Plan commission denies rezoning for 76‑unit plan near Montoya Lane after residents raise traffic and drainage concerns

The El Paso City Plan Commission on May 8 denied a rezoning request that would have rezoned a 9.62‑acre vacant site north of Montoya Lane to a mix of planned residential (P R‑2) and C‑1 commercial. The conceptual plan submitted with the application showed up to 76 single‑family units on the residential parcel and two retail buildings on the commercial parcel.

Why it matters: Neighbors and commissioners said Montoya Lane and surrounding streets already face congestion and safety issues. Speakers also raised concerns about arroyo/drainage paths across the site; commissioners concluded the public impact and unresolved traffic concerns outweighed the rezoning’s benefits and voted to deny the request.

What staff presented Saul Pina of Planning and Inspections summarized the request and noted the parcel’s Plan El Paso designation as G‑3 (post‑war), a category staff considers suitable for supplemental housing and limited commercial. Pina described the proposed plan as conceptual and not binding, explained staff’s recommended conditions if rezoning were approved (landscape buffers, a site‑development plan, limits on outdoor amplified sound and a 500‑foot separation for on‑premise alcohol sales), and noted the planning division received one phone call in opposition citing traffic.

Public comment and neighborhood issues Several residents and neighborhood representatives spoke in opposition. Speakers described Montoya as a narrow, often congested route used to access the freeway and other subdivisions; they flagged existing heavy commercial vehicle traffic, safety risks for emergency vehicles, and an arroyo/drainage alignment that had been recently modified with culverts and that residents said could channel storm flows toward neighboring yards. Residents asked for more detail on ingress/egress improvements and a traffic impact analysis (TIA) prior to a zoning decision.

Applicant reply and design intent The applicant’s representative said the project team intends to widen Montoya to the city collector standard in front of the project and to provide shared‑maintenance open space, internal circulation and design features similar to recent planned residential developments elsewhere in the city. The representative said the P R‑2 district allows higher density and design flexibility including consolidated open space and shared alleys; he said the proposed single‑family homes would be comparable in footprint to nearby homes.

Commission discussion and outcome Commissioners focused on traffic and emergency‑access risks, the arroyo and how future platting would address drainage. Some commissioners expressed support for infill housing but said a higher‑density P R‑2 designation without a completed traffic analysis and detailed design left too many unresolved impacts for the neighborhood. A motion to deny the rezoning carried on the record; the denial preserves the site’s existing R‑3 residential zoning.

What happens next With the rezoning denied, the applicant may revise the proposal, address traffic/drainage concerns and resubmit. If the applicant refiles, Streets and Maintenance and Planning will likely require a traffic impact analysis and engineering solutions for drainage and access as part of any later platting and permit reviews.

Action recorded Motion: deny rezoning to P R‑2 and C‑1 for the site north of Montoya Lane. Outcome: denial recorded and item closed.