Thanks for your petitions! They have been coming in batches of a hundred (or 220 in one case), twenty, one sheet per petition, two sheets and so forth. Hundreds signed on as they awaited the beginning of the Sun Bowl. El Pasoans from all districts and demographics kept saying things like “Keep our mountains natural” and “Don’t let a few rich people take away our view and our access to the mountains.”
If you can’t mail them to me today, call or email me and let’s find a time when we can meet up. I’ve already had nearly a dozen people come by the house with notarized petitions.
If you can, plan now to attend the upcoming City Council meeting next Tuesday, January 11 at 8:30 a.m. Item #7A on the regular agenda is the ordinance to rezone land in the Transmountain Scenic Corridor as Natural Open Space. This is what we have been waiting for. It is important that everyone of us who can will get there on Tuesday. I’ll be honest, because a Traffic Impact Analysis may not be completed and, of course, TxDOT is still weeks away from releasing a final EA (more on both of these below), there is a chance that the vote on NOS may be postponed – a chance. I’ll keep you updated as best as I can. However, even if it is postponed, let the Mayor and City Council representatives see you there!
There is back-up material available online about this agenda item. It includes not just the proposed ordinance and engineering surveying reports, it also includes many of your comments that you emailed to City officials prior to the CPC meeting in November. Take time to email your Representatives now and tell them that you want the Scenic Transmountain Corridor preserved as Natural Open Space:
Mayor John Cook - mayor@elpasotexas.gov
District #1 Rep. Ann Morgan-Lilly - district1@elpasotexas.gov
District#2 Rep. Susie Byrd - district2@elpasotexas.gov
District #3 Rep. Emma Acosta - district3@elpasotexas.gov
District #4 Rep. Carl Robinson - district4@elpasotexas.gov
District #5 Rep. Rachael Quintana - district5@elpasotexas.gov
District #6 Rep. Eddie Holguin - district6@elpasotexas.gov
District #7 Rep. Steve Ortega - district7@elpasotexas.gov
District #8 Rep. Beto O'Rourke - district8@elpasotexas.gov
Also included in the back-up material is the infamous report from staff and CPC and the over-the-top resolution of the PSB – which was a slap in the face of every City Council representative. (At the same time that the PSB passed its resolution, it published a video against NOS – a video requested by Mayor John Cook. Another slap in the face.) However, there is also the resolution from the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. A resolution from the Eco-Tourism Committee of the County of El Paso was just released this morning from Judge Escobar’s office. It supports preserving the Scenic Transmountain Corridor as Natural Open Space and calls for moving the proposed Paseo del Norte interchange closer to the gas line road. It calls on the Public Service Board (which launched a major offensive against open space) to modify its Westside Master Plan and asks that the expansion of Transmountain east of the gas line road be done at grade only.
By the way, Elpasonaturally has learned through a source inside of City Hall that a Traffic Impact Analysis will reveal that moving Paseo del Norte nearer the gas line road will not negatively impact traffic in future development of the Westside Master Plan. Whether that report will be “ready” by next Tuesday remains to be seen.
Certainly TxDOT’s EA that so far suggests that there will be a finding of “no significant impact” flies in the face of your petitions as well as objections that have come from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife – namely, no wildlife corridor, no safe entrance to the State Park and plans by TxDOT to use non-native, invasive plants in landscaping the road.
However, know that proponents of the rezoning the Scenic Corridor do not oppose the overall project to widen Transmountain.
Scott Cutler, the President of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coaltion, says:
“ . . . the Coalition is not opposed to the expansion of Transmountain Road. We feel this is a needed safety measure that will increase the safety of drivers using the roadway . . . I hope it is clear that the petitions are in no way designed to stop the widening of Transmountain Road. Preserving the approximately 700 acres of public land as open space will not impact the widening process as the land needed for TxDOT's right of way has already been set aside for the widening process.”
The issue for TxDOT is responding to Parks and Wildlife and to you, the people of El Paso, regarding moving Paseo del Norte and widening Transmountain at grade only east of the gas line road.
So far, TxDOT has shown indifference to the general public's concerns:
· No safe entrance to Tom Mays Park
· No wildlife corridors
· The unnecessary expense of the Plexxar overpass (estimated at $8 million)
· The threat that, without development of all the acreage in the Westside Master Plan including not rezoning a mere 792 acres as NOS, all of the money for the project will go away – an assertion hinted at by Mayor Cook in his October newsletter and his email responses to you that he has never retracted publicly in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
Enough for now. Let’s get to City Council next Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment