodate a revived transit system along Alameda Avenue. This allows for more customers, employees, and shop owners to live within walking distance of the stores and workplaces, thereby keeping the shops viable while reducing vehicle trips.

(N) Affordable housing should be introduced in a mixed-income setting with garden apartments arranged along narrow streets and intimate squares.

Increase Open Spaces and Parks

Greens and plazas should be introduced within close proximity to residences and schools to create opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education. Riverside Park, with the addition of walking paths and civic buildings, can be transformed into a more widely used space. Riverside High School currently has play fields for student use only, leaving the need for community athletic fields unfulfilled. Where nearby space is available, community athletic fields should be introduced. Small informal pocket parks or hardscaped plazas can be integrated as the corridor develops, to break down the uniformity of façades and to create interesting spaces between buildings. Mid-block community gardens should be introduced within neighborhoods to stimulate social interaction, beautify neighborhoods, and provide a catalyst for community development. Community gardens can be as small as one plot, or can be many individual plots. Residents can form a small farmers market, or share produce with neighbors.

PLAN EL PASO Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

ALAMEDA AVENUE - MIDWAY DRIVE TO YARBROUGH DRIVE

CIVIC AND GREEN SPACES

Drainage and irrigation canals are prevalent in the Mission Valley sector of the City. They can be used as trailways or linear parks to act as a spine for a cohesive green and civic space network. Civic buildings and larger parks can abut the drainage canals and tie into the surrounding communities.

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PROPOSED TRANSECT ZONES

The densest areas (T5) should be around intersections to support the RTS stops. The goal of making Alameda Avenue a prioritized walkable corridor can be achieved by making the balance of the corridor T4 to facilitate street-oriented buildings. Lots further away from transit stops within the neighborhoods should transition to more residential T3 zoning.

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STREET NETWORK

Alameda Avenue is one of the main east-west corridors running from Downtown El Paso out to the eastern edge of the City and beyond. The section of Alameda Avenue between Midway Drive and Yarbrough Drive unfortunately currently has few connections to the surrounding street network. This can be largely attributed to the drainage canal and adjacent railroad tracks to the northeast of Alameda, but there are also few connections to the residential areas to the southwest. A new street connection, crossing the canal and railroad track at the end of Midway Drive should be pursued.

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Urban Design Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

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Ysleta is unique due to its history, dense population, and small winding streets. The intricate small streets that are found throughout Ysleta should be emulated as new street connections are created. The character of the streets in this historic community should be preserved and enhanced as new development opportunities arise instead of widening streets to the suburban dimensions found elsewhere in the residential fringes of El Paso.

Coordinate Land Use and Transportation Policies

Land use and transportation decisions should be made in conjunction with one another. A transportation decision was made to locate the end of the Alameda Avenue RTS corridor and the Mission Valley Transfer Center at the intersection of Zaragoza Road and Alameda Avenue. Accordingly, land uses around the transfer center should support that transit decision. For example, successful urban areas, like Ysleta, should not strive to have constantly free flowing traffic and excess parking. If roads are widened and large exposed parking fields created, this will diminish the need for the bus transit system and will also damage the historic character of the neighborhood thereby reducing the attraction of living in or visiting this historic community. Parking needs should instead be accommodated discreetly in small doses in mid-block locations.

Enhance the Pedestrian Environment

The most efficient and effective urban transit focuses primarily on serving pedestrians rather than park and ride customers. In order to facilitate transit use by pedestrians, the pathways from where people live or work must be continuous and enjoyable, without having the need to cross large parking lots or dead zones.

Increase Density Within a Ten Minute Walk of the Transfer Center

Ysleta already possesses a large population within a ten minute walk from the Mission Valley Transfer Center, but to best support transit, additional density should be encouraged. At the same time, pedestrian routes should be enhanced and increased.

Many blocks in the Ysleta area have large landlocked undeveloped areas at the center of the block with minimal or no frontage on a street. By providing access with a series of green spaces and/or pedestrian connections that cross through these blocks, additional housing opportunities can be created in mid-block locations. Where possible, this strategy should be paired with the creation or extension of rear alleys to allow parking and service access to the rear of the properties facing the streets. These new alleys could also serve units facing new mid-block public spaces.

Provide a Destination that Celebrates Tigua Culture

Ysleta is one of the spiritual hearts of the city of El Paso as one of its first settlements. Ysleta is home to hundreds of Tigua tribal members who live within the urban setting and not on tribal lands. Accordingly, a design is required that facilitates a village-atmosphere and places redevelopment in a way that is respectful of past traditions and continuing social relations.

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Mission Valley Transfer Center with street-oriented infill development across Zaragoza Road.

PLAN EL PASO

Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

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General Recommendations

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER Enrich Commercial and Office Opportunities With increased density and increased modes of mobility, it is important to be able to meet one’s daily needs in close proximity to where one lives or works. Alameda Avenue serves many of the community’s needs, but typically at a cost to the pedestrian, in favor of automobiles. Large parking lots should be lined with commercial or residential uses, enhancing the pedestrian environment and eliminating dead zones. This will not only help pedestrians and reduce transportation problems, but will also help in recreating a self-sufficient local economy in the Ysleta area.

