City Settles Lawsuit Over Home In Historic Neighborhood

EL PASO, Texas — The city has settled a lawsuit with a family that was trying to build a home in the historic Austin Terrace neighborhood.

The Valenzuela family filed a lawsuit against the city after they received a permit to build the home but later had it revoked because neighbors complained the design didn’t fit with the historic neighborhood.

City officials would not say how much the settlement, which they discussed in executive session, is for.

But Jorge Valenzuela, the owner of the property at 111 Pennsylvania, told ABC-7 it was for about $100,000.

Valenzuela said in a phone interview that negotiations with the city have been going on for more than six months.

He indicated he was not happy with the settlement but will move forward.

The biggest issues with the home, which was never completed, were its two-story height and the fact the garage was located in the front and not the back of the home, like other homes in the Austin Terrace neighborhood.

Mayor John Cook said what is left of the home will now have to be destroyed, leaving an empty lot in its wake.

“They have to demolish. There’s a height restriction. It has to be a single story dwelling and I think they have 90 days to do the demolition portion of it,” Cook said.

Valenzuela said he has not decided what to do with the property.

He called the situation “a lost cause,” leaving him taking his $100,000 from the city and looking for a new home.