City Reviews Northeast Master Plan

EL PASO, Tx. – Ambitious plans which could bring as many as 45,000 new residents to Northeast El Paso took another crucial step forward Thursday.

The City Plan Commission met Thursday and was expected include the broad goals of the plan for about 6000 acres of undeveloped desert north of the Patriot Freeway.

City Council had votedearlier Thursday to hand the measure off to the city plan commission on the condition that hundreds of acres be placed in a conservation trust to assure they’re never developed.

Thursday’s plan included fewer commercial properties than the original plan, and fewer addresses. Storm2006 also impacted the new plan.

The Chicago companythat drew up the plan said selling the thousands of acres to one single developer would allow for a more regional approach to solving the area’s drainage problem. That type of regional approach is something the city’s notbeen able to do in other development plans.

The next step is for City Council to decide if these broad goals will be included in the city’s overall plan.