Boost Ridership with Tourists The Ysleta Mission offers a unique opportunity as a tourist attraction at the end of the Alameda corridor RTS line. With a connected bus system, the transfer center allows people to easily visit the historic mission from various points around the City. This will additionally help to increase the potential transit ridership in this area.

Proposed Transect Zones Rezoning the Ysleta area, especially within a ten minute walk from the Mission Valley Transfer Center, with transect zones per the El Paso SmartCode will help foster the desired urban form of growth. Rezoning the existing commercial areas along Alameda Avenue and Zaragoza Road as T5 - Urban Center promotes street-oriented buildings which will increase commercial and living opportunities while improving the pedestrian environment. Other neighborhood areas should be zoned as either T4 - General or T3 - Sub Urban, depending in the existing form of development. Transects will help the areas around the Mission Valley Transfer Center keep their existing character while encouraging additional infill over time.

Ten Minute Walk Ten minutes or approximately 2,640' is the distance an average person will walk to reach a transit station or other large destination. This radius from the Mission Valley Transfer Center should be a priority focus area for redevelopment and infill.

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The Ysleta Mission is both a center of the Ysleta community and a landmark destination for visitors to El Paso. New homes, businesses, and services designed in context with the area, and with the pedestrian in mind, can enhance the experience of living in and visiting Ysleta.

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Proposed Transect Zones

PLAN EL PASO Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

Civic and Green Spaces

The addition of mid-block greens and strategically placed parks will provide the recreational space necessary to maintain a healthy community. Ysleta has already begun to establish an effective green network with Ysleta Park, Pavo Real Park and a linear park stretching 1.5 miles including tennis courts, exercise stations, and five playgrounds. Additional green spaces throughout the neighborhood in mid-block locations will further enhance recreational opportunities for all residents and create pleasant walking routes throughout the neighborhood.

Ysleta features many civic institutions throughout and around its neighborhoods which should be preserved and enhanced. These include three elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, a Pre-K center, a senior center, Pavo Real Recreation Center, a Teen Center, several churches including the historic Ysleta Mission, the Mission Valley Transfer Center and Ysleta Del Sur Tribal Lands.

In addition to its generally well connected street and alley network, Ysleta also has the opportunity to utilize the drainage canals that run throughout the area as public spaces. By enhancing these canals and adding walking trails, the pedestrian network can be greatly increased. Whenever possible, new homes should either face or side toward these canals in order to keep them safe and interesting places to walk.

Street Network

Existing Streets: The Ysleta street network is well connected. Many of the existing streets are very narrow and slow-moving. The character of these streets should be emulated as new street connections are created or as roads are repaired and infrastructure is upgraded.

Proposed Streets: Several of the streets within this area dead end. In order to improve the street connectivity throughout Ysleta, these streets should be extended to connect to the surrounding street network. In addition, some new streets can be inserted to break up large blocks and create additional housing opportunities.

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Civic and Green Spaces

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Street Network

Urban Design Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

⬚ figure Street Network with Alleys and Pedestrian Paths

Alleys: There are few existing alleys in the Ysleta area. The network of alleys should be increased to improve opportunities for rear parking and service. Extending the alley network also aids in the ability to better utilize large parcels at the center of blocks.

Pedestrian Paths: The combination of streets, alleys, and pedestrian paths make up the pedestrian network. The more connected and continuous the pedestrian network is throughout an area, the greater the utility for the pedestrian. This will help to increase the distance a pedestrian will walk rather than choosing a different mode of transportation.

LEGEND

PLAN EL PASO

Mission Valley: Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

Alameda Avenue & Harris Street: Change Over Time

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The following sequence illustrates the potential transformation of Alameda Avenue between Schutz Drive and Harris Street looking east towards the Mission Valley Transfer Center.

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Existing Conditions: Alameda Avenue through the Ysleta area is currently not a pleasant environment for pedestrians. The roadway features two wide lanes of traffic in each direction. Sidewalks are narrow and squeezed between flowing traffic and large fields of parking with no protection from passing vehicles and lighting is oriented toward the vehicles. Between the intersections of Harris Street and Zaragoza Road, historic buildings frame the street, but elsewhere little effective spatial definition of the public space exists.

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Step 1: Public improvements can be made that will enhance the pedestrian environment. Travel lanes in this section of Alameda Avenue should likely be reduced to one lane in each direction with a central left turn lane. This creates enough space within the right-of-way to add on-street parking to one side of the street. By widening the sidewalk, introducing pedestrian scaled lighting, and on-street parking, pedestrians begin to have a more comfortable, protected setting.

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

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Step 2: An underutilized green space between the Robert F. Kennedy Pre-K Center and Alameda Avenue should be transformed into a formal public green space by relocating the fence and adding streets trees. Additionally, a local market could be constructed at the intersection that fronts the street and shades the sidewalk with awnings.

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Step 3: Parking lots should, over time, be lined with multi-story local-serving mixed-use buildings. Commercial stores and cafes activate the street while the upper floors can be filled with anything from additional retail to offices to residential lofts. On-street parking helps to mitigate the parking lost with the creation of the new liner buildings and supports street-oriented businesses.

YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

Socorro Road: Change Over Time

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The following sequence illustrates the potential transformation of Socorro Road looking west towards Schutz Drive. This change-over-time is an example of how a typical neighborhood street near the Mission Valley Transfer Center could densify over time.

