A date has been set for a City Council decision regarding a hillside development in West El Paso. The developer is seeking approval for changes to the detailed site development plan for the property, a project which is slated for the slopes of Crazy Cat mountain overlooking the historic Kern Place district.
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| Much of the Kern View property will remain as open space, with the 60 residential units creating a winding row of townhouse-type single family homes with zero setbacks towards the center. The project will take shape on the Crazy Cat mountain hillside in West El Paso if approved by City Council next month. |
Kern View Estates Unit Two will now contain 60 attached single-family residences, under the new plan, which will line a small loop, according to a site plan included in the latest application. There will also be a clubhouse located at the site.
The change comes years after City Council approved a previous development plan, which contained a proposal for 17 single-family residential lots, with the smallest lot occupying 16,357 square feet. The smallest lot in the new plan will be 986 square feet in size.
Setbacks in the new plan will be reduced to zero, while the maximum allowable structure height will increase to 37 feet. Parking will be available via ground level garages at the base of the residential buildings.
Another change is the access point to the neighborhood. The newest plan indicates that Metetuye Lane will be the street used to access the development, off of Okeefe Drive. Previously, plans were to extend Piedmont Drive northward into the development.
The City has received two letters of opposition and a petition with 107 signatures against the latest proposal by the developer, which received similar opposition for the previous development plan four years ago. City Plan Commission members were split when they voted on the new plan in May, approving the plan on a 4-3 vote.
City Council will consider the item at its August 19, 2014 meeting. The property is owned by Piedmont Group of El Paso. There is no mention of a timeline within the application.