East El Paso could see 50K new homes over next 20 years

By Aileen B. Flores / El Paso Times
POSTED: 01/06/2014 03:36:55 PM MST


Construction personnel work to pave a street in the new West Texas Estates subdivision near the West Texas Airport. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)

More than 50,000 new homes are expected to be built in the next 20 years in the unincorporated area east of Loop 375 and north of Interstate 10, county officials said on Monday.

And the county is proposing changes to the exceptions granted to developers under its subdivision code to ensure people have access to a better quality of life.

Under its subdivision code, the county requires 60 feet of right-of-way for a road, the typical lot size for a house is 6,000 square feet and set backs are 5 feet on the sides.

The proposed variances to the county's subdivision code allow smaller lots, although they are required to be within a quarter of a mile from a park.

The exceptions guarantee people access to green space, said Jose Landeros, Commissioner Vence Perez's public policy adviser who is also a member of the Subdivision Variance Committee that worked on the recommendations.

Assistant County Attorney Erich Morales said while the county is still dealing with rural areas, there is an increase in "sophisticated" and "upscale" residential subdivisions that require more planning.

Because the state has refused to grant counties a zoning authority to deal with land development, the proposed exceptions to the subdivision code is the county's attempt to address the issue.

"The county is trying to respond to that with the tools that we have," he said.

The county's subdivision code was created to stop the proliferation of colonias along the border and it has not been updated since the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to County officials.

Morales said these exceptions will continue to prevent colonia development, while it opens the opportunity for unincorporated areas to have nice neighborhoods.

About 20 people from development community attended a meeting a meeting Monday morning where the proposed variances were presented. Many of them seemed to agree with the proposed exceptions. Developers can still express their concerns and recommendations on the proposed variances to the Subdivision Variance Committee. The proposal goes before Commissioners Court for approval sometime in February or early March.

Nahed Khouri, land development consultant for Tropicana Homes, said because a lot of the growth is taking place in unincorporated areas, it's time for the county to take a look at its subdivision code.

Khouri said the proposed variances to the county's subdivision code, if approved by Commissioners Court, may increase the chances of a subdivision to be annex into a municipality. He said the standards at how a house can be built in the county, would be similar to those established by the city.

Khouri said most of the residential development is taking place in the areas near interstate 10 and Eastlake Boulevard, and near Zaragoza Road in the Lower Valley.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at 546-6362.

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