Desert Springs Land Study Seems to Skirt Open Space Requirements

If a developer wants to get away with not complying with the City of El Paso's open space requirements, he will have a hard time sneaking past Dr. Rick Bonart, the newly-elected Chairman of the Open Space Advisory Board. Dr. Bonart called an emergency meeting of that Board this past Monday - in fact the first meeting of the newly appointed Board. The issue: the Desert Springs Land Study scheduled to go before the City Plan Commission this Thursday.

It would seem that the developers of Desert Springs just north of Trans Mountain Road and not too far south of the Franklin Mountains State Park have taken a bit of the land set aside for open space by the previous Enchanted Hills Land Study. The proposal for this residential and commercial area seems to slice and dice an arroyo. City Engineers are proposing to take an 1100 foot arroyo to an "undisturbed" area of just 30 feet - less than 3% of the original width. 3%! Remember: an arroyo is defined from rim to rim and not from the width of the bottom channel.

Open Space Committee member (and newly-elected Vice Chairman) Charlie Wakeem expressed concern that the Desert Springs Land Study might get approval without being vetted properly. Member Lois Balin said that there must be a re-design in order that the approved definition of arroyo is met. A motion made by Jim Tolbert asks that the City Plan Commission delay a decision on the land study until the Open Space Board has had plenty of time to review it. The motion passed unanimously.

There are two other disturbing features to the plan:

Concrete will line the sides of an arroyo unlike a TXDOT solution for the same arroyo on the other side of Canutillo. Do City Engineers want a hodgepodge of flood control devices from start to finish? It seems that they do in order to control flooding with their mammoth ponds and unnatural concrete.

There is no requirement that native plants be used for flood and erosion control. It seems that the City will be happy to use any plant - native or not.

The City Plan Commission meeting will meet this Thursday, July 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the 10th Floor Large Conference Room at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.