An overwhelming 88 percent of voters in El Paso have given their approval to a proposition protecting some 1,100 acres from any future development.
Proposition A was put on the local ballot due to a citizens’ petition objecting to a vote by the El Paso City Council creating a new tax increment reinvestment zone.
That zone would have allowed for tax revenues to be used to pay for a variety of storm water, sewer, and street infrastructure in an area just east of the Franklin Mountains State Park.
That area included the Lost Dog Trailhead, a popular space valued by locals for its biking and walking trails.
City council members voting in favor of the zone said that up to 9,400 housing units could eventually be built in the area, in addition to 829,000 square feet of commercial space.
In response to controversy regarding the creation of the reinvestment zone, and a possible ballot referendum, the council in September approved a two-year moratorium on any new building in the area.
How the city will respond to the ballot results, and whether a new reinvestment zone will be created for another part of El Paso, has not yet been determined.
By Garry Boulard