County Eco-Tourism Committee Supports Open Space

Ruben Vogt, the Director of Public Policy for County Judge Veronica Escobar, announced this morning that the County of El Paso Eco-tourism Committee supports a resolution in favor of preserving the Scenic Transmountain Corridor as Natural Open Space while calling 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.

Here is the full resolution:

Resolution Supporting Re-Zoning Land in the Transmountain Scenic Corridor as Natural Open Space

WHEREAS: the Transmountain Scenic Corridor in northwest El Paso is the only scenic corridor and can be preserved by rezoning it as Natural Open Space and by creating a conservation easement which will keep the land as Natural Open Space in perpetuity;

WHEREAS: the City Council of El Paso, Texas directed City staff to initiate the process for rezoning at its regular meeting on October 12, 2010;

WHEREAS: amenities such as open space, parks, additional outdoor recreational opportunities and scenic beauty will attract quality businesses and industries to re-locate to El Paso and offer higher-paying, quality jobs;

WHEREAS: the Public Service Board’s selling land for the Westside Master Plan will not significantly affect or reduce water rates and, in fact, additional infrastructure costs associated with land sales, result in a net loss to rate payers;

WHEREAS: development on the mountain side will require additional City services in the way of fire, police, schools, roads and more and those services become a heavier burden on us as tax payers;

WHEREAS: our community as a whole benefits from natural open space and scenic beauty;

WHEREAS: preserving the Transmountain scenic corridor by rezoning approximately 800 acres as Natural Open Space will not hold up the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposal for improvements to Transmountain from I-10 to the entrance to the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park nor jeopardize the $80 million for the project as some have misrepresented;

WHEREAS: the Open Space Advisory Board of the City of El Paso has recommended moving the proposed Paseo del Norte interchange west toward Gas Line Road and expanding the current two lanes to four at grade only from Gas Line to the State Park entrance as a further means of preserving the scenic corridor;

WHEREAS: that expansion can be done because of right of ways given to TxDOT by the PSB in exchange for conduits under Transmountain;

WHEREAS: necessary major and minor water utility infrastructures can be built on land zoned as Natural Open Space so that our fellow El Pasoans in adjacent areas can be provided with water and sewer services;

WHEREAS: the Westside Master Plan was created one year before the 2006 floods and needs major revision;

WHEREAS: the City, since 2006, has adopted Smart Growth policies and made other major changes to land planning that were not available when the Westside Master Plan was created and which are beneficial to all El Pasoans;

WHEREAS: Transmountain Road and the Westside Master Plan will impact our family’s and neighborhood’s quality of life for decades to come and those plans should be modified to protect the scenic corridor of Transmountain Road and reflect principles of Smart Growth, Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development which are better for the environment and for protecting the cherished beauty of our mountains;

THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY:

RESOLVED: The Eco-tourism committee strongly supports the City Council’s direction to staff on October 12, 2010 to rezone land in the Transmountain Scenic Corridor as Natural Open Space and to seek a conservation easement which will keep the land as Natural Open Space in perpetuity;

RESOLVED: The Eco-tourism committee supports moving the Paseo del Norte interchange to a location closer to Gas Line Road and expanding lanes east of Gas Line Road at grade only;

RESOLVED: The Eco-tourism committee asks City Council to direct City staff and the PSB to modify the Westside Master Plan in light of newer ways to protect natural open space while maximizing the use of developable land;

RESOLVED: The Eco-tourism committee requests that TxDOT modify their plans for improvements along Transmountain from I-10 to the entrance to Tom Mays Park to comply with the conditions of this resolution and do so immediately so that money for the project will not be lost.