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Commission approves rezoning at 7600 Hunter Foster despite neighborhood objections over traffic and notice
Summary
The City Plan Commission rezoned a 10-acre vacant parcel at 7600 Hunter Foster Drive to C-1 for retail use with a condition limiting amplified-sound businesses; neighbors raised traffic, noise and notification concerns during a lengthy public hearing.
The El Paso City Plan Commission on Feb. 13 approved a rezoning request for a 10-acre vacant property at 7600 Hunter Foster Drive, changing the zoning from R-5 (single-family residential) to C-1 (neighborhood commercial) with a staff-recommended condition restricting businesses that emit amplified sound within 500 feet of a bar.
Planning staff said the site is designated G4 (suburban walkable) on the Plan El Paso future land use map and that notices were mailed to property owners within 300 feet on Jan. 30, 2025. Staff reported one phone call in opposition, two emailed letters of opposition and one inquiry; staff also reported a phone call in support from a neighborhood association. A traffic impact analysis (TIA) was completed and approved by Streets and Maintenance, staff said.
Neighbors and community members spoke at the public hearing, expressing concerns about traffic congestion, safety for children using the nearby Enchanted Hills Park, noise, light pollution and property values. Several speakers said they had not received notice or that notices did not reach many residents because the site is bordered by undeveloped lots and new subdivisions; staff and the applicant responded that City code requires direct mail to property owners within 300 feet and that signs were posted at the site beginning in September or October.
Planning staff and the applicant said the request had been lowered from earlier proposals (C-3 and C-2) and that C-1 was the agreed zoning; staff noted that the TIA had been prepared when a higher-intensity zone was proposed but that the current C-1 request is less intensive. The applicant confirmed concurrence with staff conditions.
After public comment and staff responses, the commission voted to approve the rezoning with the recommended condition. The approval is subject to the conditions listed in the staff report and any additional administrative requirements before finalization.
The item drew extended public comment from residents who live near Enchanted Hills Park and who said safety and traffic are their main concerns.