Existing conditions: The view is dominated by chain-link fences, utility poles, cobra-head lanterns, and wires. Empty lots present an opportunity for infill.

Step 1: Utility poles and wires should be placed underground and chain link fences should, where possible, be removed to dramatically improve the view.

Step 2: Infill housing should be used to fill in vacant lots in the neighborhood. Multi-family housing can be designed to look like a large mansion or house. Low stone walls similar to those found throughout the City can define yard edges and help to separate the public and semi-public realms.

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YSLETA & MISSION VALLEY TRANSFER CENTER

Step 3: Redevelopment or expansion of older housing stock can help make the neighborhood more complete.

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STEP 4: Redesign of the roadway should be undertaken to narrow the curb-to-curb dimension, thereby increasing the perception of visual friction and discouraging speeding. Planting strips should be landscaped with desert-appropriate species and groundcover.

GOALS & POLICIES

Overall Goal: Incentivize development projects of exemplary location and design throughout the City.

Smart Location Principles

Goal 2.1: The City should change its growth pattern away from continuous outward expansion and toward integrated growth that minimizes environmental damage, reduces the need for excessive travel by private automobile, and can be served by public transportation.

Policy 2.1.1: City officials should consider the following “smart location” principles when evaluating rezoning requests and when locating and designing development on public land, seeking to achieve compliance with as many principles as possible.

Policy 2.1.2: Preferred locations for new development are sites near areas with a minimum of 90 intersections per square mile, as measured within ½-mile of the project’s boundary.

Policy 2.1.3: Construction of high-rise buildings should be encouraged only in areas well-served by public transit.

Policy 2.1.4: Development is encouraged to integrate jobs into or near residential neighborhoods, or to re-balance existing communities by adding jobs within a ½-mile radius of residential neighborhoods or by adding residences within a ½-mile radius of concentrations of jobs.

Policy 2.1.5: Development is encouraged on brownfields if site contamination can be remediated.

Policy 2.1.6: Development is encouraged along existing or planned bicycle networks where additional segments and/or secure bicycle storage can be added to the network.

Policy 2.1.7: Development is discouraged on sites or portions of sites within the 100-year or moderate-risk floodplains as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Where development must occur within floodplains, development should be located on previously developed floodplains or in nonconveyance areas without flooding potential.

Policy 2.1.8: Development is discouraged on land outside the current City limits. Policies for land within El Paso’s extra-territorial jurisdiction and for annexation of land into the City are provided in the Regional Land Use Patterns Element under Goals 1.6 and 1.7.

Policy 2.1.9: Development is strongly discouraged within critical arroyos.

Policy 2.1.10: Development is discouraged on land with slopes greater than 15% and on land designated O-2 “Natural” on the Future Land Use Map.

Policy 2.1.11: Development is discouraged on sites where imperiled species or ecological communities have been identified.

Policy 2.1.12: Preferred locations for higher density development and redevelopment are sites in Compact Urban areas, which include the following land as identified on the Future Land Use Map:

a. Existing walkable neighborhoods, identified as land in the G-1 “Downtown” and G-2 “Traditional Neighborhood” sectors.

b. Planned walkable communities, identified as land in the O-7 “Urban Expansion” sector.

c. Future redeveloped and infill neighborhoods, identified with these overlays: “Local Transfer Centers,” “RTS Stops,” and “Future Compact Neighborhoods.”

Policy 2.1.13: The development and redevelopment of land in Compact Urban areas is subject to certain additional policies identified under Goals 2.2 through 2.5. The Transportation Element contains other policies that affect Compact Urban areas. These principles should be utilized anywhere that City projects for retrofit and walkability are desired and practicable.

Policy 2.1.14: Development is strongly discouraged on irrigated farmland unless the proposed development commits to permanently keep at least 50% of the land for farming or to subdivide the land into tracts that are themselves large enough to support small-scale farming.

Neighborhood Patterns

Goal 2.2: The City of El Paso should change its growth pattern away from homogeneous land uses and return to a pattern of compact well-connected mixed-use neighborhoods.

Policy 2.2.1: City officials should consider the following neighborhood patterns when evaluating rezoning requests and also when locating and designing development on public land, seeking to achieve voluntary compliance with as many patterns as practical. While the land development code and state law ultimately dictate what shall be approved by the City, all design approaches that could increase the function, aesthetics, sustainability, marketability, and livability of projects should be discussed as part of the land development process. Consensus approaches should become changes to the land development code. The illustrative plans in various elements of Plan El Paso demonstrate the application of these design principles to a wide variety of sites within El Paso.

Policy 2.2.2: The design of new neighborhoods and additions to existing neighborhoods should strive for a mix of housing types to create neighborhoods that accommodate diverse ages and incomes and allow residents to trade up, downsize, or create multi-generational households without being forced to leave the neighborhood. Housing types include both small and large single-family detached homes, duplexes, townhouses, multi-family buildings, live-work units, and accessory dwelling units, and include both rental apartments and units that can be owned by their occupants.

Policy 2.2.3: Neighborhood patterns in Compact Urban areas should also follow the principles in the remaining policies under Goal 2.2.

