New Urbanism Puts El Paso in Spotlight

City Approached to Help Others Learn Planning Concepts

The City of El Paso shifted its focus a few years back to promoting smart growth, mixed-use, and walkable developments, and now officials in other U.S. cities are reaching out to El Paso when it comes to learning about new urbanism.

Mesa Street near UTEP reimagined using new urbanism and smart growth principles. (Plan El Paso)

El Paso officials developed a nine-week session on new urbanism to help affiliate internal department heads and engineers with the principles of mixed-use and sustainable neighborhood development, led by Mathew McElroy, Director of the City Development Department. Shortly thereafter, the sessions were opened up to local developers.

The fruits of the City’s labors have become clear as developments using new urbanism ideals are sprouting up. The developer of the Montecillo smart growth community has begun construction on SmartCode zoned lots, a first for El Paso, and another SmartCode development, Aldea, is planned immediately to its south.

New urbanism concepts include creating walkable neighborhoods with a mix of housing types. This concept image envisions such a neighborhood for the corner of Rojas Drive and Zaragoza Road where a credit union is currently located. (Plan El Paso)

Now, officials from other cities have taken notice and invited the City to teach new urbanism to their engineers and development personnel. In January, McElroy will run a learning session for scores of government workers in Oklahoma City, and another session is planned for Austin.

An article last month in Governing Magazine (www.governing.com) highlights the City’s efforts and goals in developing the learning sessions.

This rendering shows a new vision for Mesa Street in front of a shopping center which currently holds a Walmart and Home Depot. (Plan El Paso)

The City’s biggest new urbanism effort has been the implementation of Plan El Paso, the extensive planning document that was adopted into the comprehensive plan last year. The plan calls for creating walkable, smart growth neighborhoods throughout the city, incorporating many concepts of new urbanism.

Plan El Paso won the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2011 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement and has been lauded by development agencies and publications throughout the United States.

The entire Plan El Paso document can be seen at planelpaso.org. The Lead Consultant on the project was Dover, Kohl & Partners of Florida (www.doverkohl.com).

Kern, UTEP Areas May See Next Smart Code Initiative

Preliminary zoning plan in the Glory Road SmartCode initiative.

The City will hold a community meeting on Saturday, September 22, 2012 to answer residents' questions concerning the Glory Road SmartCode initiative, a plan to bring Smart Code zoning to areas around the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). This includes the historic Kern neighborhood, the Cincinnati district, Mesa Street north to Sun Bowl Drive, and the Mesa/Oregon/Stanton corridor south to I-10 at the norther edge of Downtown.

Oregon Street looking north to Glory Road.

 A total of 563 acres are included in the effort and will include multiple Smart Code transects, which are zones that define density and building guidelines. 110 of those acres are coded as T5, which is the second-highest density in Smart Code, and targets areas around Mesa Street and the Glory Road Transit Station, and several blocks nearest Downtown.

Mesa Street at Cincinnati Avenue

The Kern neighborhood would receive an overlay of T3, which is a suburban zone, mainly to preserve the historic homes in the area for residential uses. Most properties belonging to UTEP would be considered Special Districts and not subject to coding requirements.

Benefits of Smart Code include:

• Creating a variety of housing choices,
• Creating walkable communities,
• Fostering diverse attractive communities,
• Mixed land uses,
• Preserving open space and critical areas,
• Providing transportation choices,
• Directing development to existing communities, and
• Creating compact building design.

The meeting for the City's Glory Road Smart Code initiative is September 22  from 9 AM to 12 Noon at Mesita Elementary School, which is located at 3307 N. Stanton Street. This is an informal meeting with officials available to answer any questions. No presentation will be made.

Glory Road Rezoning page at Plan El Paso: http://planelpaso.org/2012/08/glory-road-rezoning-information-resident-resources/

Previously:
City Adopts 'Plan El Paso'

Northwest Plan Doubles Open Space, Adds 'Villages'

The firm tasked with developing a new master plan for City owned land in Northwest El Paso has unveiled pieces of the plan in draft form. Dover Kohl held a charrette workshop in January of this year in which it narrowed down the changes to the master plan with the public's help.

Master Plan revision developed by Dover Kohl.

One major change is the amount of open space in the plan, which has increased to 65%, up from only 32% in the previous plan. This means that the amount of develop-able land has decreased from 1,182 acres to 824 acres. Despite the decrease in land that can be used for development, changes in zoning and density account for an actual increase in housing units, population, and employment options in the new plan.

As a result of density increases and use of mixed-use types of development, the plan envisions more walkable neighborhoods. Walking-distances from homes to restaurants and shops could decrease from 4,660 feet to 1,182 feet. Distances to parks and schools could go from 2,957 feet to 824 feet.

