New Business, New Homes, More Traffic Congestion?

By Martin Bartlett

EL PASO — Traffic congestion concerns surrounding new developments across the city are under new scrutiny.

City officials and engineersare trying to figure out how much developers should pay for their impact on existing infrastructure. Some of the biggest commercial developments have turned into some of the biggest traffic headaches.

From Zaragoza near the Las Palmas marketplace to thenew Outlet Shoppes of El Paso in the Northwest,traffic tieupsare becoming more commonplace than drivers, residents and city officials would like.

Leaderswant developers to help offer solutions for gettingtraffic in and out.A new 200-home mixed-use development is under construction near I-10 and Executive Blvd.

The new West Side development is right in the middle of city representative Beto O’Rourke’s district. He recently raised these concerns about legal compliance versus driver convenience.

“As far asI know from talking to city engineer Alan Shubert, everything that they’re doing so far has been legal,” O’Rourke said.

Right now, legally,developersaren’t required to accommodate or even study the impacts of land development on traffic surrounding their properties. That’s why the city is reviewing it’s entire subdivision ordinance.

“I think it’s very easy to say that development in El Paso is being done according to the laws, it’s not as easy to say that it’s going to develop a quality neighborhood,” O’Rourke said.

Leaders like O’Rourke confirm developers are going by the book, but he, along with other leaders say perhaps the ordinances and laws need to be rewritten.

Right now, city officials and engineers can only suggest to land developers to study growth impact. As far as requiring those studies, there is little movement there.