Policy 2.2.4: Neighborhoods should strive to have a clearly defined center and edges that vary in intensity and character.

a. Each new neighborhood should have a primary civic space such as a square or green near its physical center.

b. Commercial and office uses at intersections should have direct paths to greens and squares.

c. When edges of neighborhoods lie along major roads, smaller lots can be placed facing the arterial road to accommodate attached dwelling units.

d. When edges of neighborhoods lie along natural features or farmland, larger lots can be placed there to increase the variety of the neighborhood’s housing.

Policy 2.2.5: The design of new neighborhoods and additions to existing neighborhoods should strive for a balance of housing, jobs, shopping, recreation, and civic uses to avoid unnecessary travel and reduce infrastructure and public services costs.

a. Ideally, 50% of new residences will be within a 1/4-mile radius of at least 4 diverse uses such as community-serving retail, services, civic/community facilities, and food retail.

b. New neighborhoods of 300 units or more on an arterial road should provide a viable location for a corner store.

c. Live-work units and a corner store to meet daily needs should be available within a 1/2-mile radius of all residences.

d. Home offices and accessory dwelling units should be allowed on every lot.

Street Design Principles

Goal 2.3: The City of El Paso wishes to create complete networks of multimodal streets with ample shaded sidewalks and frequent on-street parking.

Policy 2.3.1: City officials should consider the following street design principles when evaluating rezoning requests and when locating and designing development on public land, seeking to achieve voluntary compliance with as many principles as practical. While the land development code and state law ultimately dictate what shall be approved by the City all design approaches that could increase the function, aesthetics, sustainability, marketability, and livability of projects should be discussed as part of the land development process. Consensus approaches should become changes to the land development code. The illustrative plans in various elements of Plan El Paso demonstrate the application of these street design principles to a wide variety of sites within El Paso.

Policy 2.3.2: Street networks should contain multiple paths for vehicular movement and should be designed using the following principles:

a. New neighborhood streets should connect to the existing street network in all adjoining areas when practical.

b. Bend new streets with restraint. Bending streets creates deflected vistas, but exaggerated curves are disorienting and difficult to connect to adjoining street networks.

c. No single length of roadway should be completely straight for longer than 2,000 feet to slow the movement of vehicles, and provide visual terminations to streets to make them more appealing to walk. Challenging intersections can calm traffic, such as pinwheel intersections, small roundabouts, triangular intersections, and staggered intersections.

Policy 2.3.3: The following street connectivity principles should be considered through amendments to Title 19 of the City’s code:

a. A meaningful increase in the required link-to-node ratio for Roadway Network Connectivity from the current 1.4 to increase the density of intersections.

b. Dead-end streets and cul-de-sacs should be allowed only when required by topographic constraints or when conditions on adjoining property prevent existing or future connections.

Policy 2.3.4: Street designs in Compact Urban areas (see Policy 2.1.14) should also follow the principles in the remaining policies under Goal 2.3.

Policy 2.3.5: Street networks should be designed using the following principles:

a. Limit average block perimeters in new development to no more than 2,000 linear feet.

b. The connectivity of new streets in subdivision plats should be at least 120 intersections per square mile, counting only streets that are open to the public.

c. Provide rear alleys for access to mid-block parking spaces, to provide an out-of-sight location for utility equipment, and to allow the fronts of buildings to be free of garage doors and parked cars.

Policy 2.3.6: Street spaces should be designed to create prominent public spaces with a comfortable sense of enclosure using the following principles:

a. Provide street trees on both sides of at least 60% of streets, between the travel lanes and sidewalk, at intervals averaging no more than 40 feet.

b. Provide 90% of streets with sidewalks at least 8’ wide on retail or mixed-use streets and 5’ wide on all other streets.

c. Provide on-street parking on at least 70% of both sides of all new and existing streets.

d. Limit driveway crossings to no more than 10% of the length of sidewalks.

Policy 2.3.7: Neighborhood streets should be designed using pedestrian-friendly street section assemblies from the City’s SmartCode (Title 21) or from Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach (Institute of Transportation Engineers, 2010).

Policy 2.3.8: Neighborhood streets should be designed for pedestrians and bicyclists by moderating the speed of motorized vehicles:

a. 75% of new residential-only streets should be designed for a maximum target speed of 20 mph.

Building & Site Design Principles

Goal 2.4: The City of El Paso supports designing buildings and sites in a complementary manner so that buildings contribute to convivial street spaces.

Policy 2.4.1: The relationships between the fronts and backs of buildings are encouraged to ensure that public spaces have natural surveillance from buildings and to avoid the blighting influence created when the backs of buildings face public spaces.

a. Fronts of buildings should face the fronts of other buildings, or the sides where necessary; fronts should never face the backs of other buildings.

b. Residences may face minor and major arterials to avoid presenting blank walls. Alleys can be provided to create a vehicular entry to the lots instead of vehicular access directly from arterials.

Policy 2.4.2: Semi-public building elements such as porches and balconies add to the congeniality of neighborhoods and should be allowed within front setbacks. This applies to porches, stoops, bay windows, and balconies on residences.

Policy 2.4.3: Outdoor dining should be allowed on City sidewalks provided that chairs and tables are placed in a manner that allows a minimum 5 foot clear path for pedestrian movement.