Neighborhoods nearest the eastern edges of the plan area could see additional entrances to Franklin Mountain State Park, with trailheads located at convenient points. Other amenities could include many playgrounds, a dog park, an amphitheater, gardens, an equestrian facility, a skate park, and two large regional parks with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, tennis and basketball courts, a recreation center, gymnasium, and swimming pool.

The master plan envisions four or five distinct "village" type neighborhoods built with higher densities towards the center and surrounding gardens and public spaces. Preserved arroyos would run between these villages, providing other opportunities for natural parks and connected trails. The neighborhoods would be built in phases, and the first phase would be closest to existing development.

The Public Service Board voted at its March 5 meeting to approve the changes to the master plan. The next step is to create a smart code rezoning application to send to the City Plan Commission and then to City Council for approval. (There is a pending recommendation from the Open Space Advisory Board that could lead to changes to open space in the final master plan.)

Northwest Master Plan Presentation (PDF): http://planelpaso.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Transmountain-Northwest-Plan-WIP_for-web.pdf
Original Master Plan from 2005: http://www.epwu.org/public_info/westside_master_plan.html

Push for Trolley System Re-Emerges

Proponents of a fixed-rail trolley system have become increasingly vocal in their hope that the City will decide to resurrect a streetcar line in El Paso. Their hope is that the City will include a streetcar project in the coming quality of life bond election that will allow El Pasoans to decide the project's fate.

Illustrative plan from Connecting El Paso, showing suggested redevelopment along the Oregon Street corridor.

The streetcar project of choice would stretch from the Paso del Norte international bridge downtown up Oregon Street to UTEP, a two-mile one way trip. It would cost an estimated $80 Million to construct the line and refurbish or purchase rail cars. Currently, there are eight or nine aging streetcars throughout the city that were retired when the streetcar system was closed.

Conceptual image from Connecting El Paso, showing an imagined streetcar line on Oregon Street with surrounding development.

A 2010 streetcar study conducted by Cambridge Systematics found that the line between downtown and UTEP would be heavily used. The study also found that the return on investment would be 12 to 1, or hundreds of millions of dollars over 15 years. This would include ridership, development surrounding the line, and the effect on tourism.

Map showing the possible route for a streetcar line along Oregon Street, from the Cambridge Systematics study.

Peter Svarzbein, a local artist, is spearheading the effort to revive streetcars lines and place the project on the November ballot. He recently told the El Paso Times, "This is a way to cut down on drunk driving, brand the city and generate tourism. There's only so much the city can do to show clear signs to developers and property owners. It's going to take more than smoke and mirrors to revitalize Downtown. This is a literal investment on the ground."

Old photograph of a streetcar in El Paso, from Peter Svarzbein's Tumblr website.

City Representative Steve Ortega also supports the project and stated, "No one seems to have a problem with large investment made in things like (freeway) overpasses, but when it comes to 21st-century rail projects, there's heartache amongst some."

Possible change over time for the corridor, from Connecting El Paso.

Streetcars are also environmentally friendly since they run on electricity and can entice automobile users to switch to mass transit.

The Oregon line would take the same route that the planned Bus Rapid Transit system would take, for the Mesa corridor. Oregon Street is currently going major reconstruction in order to accommodate the BRT line, which will have a stop at the Glory Road Transit Terminal. The City is still determining which projects to include in the $300-$500 Million quality of life bond election to be held in November.

Cambridge Systematics' El Paso Rail Transit Study: http://50.22.88.223/~epmpo/Rail/RailTransitStudy.pdf
Connecting El Paso study: http://planelpaso.org/wp-content/reports/Connecting%20El%20Paso%20Report_120910_lores.pdf
The El Paso Transnational Trolley Project Tumblr: http://elpasotransnationaltrolley.tumblr.com/
El Paso Times article: http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20135160/activist-has-plan-bond-issue?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com
KVIA ABC7 video story: http://www.kvia.com/video/30644840/index.html

City Adopts 'Plan El Paso'

The City of El Paso on Tuesday adopted the comprehensive Plan El Paso as the comprehensive plan for future growth and development in the City.

Conceptual Image of a Central Park that could replace downtown rail yards.

Plan El Paso is an immense volume of studies, maps, conceptual images, changes-over-time, graphs, and chapters upon chapters of recommendations for land-use, transit, design/aesthetics, and general growth focus that the city will take in the coming years and decades.

Left: Re-imagined Bassett Center changes over time.
Right: Concept of Zaragoza Road as a friendly Boulevard.

Land use is of significant importance in the plan, which includes many images which show changes over time if the standards of the plan are enforced. This includes areas that are undeveloped as well as older neighborhoods  closer to the city's center.

Intersection of Rojas and Zaragoza, re-imagined over time.

