Northeast El Paso residents fight back against new housing development

El Paso City’s Open Space Advisory Committee got an earful from Northeast residents Wednesday afternoon, upset about a new housing development set to be built in their backyards.

“Sierra del Puerte” includes about 175 acres of land just west of Magnetic Street, connecting to Edgar Park.

The Richards enjoy their Northeast El Paso backyard, with an unfettered view of the Franklin Mountains.

“We have Cardinals, we have woodpeckers, we’ve also seen golden bald eagles,” said resident Sylvia Richards. “Once they start building, where are they all going to go?”

The encroaching new development has Sylvia and her neighbors concerned, about 319 new homes to be built on the Franklin’s foothills.

“All this rain that’s been coming down,” Richards said, “could be flood zones. When that becomes pavement, when that becomes streets, where’s all that water going? Right into our backyards, and straight into our dens.”

Public comment nearly became overwhelming at the meeting, the number of angry residents in attendance forcing the board to limit time. These residents are up against fierce odds, the land is zoned for mountain development, and the developers land study met all the requirements, including protecting the area’s arroyos. At this point, it legally cannot be stopped.

“It doesn’t mean that we can’t preserve it, I think it puts the responsibility on those who want to preserve it to work with the land owners, to work with the different entities that have the resources available and find some type of common ground,” said State Rep. Joe Moody (D-78).

The city or state could possible buy the land to preserve it, and both City Rep. Carl Robinson and Moody said they’re looking at different options.

“All of this is natural habitat and the mountains here in El Paso, these are what make el paso so unique in the Southwest,” Richards said. “Yes we may be a desert, but this is the Paso Del Norte.”

Former Mayor John Cook, who also lives in the area, suggested asking Rep. Carl Robinson to put this on the city council agenda for discussion.