Policy 2.4.4: Building and site design in Compact Urban areas (see Policy 2.1.14) should also follow the principles in the remaining policies under Goal 2.4.

a. The goal of building and site design principles which provide that non-residential and multi-family buildings have surface parking lots placed at the side and rear of buildings may not necessarily apply to G-3 “Post War” and G-4 “Suburban” sectors unless the City has identified a suburban retrofit opportunity where the City will work in concert with multiple stakeholders to adopt an area specific plan that incorporates design standards.

Policy 2.4.5: The careless placement of off-street surface parking lots can blight surrounding properties and public spaces. This blight can be avoided by using the following principles:

a. Non-residential and multi-family buildings should have their surface parking lots placed at the side or rear of buildings.

b. Buildings should have no more than 20% of their lots devoted to surface parking lots, with no individual lot larger than 2 acres.

c. Parking lots should be designed for pedestrians as well as cars with pathways with double allees of trees.

Policy 2.4.6: In non-residential and mixed-use developments, businesses and other community services on the ground floor should be strongly encouraged to be accessible directly from sidewalks along a public space, such as a street, square, paseo, or plaza, instead of accessible from a parking lot.

Policy 2.4.7: A majority of the principal entries to buildings should face public spaces such as streets, squares, parks, or plazas instead of facing parking lots.

Policy 2.4.8: New developments should place buildings close to streets using the following principles:

a. At least 80% of the total linear feet of building façades should be within 25 feet of the sidewalk, and at least 50% of mixed-use and non-residential building façades should be within one foot of the sidewalk.

b. Buildings should have functional entries an average of every 75 feet along non-residential or mixed-use buildings or blocks.

Policy 2.4.9: To achieve a sense of spatial enclosure, ideal building height to street width ratios are as follows:

a. At least 15% of street frontages should have a ratio of 1:1 or greater (a minimum of one foot of building height for every one foot of street width).

b. At least 40% of all street frontage should have a ratio of 1:3 or greater (a minimum of one foot of building height for every three feet of street width).

c. Alleys are excluded from these measurements.

Policy 2.4.10: Encourage a reduction in the percentage of building walls that face streets that contain garage doors or service bays. A minimum of 20% of front walls containing garage doors or service bays should be encouraged.

Policy 2.4.11: Awnings, balconies, arcades, galleries, and colonnades should be allowed to extend into the right-of-way of City streets provided that adequate clearances are provided for pedestrian movement and for right-of-way maintenance.

Civic Space Principles

Goal 2.5: The City of El Paso wishes to supplement its neighborhood and regional park system with small civic spaces that are accessible to all citizens and are memorably placed in all new neighborhoods and mixed-use developments.

Policy 2.5.1: Civic buildings achieve prominence by strategic placement at the ends of streets, across greens, or at the center of greens, and by having grander proportions and materials than surrounding buildings, as described in the Public Facilities Element. Schools, recreational facilities, places of worship, and other civic buildings should be embedded within communities or on the edges of communities within walking distance.

Policy 2.5.2: Civic spaces are outdoor gathering places for public use. Civic spaces can be defined by a combination of physical factors including their size, intended use, landscaping, and the character of their edges, as described in the Public Facilities Element. New neighborhoods should be designed around optimal locations for civic spaces. Civic spaces should not be designated in awkward locations on residual tracts of land that are left over during the subdivision process.

Policy 2.5.3: Civic spaces in Compact Urban areas (see Policy 2.1.14) should also follow these principles:

a. A civic space, such as a square, park, or plaza, of at least 1/6 acre in size should be lie within a 1/4-mile radius of 90% of dwelling units and non-residential building entrances.

b. Scale civic spaces comfortably for users, avoiding civic spaces that are too large.

c. Enclose most civic spaces with building fronts to create a comfortable sense of enclosure; 75% of the perimeter of civic spaces should have a minimum building height to street width ratio of 1:6 (a minimum of one foot of building height for every 6 feet of width of the street that circumscribes the civic space).

Rural & Open Space Design Principles

Goal 2.6: The City of El Paso encourages the protection and preservation of critical arroyos leading from the Franklin Mountains and farmlands along the Rio Grande valley.

Policy 2.6.1: Critical arroyos and farmland are to be protected through policies of Plan El Paso, parkland dedication requirements, conservation neighborhood design, conservation easements, and outright acquisition of land.

Policy 2.6.2: The City shall create a program by which Park Credits could be accepted for the dedication of any arroyo acreage when the arroyo is preserved in a relatively natural state rim to rim, is unfenced, is lined by walking paths at its ridge, and is faced by the fronts of buildings along the dedicated portions.

Policy 2.6.3: When farmland is developed in accordance with Policies 1.5.2, the tradition of farming and open space in the Rio Grande valley should be encouraged by:

a. Mitigating the loss of farmland by placing perpetual agricultural conservation easements on an equal amount of comparable farmland within one mile of the project's boundary, and

b. Providing permanent and viable growing space or greenhouses within the development of at least 80 square feet per residence, and

c. Integrating the development into the Rio Grande Riverpark and Trail System, as described in the Sustainability Element.

CNU Accreditation

Goal 2.7: Increase education and CNU Accredititation throughout the City.

Policy 2.7.1: Continue City education in principles of design through the CNU Accreditation Program.

DOWNTOWN 3

Overall Goal: Direct public funding and private development of exemplary design to the Downtown where it will have economic and social benefits shared by the entire City.