A main goal of the plan is to stop and prevent suburban sprawl by designing and repurposing neighborhoods, increasing density and promoting walkability. For decades El Paso neighborhoods have be alienated from commercial and retail sectors, and it is nearly impossible to commute between each without an automobile. The new vision for El Paso includes many areas that incorporate mixed-use buildings, meaning residents can opt to live very near to their employers and to retail and commercial town centers.

Conceptual changes on Mesa near UTEP.

Aesthetic design recommendations also play a large part in the plan. One important feature that is stressed throughout the plan is moving parking lots from the front of the buildings they serve to the back or inner areas. This simple idea can have a big impact and it's a shame that developers have rarely used this design in the city. Tree-lined streets are also important; they help to shade sidewalks and protect pedestrians and bicyclists.

The top left image shows a normal pocket park found in newer developments.
The same amount of space can be used to create much more appealing neighborhoods.

The plan even suggests proper design rules with respect to different styles of architecture found throughout El Paso, devoting many pages to specific rules for each style.

The City has adopted the plan as the guiding principles in future development for El Paso, but it has done so without enforcing these design ideals as requirements upon developers. Instead, it will use the guidelines to try and influence the city's growth wherever and whenever possible. Developers have been extremely slow to warm to the principles of smart growth, and some have been vocal opponents of any change in development style whatsoever, saying that El Pasoans do not want these higher-standard types of neighborhoods. But in meeting after meeting in all parts of the city, residents have overwhelmingly approved of smart growth ideals. Some enlightened developers have already adopted to smart growth principles, which will soon be seen in the Montecillo, Aldea, and Cruzero developments.

Concept of homes facing a linear arroyo park.

 Currently, the City owns a great deal of undeveloped land in the Northwest and Northeast areas of El Paso, and this can help influence the eventual development of those areas. In the near term, the city hopes to focus on specific projects that would highlight the recommendations of the plan. After spending so much time and effort on creating the new comprehensive plan, it's not surprising that the City would like to see much of the plan come to fruition. It is likely that many El Pasoans feel the same way.

Placement of Civic Buildings is important in the Plan.

A current blank El Paso street transformed using Plan El Paso principles.

Plan El Paso website:  http://planelpaso.org/

El Paso Times article on Plan approval: http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20117424/council-oks-plan-smart-growth

Asarco Ready for Development in 2015, Stacks or No Stacks

Roberto Puga, the trustee appointed to oversee the remediation of the Asarco site, stated this week that those interested in saving the smokestacks at Asarco have nine months left to come up with the plan and $14 Million needed to insure and retrofit the historic icons/blights. Puga delayed the demolition of the stacks for one year in order to accommodate the group seeking to save the stacks.

In an El Paso Inc. story, Puga also said that he would like one master developer to purchase all 350 acres, which span both sides of I-10, and that the site would be ready for sale in 2015, a short three years away. A new change in the plan includes topping the site with five feet of clean soil and not the asphalt surface that was in the original plan.

Puga also reinforced that the City has a large say as to the use and design of the land, regardless of who ultimately purchases it. This includes Smart Code zoning and transportation design that can be overlaid on the property prior to sale. Some Smart Code applications have already been approved. The City, with the help of design firm Dover Kohl, envisions a mixed-use development that could include an impact project, such as an arena or amusement park to anchor the property.

Original El Paso Inc. article: http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/local_news/article_53ddb49e-5bec-11e1-8385-0019bb30f31a.html
Asarco Trustee Site: http://www.recastingthesmelter.com/
Plan El Paso Site: http://planelpaso.org/

"Plan El Paso" Draft Now Online

The City's effort to create a comprehensive intelligent growth strategy for El Paso has now been published in draft form. Planning firm Dover Kohl and Partners (http://www.doverkohl.com/) has completed the brunt of the work on the project to create policies that will help dictate the City's future development, and City Council will vote in the coming months on incorporating the new policies into the Comprehensive Plan.

The plan includes many progressive growth strategies, including buildings with little or no setbacks (with parking in the rear of the building), transit-oriented developments that are pedestrian friendly, tree-lined streets, architectural guidelines that promote interesting facades, and layouts that encourage walking or bike-riding.

There are key focus areas that showcase the new ideals, including Remcon/Mesa on the West Side, the demolished Northpark area in the Northeast, Zaragoza east of Joe Battle on the East Side, and long stretches of Alameda near UMC and through to the Lower Valley. Downtown is also very important in the plan, as mentioned in multiple chapters.

It is clear that city beautification is incorporated into most facets of the Plan, as is a focus on increasing the canopy (trees) as much as possible in order to decrease the impact of the stifling sun on pedestrians.

Find the full draft plan here: http://planelpaso.org/2012/04/complete-plan-el-paso-draft-online/

Note: The plan is available in two parts, both very large PDFs. Please keep this in mind when clicking on each to open and view them. They may require long download times.

Cover of the draft plan.