A vacant property in a long-standing Northeast El Paso neighborhood will see new life as a mixed-use development, according to a current rezoning application with the City. The owner is proposing the project for a 0.23-acre property at 5101 Fairbanks Drive.
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| The Northeast El Paso mixed use project will include retail buildings with zero setbacks. Street trees are included in the zoning plan. (www.elpasotexas.gov) |
According to the project’s site plan, there will be six commercial spaces and two one-bedroom apartments created. The commercial buildings will be easily distinguishable as they will have zero setbacks along Fairbanks Drive, which means the structures will be built along the sidewalk, with parking in the back.
The total area for the retail spaces will be 4,781 square feet. Some of the proposed uses include an art gallery, book store, and flower shop, though no tenants are named in the rezoning application.
The two residential apartment units will be located above the retail spaces and will split a total of 1,509 square feet of housing space. A 190 square foot courtyard is also proposed.
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| An art gallery and book store are two of the proposed retail uses. (www.elpasotexas.gov) |
The project will be built in two phases, with the retail spaces constructed first and the residential areas coming in the “medium term.”
Cavallion Developers, the company developing the project, is applying for rezoning from residential to General Mixed Use to allow for the unique center. Mixed use designation allows for elements such as zero setbacks and reduced parking requirements if approved by the City.
No timeline is available for the project which will be built at the corner of Fairbanks Drive and Shenandoah Street, west of Rushing Road. The City Plan Commission will review the rezoning application at its July 17, 2014 meeting.