Current Conditions .................................................... 3.2 Community Concerns ................................................ 3.3 Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns .. 3.4 City Hall ......................................................................... 3.5 Union Plaza District as an Entertainment District .... 3.10 Downtown Pathway ..................................................... 3.13 Convention Center ........................................................ 3.14 San Jacinto Plaza ........................................................ 3.16 Downtown Arena ......................................................... 3.19 Downtown Economic Analysis – Key Findings ... 3.20 Goals & Policies ...................................................... 3.22 Downtown Streets ....................................................... 3.22 Downtown Buildings .................................................... 3.23 Downtown Parking ....................................................... 3.23 Downtown Public Facilities .......................................... 3.24

"CITIES HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF PROVIDING SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY, ONLY BECAUSE, AND ONLY WHEN, THEY ARE CREATED BY EVERYBODY." -JANE JACOBS

CURRENT CONDITIONS

DOWNTOWN

Within the Downtown, El Paso boasts a variety of urban open spaces. San Jacinto Plaza, Cleveland Square Park, and the Arts Festival Plaza are high-quality, high-profile spaces which continue to see an increasing amount of use. Neighborhood pocket parks like Armijo Park, Tula Irrobali Park, and the linear greens of 8th Avenue have continued to be the centers of the Segundo Barrio, South Central, and Chihuahuita neighborhoods.

The City is in the process of creating a pedestrian system of greens, plazas, comfortable streetscapes, and pedestrian passages connecting Union Plaza District, Civic Center, Pioneer Plaza, Plaza Theater, Art Museum, and San Jacinto Plaza within the Downtown core. These pathways will cater to visitors from both outside the city and residents by offering an interconnected network of destinations. However, the system is incomplete in segments where pedestrians face hostile environments.

Filling in the gaps of the pedestrian system in the Downtown has been part of a larger initiative to revitalize Downtown El Paso. Efforts have included establishing public and private sector partnerships to stimulate investment in mixed-use developments for vacant infill properties, and encouraging business owners to rehabilitate historic structures. Downtown-wide parking strategies to build structured parking are greatly helping to alleviate the parking need that once encouraged the tearing-down of buildings and destruction of squares.

While planning for the entire City, El Paso has focused attention on revitalizing the Downtown historic core. Both the Downtown 2015 Plan and Connecting El Paso, Building Transit - Oriented Neighborhoods at Remcon Circle, Oregon Corridor, and Five Points and Redeveloping ASARCO discuss prioritizing Downtown development and investments. This Downtown Element looks at some of the potential big ideas for Downtown that were explored during the comprehensive planning process to help revitalize Downtown El Paso.

⬚ figure San Jacinto Plaza is a versatile space surrounded by a showcase of landmark buildings.

⬚ figure Public spaces such as the space between Pioneer Plaza and the Arts Festival Plaza offer visitors a walkable environment with outdoor dining.

⬚ figure Despite success of specific areas like the Golden Horseshoe District, the vacancy rates in the Downtown remain high.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Nurture Downtown - El Paso’s Most Important Neighborhood

El Paso’s community character is not the result of piecemeal development; rather El Paso’s character is found in its compact, connected, walkable historic neighborhoods. Downtown is the most important of these neighborhoods, as it is the central gathering place for the entire City. El Paso could improve its quality of life and gradually construct a better human habitat by growing a more complete Downtown.

To meet this challenge, El Paso must first strive to carefully restore and reuse Downtown’s exquisite existing stock of historic buildings. Next, new development should follow careful study of El Paso’s historic Downtown fabric, in order to grow in a way that is consistent with the City’s identity. The revitalization of El Paso’s built fabric must coincide with improvements to Downtown’s network of public spaces.

Restore and Reuse Downtown’s Historic Buildings

El Paso’s Downtown is blessed with an extraordinary inventory of high quality historic buildings. The upper floors of these buildings, for various reasons, have remained largely vacant over the years. The first order of business for the revitalization of Downtown must be to implement the refurbishment and reuse of these historic structures. Priority should be placed on increasing the residential population in Downtown, thereby increasing vitality throughout the entire day.

Civic Spaces, the living Rooms of the Community

El Paso’s founders had the foresight to plan great public civic spaces within the Downtown. These spaces, including San Jacinto Plaza, Cleveland Square Park, and Union Square have proud histories, but have lost elements of their landscape design and surrounding built edges over the decades. An emphasis should be made to revitalize these public civic spaces so they can fulfill the role the City’s founders intended for them – serving as living rooms for the community. Restoring the civic spaces will require refurbishing the landscape elements such as plantings, paths, benches, and lighting. It will also require reestablishing lost building frontages at the perimeters of these spaces, as a public space is only as good as its edges. Once the City’s historic public spaces have been cared for, opportunities may be found to introduce new public spaces within the Downtown.

Civic Building Opportunities

Downtown El Paso is home to a number of civic institutions, including City Hall, the public library, convention center, and several great museums. These civic institutions, while currently providing invaluable cultural anchors for the City, could also in many cases improve in their capacity to form and activate compelling pedestrian-friendly public spaces. Unfortunately some of these buildings currently sit amidst large fields of pedestrian-hostile parking lots, or face the public realm with large blank wall. A great opportunity exists for these community anchors to lead the way as demonstrations for how to transform fortified building façades and buildings set amidst placeless parking lots into exemplars of street-oriented pedestrian-friendly urban design.

