Commission approves Dorothy Woodley Hahn resubdivision; staff says stormwater will flow to nearby pond

The El Paso City Plan Commission on July 17 approved the Dorothy Woodley Hahn resubdivision/combination, a 2.03-acre consolidation to create a single lot and granted multiple exceptions to match existing street conditions.

Alonso Hernandez of Planning and Inspections presented the case, explaining the request would waive construction of a 1-foot planter strip along Davis Drive, waive dedication and construction of 4.5 feet of additional right-of-way and a 5-foot planter strip along Durban Circle, and allow the sidewalk to abut the roadway on Durban Circle. "Notice of public hearing was published in the El Paso Times and were sent to the property owners within 200 feet on June 26, 2025," Hernandez said; staff reported one phone call in support as of the hearing.

Commissioners questioned stormwater handling given the site's location in the Lower Valley near the Rio Grande. Hernandez and applicant representative Bobby Gonzalez of Quantum Engineering said the parcels discharge by surface runoff into a nearby public pond and that land-development review found the pond has capacity to contain runoff from the site and surrounding area. "Currently all the existing stormwater runoff from this site does go into Durban or Davis. We're actually reducing the square footage of the building," Gonzalez said, adding the project would remove an unsound section of an existing structure and add a smaller building, which would reduce impervious area.

With no public speakers at the hearing, commissioners moved to approve the resubdivision/combination and the requested exceptions by voice vote; the motion carried.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the final plat and the requested exceptions; staff noted the waiver requests were to match existing street conditions rather than require new construction.