City Planning Commission approves package of subdivision and rezoning items; sidewalk and parking exceptions noted

The El Paso City Planning Commission on March 26 approved a package of subdivision, resubdivision and rezoning requests, granting the exceptions applicants requested for sidewalks, planter strips and right-of-way in several cases and approving two apartment-related items that increase housing capacity.

Commissioners approved the following matters after staff presentations and brief applicant remarks: Store and Estates (major combination subdivision with three exceptions), Boardwalk at the Outlet (major final with a requirement that a major thoroughfare plan amendment be approved prior to recordation), LFC Subdivision (major combination with four exceptions), El Bronco De Allende Estates (major combination with one sidewalk exception in TxDOT right of way), Tierra Del Este Unit 94 (major combination with modification to allow Block 119 to exceed the 2,400-foot block-perimeter standard), IB Interstate Industrial Center 1 (resubdivision/combination with sidewalk exceptions requested), Richmond Unit 4 Replat A (resubdivision/combination with sidewalk and roadway exceptions) and a pair of items to add eight apartment units via rezoning and a special permit (items 13 and 14).

Why it matters: These approvals allow multiple developers to move to final plat or permit stages for projects that will create commercial lots, residential lots and multi-family capacity. Several approvals included exceptions to bring new plats into alignment with existing, substandard street conditions; those exceptions generally were justified by staff as meeting Title 19 criteria and as matching existing conditions on the streets.

Highlights and key details

- Store and Estates (major combination): Applicant requested three exceptions — to waive 6 feet of sidewalk along South Desert Boulevard, to waive a 5-foot planter strip along Thorne Avenue and to waive 1 foot of roadway along Thorne Avenue. Staff recommended approval; the commission approved the item with a caveat that sidewalks be provided if TxDOT later allows them.

- Boardwalk at the Outlet (major final): Final plat approved on condition that the major thoroughfare plan amendment be approved by city council before final recordation.

- LFC Subdivision: Applicant requested waivers including a 10-foot dedication of right-of-way and other roadway/planter modifications to match existing conditions; staff recommended approval and the commission approved as proposed.

- El Bronco De Allende Estates: Request to waive 1 foot of sidewalk along Alameda Avenue (TxDOT right of way). Staff recommended approval; the commission approved. Staff agreed to investigate an adjacent pile of tires reported by a commissioner to verify compliance with storage requirements.

- Tierra Del Este Unit 94: Approved with condition that the applicant landscape the rear of double-frontage lots in accordance with Title 19; the case was found to conform to an existing Tierra Del Este land study and was granted vested-rights status for earlier submittals.

- IB Interstate Industrial Center 1: Applicant proposed 5-foot sidewalks where Title 19 requires 6 feet. Planning staff and the applicant cited existing 5-foot sidewalks in nearby TxDOT right-of-way and TxDOT concurrence. A commissioner moved to approve WITHOUT the exceptions (i.e., requiring a 6-foot sidewalk), and the commission ultimately approved the item without the sidewalk exceptions (the commission required the 6-foot sidewalks).

- Richmond Unit 4 Replat A: Applicant requested to waive a 5-foot sidewalk and 3.7 feet of roadway to match existing cul-de-sac conditions; staff recommended approval and the commission approved.

- Items 13 and 14 (2821 North Kansas Street): A rezoning from A-2 to A-3 and a special permit for additional apartment units and a parking reduction were approved; the applicant presented a parking study showing off-site spaces available and neighborhood representatives indicated no objection after meetings.

Quotes reflecting process and concerns

"If TxDOT does allow the sidewalks, the client will provide the sidewalks along the I-10 service road," a planning commissioner said while moving approval of item 3. "We really have to coordinate that with TxDOT when that time comes," applicant Conrad Conde with Conde Incorporated said about street improvements along the I-10 corridor.

Ending

Most votes on the consent and regular plats were routine approvals after staff presentations and applicant concurrence with staff conditions. Commissioners asked staff to pursue follow-up checks (for example, to verify a reported pile of tires near one site). Several approvals included conditions tied to later, external approvals such as thoroughfare-plan amendments or TxDOT acceptance for work in state right-of-way.