Diversify and Add Missing Uses

Downtown El Paso currently serves primarily as a shopping district, supplemented with civic uses and a budding entertainment area. In the future, as Downtown evolves into a 24 hour environment, it will be necessary to diversify uses and add elements that are currently missing. As residential units are added, a variety of supporting uses will be needed, including grocery stores, dry cleaners, daycare, hairdressers, and coffee shops. Increasing employment opportunities will allow many Downtown residents to live predominantly car-free. As the Downtown population grows, provisions for reopening nearby schools should also be examined.

Locate Parking On-street & Behind Buildings

El Paso’s once connected and continuous walkable urban fabric has, over the decades, become frayed in many places. Sites that once featured street-oriented buildings have been razed and replaced with parking lots and parking garages that are exposed to the street, damaging the pedestrian experience. As El Paso moves forward, parking should encouraged to be located on-street and behind buildings in mid-block parking lots or in parking garages that are lined with habitable space. These liner buildings should be street-oriented, facing the public space with ample doors and windows. This will enhance the public space of the street, making it friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists, in addition to drivers.

STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS

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Illustrative plans demonstrate key community design and planning strategies for Downtown El Paso.

Illustrative Plans

1. City Hall - redevelopment and reintegra-tion into a pattern of walkable blocks and streets. The high visibility of this site from I-10 could also make it attractive to other civic uses such as a downtown arena. See page 3.19.
2. Union Plaza District - development focused around a refurbished Union Square. Expanding the Union Plaza District into the existing railyards.
3. Downtown Pathway - providing qual-ity pedestrian pathways throughout the Downtown.
4. Convention Center - strategies for poten-tial adjustments to make the convention center better relate to the surrounding streets.
5. San Jacinto Plaza - revitalization of San Jacinto Plaza into a more unified signa-ture civic space. Focusing on completing the shaping of the space by examining opportunities for new development.

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CITY HALL

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Great Streets & Public Spaces City Hall and its environs, as they exist today, do not physically project a civic presence. By reconfiguring City Hall’s site, this can be remedied by adding new buildings that use their mass to shape public spaces into well-defined streets and plazas. Key façades and focal architectural elements should be placed in honorific locations, such as facing the historic Cleveland Square Park bounded by the El Paso Public Library and the El Paso Museum of History. New buildings should additionally be designed with adequate permeability, including ample windows and front doors providing “eyes on the street.”

The Value of Increased Connectivity Valuable continuity of the street grid can be reestablished by reconnecting the long-severed Franklin Avenue across the site to Durango Street. This will greatly improve circulation from the Sunset Heights neighborhood into Downtown and will also help facilitate access to the growing entertainment area within the Union Plaza District. This reconnection offers the opportunity to construct a demonstration segment of a “complete street.” With common ownership of property on both sides of the street and control over thoroughfare details, it will be possible to optimize the design of this new segment of Franklin Avenue. The street can be turned into a showpiece of walkability which can help to catalyze additional high quality development on properties throughout the Downtown.

⬚ figure Existing City Hall site

⬚ figure A new City Hall complex configured into walkable streets and blocks with civic presence.

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

CITY HALL

The existing City Hall building is in need of repairs and upgrades. An alternative to repairing the building would be to evaluate entire City Hall site and assess the best use of the land and building.

While El Paso’s City Hall is an important anchor for Downtown that draws many visitors throughout the day, the site is currently devoted to fairly impermeable buildings set within a large expanse of surface parking. Surrounding streets lack spatial definition either by shade trees or by building façades. They are therefore hot, dusty, and uninteresting for pedestrians. This present arrangement represents a valuable land bank.

El Paso’s City Hall site possesses the opportunity to evolve incrementally over time into a great example of urban walkability and civic presence.

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Existing City Hall site

Over time, as district-wide parking solutions are implemented, surface parking lots can be filled with new urban buildings configured into a cohesive network of blocks and streets.

As new buildings are completed, the functions within the existing City Hall building can be moved into newer structures and the existing building can ultimately be replaced.

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Proposed Phase 1 of City Hall redevelopment

Downtown

Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

CITY HALL

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Proposed Phase 2 of City Hall redevelopment

General Recommendations

PLAN EL PASO Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

CITY HALL

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Change Over Time

EXISTING CONDITIONS: Today, the large glass and concrete mass of the existing City Hall interrupts the historic alignment of Franklin Avenue. Building fabric has been lost over time, so in many areas streets lack the proper shaping by the fronts of buildings. A lack of shade from buildings and trees leave pedestrians unprotected from the intense El Paso sun.

STEP 1: As the City Hall site redevelops, Franklin Avenue can be re-connected. A new focal façade with a tower becomes a dramatic anchor for the end of the public square fronted by the El Paso Library and History Museum while new shade trees contribute dramatically to pedestrian comfort.

STEP 2: New development on the City Hall site serves as a catalyst for infill development on surrounding blocks. As streets are better-shaped by infill buildings, they become more inviting to pedestrians and cyclists. The increase in walkability makes new businesses such as sidewalk cafés possible.

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CITY HALL ARCHITECTURE

The new City Hall can fulfill its urbanistic requirements and still be finished in any variety of styles as illustrated by the concept designs on the right.

Urbanistically, the plan for City Hall must conceal its parking, reconnect Franklin Avenue, place a focal building facade facing Cleveland Square Park, and fill the edges of the block with street-oriented buildings.

The architecture of the building must offer widows along the length of surrounding streets to keep the streetscape interesting for pedestrians, provide the safety of “eyes on the street,” and offer multiple functional entries to keep each enfronting streetscape well-traveled by pedestrians. The architecture must have vertically proportioned windows, doorways, and bays to maintain harmony with other buildings in the Downtown. Materials should include textures comparable to the surrounding historic buildings. Colonnades, arcades and galleries could shade the perimeter sidewalks. Ideally, a pedestrian bridge would cross the railroad tracks linking City Hall to the Convention Center site.

Each of the concept designs on the right shows an architectural elevation for Durango Street at the top and an elevation for Sante Fe Street below. Each of the concept designs utilizes existing design elements found in the architecture of El Paso to produce a structure with qualities in keeping with the historic, enduring sensibility of Downtown. The simplest way to achieve this effect is to employ a traditional or classical architectural vocabulary. The top image is inspired by El Paso’s Mission style, the middle image adapts the City’s Neo-Classical vocabulary, and the bottom image uses a Modern style but does so in a way in keeping with the Downtown context.

Each design places a primary emphasis on the Cleveland Square Park facade with secondary masses flanking the facade to achieve variety and complexity. In each case, the building is interesting but not confusing.

The beauty of the concept designs, regardless of style, is to be found in their simplicity, balance, order, proportional logic, and compositional harmony. The architect Christopher Wren said, “Architecture aims at eternity.” In this way a new City Hall should be stylistically capable of permanence. Even if the site for the City Hall changes these principles are still applicable.

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City Hall - El Paso Mission style

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City Hall - El Paso Neo-Classical style

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City Hall - Modern style

PLAN EL PASO Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

UNION PLAZA DISTRICT AS AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

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Historically, the Union Station served as a central depot for city trollies and inter-city trains. The front portico provided a dramatic entrance to the City at a time when trains were the most common form of long distance transportation. Presently, this area is the home of Sun Metro’s fixed-route administration, operations, and maintenance functions. The moving of Sun Metro’s entire operations to the Montana/Global Reach site will cause additional operating costs in serving the western side of El Paso. To prevent the increase in costs, it was planned for the Union Depot to serve at minimum as a satellite of operations.

Union Depot is surrounded by surface parking lots that disconnect it from the surrounding area, which has recently seen a rebirth as a center for arts and entertainment. If configured thoughtfully, it would be possible to consolidate this parking into a structure, making it possible to reconstruct the historic public Union Square in the tradition of Hispanic urbanism with symmetry, order, and the grand gesture of a central gazebo. New, complete street walls enclosing Union Square would form an “outdoor room” of activity. Streets surrounding the square would be pedestrian-friendly and traffic-calmed, with ample sidewalks, street trees, and on-street parking.

Union Square would be a place in which a visitor would be surrounded with quality urbanism and well-designed buildings in the El Paso mercantile tradition. One would know that they have arrived in El Paso and would leave the space with a lasting image of the City.

A reconstructed Union Square would lend tremendous value to other surrounding infill opportunity properties which are currently underutilized surface parking lots. These opportunity sites could be developed with a reestablished continuous urban fabric of multi-story, mixed-use buildings, forming a seamlessly connected network of pedestrian-friendly public spaces throughout the district.

Other uses or additional uses for the Union Depot building itself can be imagined including an academic campus or welcome center. The City must be diligent in providing adequate facilities for displaced agencies or functions.

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Downtown Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

UNION PLAZA DISTRICT AS AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

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PLAN EL PASO Strategies for Addressing Community Concerns

UNION PLAZA

The El Paso Union Depot was designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who also designed Washington D.C.’s Union Station. Historically, the Union Depot served as a depot for city trollies and inter-city trains. Today Amtrak, a national service, still carries rail passengers through El Paso on the “Sunset Limited” which runs between Los Angeles and New Orleans. Union Depot was completed in 1906 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Union Depot was built in a neo-classical style in red brick with a bell tower six stories high located on the building’s northeast corner. Inside the depot, a gallery with a simple balustrade encircled the second floor space. Outside the gallery, a front portico faced the staging area for trolleys and trains and thus provided a quality “front door” to the City at a time when trains were the most common form of transportation.

The Union Depot area was once connected to the Downtown by San Francisco Street which was a major commercial and ceremonial street in the City. With the construction of the Convention Center in the 1970s San Francisco Street was closed and the area was cut off in many ways form the rest of the Downtown.

A square was once located outside of Union Depot just as Daniel Burnham had located Columbus Circle outside Washington Union Station. Plan El Paso calls for the restoration of that square and revitalization of the area around it. The restored square would be an ideal site for a neighborhood center or other uses, such as an academic quadrangle, if a school or university were to locate within the Union Plaza District.

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Union Depot postcard (circa 1920)

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Union Depot postcard showing the square which was once was located outside the front entrance.

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Union Station in Washington D.C. opened in 1908 and was designed by Daniel Burnham. The station retains its front square, Columbus Circle.