El Paso Zoo Master Plan: New Species, Exhibits, & Amenities

The El Paso City Council will review the newest master plan for the El Paso Zoo at its March 26, 2013, meeting which includes dozens of upgrades to the park on Paisano Drive. The improvements will be spread out over the next 15 years and will use various funding sources, including the bonds approved by voters in last November's election.

Africa

The Zoo's African area will include new exhibits as well as upgrades to existing facilities. A new Red River Hog exhibit will be located on the southern edge of the area, while an African Wild Dog exhibit will be on the northeastern edge.

A Crop Garden Exhibit area could house African Crested Porcupine and Radiated Tortoise. It will be located adjacent to the current Meerkat Yard. The exhibits are scheduled for completion in 2015.

Chihuahuan Desert

The northern half of the current Americas area will be completely replaced by a new Chihuahuan Desert Experience which will highlight the largely unseen wildlife of the El Paso region. A Ranch House will contain an array of insects and small animals while offering a view into the new Mexican Gray Wolf exhibit.

Further down the path, visitors will encounter a brand new Jaguar/Mountain Lion exhibit. Adjacent to this will be an Arroyo Experience complete with a flash flood that will rush down a slotted canyon and crash into a glass exhibit window in front of visitors. A large yard will show off a mix of species on the area's eastern side. The new Chihuahuan Desert area could open in 2018.

The Americas

Several new upgrades and species are planned for the southern section of The Americas area. Visitors will first notice a brand new Flamingo exhibit with an updated Spider Monkey exhibit adjacent to the southwest.

Three new exhibits will snuggle into the northwestern section of this area, including Giant Anteaters, Andean Bears, and Humboldt Penguins. The flamingos, anteaters, and penguins will be new species to the zoo.

The Reptile House, Aviary, and South American Pavilion are all current structures that will also receive updates. The majority of the projects in The Americas area will be completed by 2022, though some could be ready as early as 2015.

Asia

This section of the Zoo will have the least amount of new items but still includes various upgrades. New to the Asia Area will be a new Asian Complex that will more than double the size of the current Forest Complex. This will include a new Komodo Dragon yard and other new species exhibits, including Langurs, Asian Small Clawed Otters, and Red Pandas. The new complex is scheduled for completion in 2023.

Additional new species will include the Greater One Horned Asian Rhino and the Warty Pig. A carousel will also be a new addition to the area.

Americas Plaza

The Zoo's central space, Americas Plaza, will be considered a "hub" between the four surrounding Areas. The most notable addition to this space will be a Touch Tank where visitors can interact with Cownose Rays. This interactive exhibit is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Entry & Events Area

The current main entrance to the Zoo will not change, but several new additions will create an Entry/Events section. A new 300-seat amphitheater will present educational animal shows and will include shaded seating.

Nearby, a new Events Tent will be created that will hold 300 or more people. An adjoining Events Plaza, restrooms, and storage building will also be built. All projects in the Entry & Events Area are tentatively scheduled for completion in 2016.

Timeline

"Shovel ready" projects will be constructed first, with more labor-intensive changes coming afterwards. The Zoo will try and premier "signature attractions" at two to three year intervals. The Master Plan shows projection completion by year in its Design & Construction Schedule section.

El Paso Zoo Master Plan (PDF): http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/agenda/03-26-13/03261316.pdf

City Subdividing Vacant Parcel Near Airway/Montana Intersection

A long vacant plot of land near the airport will soon be subdivided by the City in a move that could spur future development, this after recently changing the zoning of the property to SmartCode. A Resubdivision Combination application will be reviewed at the March 7, 2013, City Plan Commission (CPC) meeting.

The 9.3 acre parcel will be subdivided into nine plots in what the application calls a "mixed-use development." Located at the southwest corner of Airway Boulevard and Boeing Drive, building plans will have to be approved prior to permits being issued due to the SmartCode designation.

Two "private" streets will allow access to most of the lots within the property. High Street will travel south into the development from Boeing Drive, and West Street will provide access from Airway Boulevard. In the Southern Industrial Park Master Plan approved by the City last year, High Street will be a meandering avenue traveling north and south through an envisioned shopping, restaurant, and entertainment district. Currently, industrial uses dominate the area.

No definite plans have been revealed for the property, and the City may simply be subdividing the large plot to make it more enticing to developers.

Previously:
Smart Code, Master Plan Coming to Airport Land

Schedule 18 of the Sustainable Planning Regulation identifies one into two subdivisions in residential and industrial zones as potentially following a compliance assessment process unless covered by an overlay under City Plan.
These provisions apply to Low Density, Character Residential, Low-medium Density Residential, Medium Density Residential and High Density Residential Areas. They also apply to the Light Industry, General Industry, Heavy Industry, Extractive Industry and Future Industry Areas.
These provisions do not apply to Emerging Community, Rural and Environmental Protection Areas, which are not residential zones for the purpose of the Sustainable Planning Regulations.
City Plan contains 'overlays' covering the existing residential/industrial Areas/zones in Brisbane. This means that compliance assessment of one into two subdivisions referred to in the Sustainable Planning Act does not currently apply in Brisbane. One into two subdivisions must therefore be lodged using Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS) Form 7 Reconfiguring a lot.
2. When reconfiguring two small lots into two new small lots where there is an existing house within one of the new lots, is a notifiable code subdivision application required?
The level of assessment is the same as for the subdivision to create two new small lots (notifiable code in the Low Density Residential Area).
3. When reconfiguring or subdividing, and retaining an existing house in its current location, is a small lot house application required?
A small lot house application is not required. However building setback requirements will apply.
4. The Subdivision Code states that rearranging boundaries, where no additional lots are created, requires code assessment. Corner sites comprised of two narrow 16 perch lots (10 metres by 40 metres) are often reconfigured into two square lots (20 metres by 20 metres). Is this a rearrangement of boundaries or is it a subdivision? When does a rearrangement of boundaries become a subdivision?
This example is always a subdivision of land and the level of assessment is determined by Chapter 3 (or Chapter 4 for some Local Plans) of City Plan. Reorienting a lot boundary 90 degrees is a significant change to the predominant subdivision pattern with implications for configuration, lot utility and potential development. It is appropriate that neighbours have the opportunity to comment in instances where a code notifiable development application or impact assessment development application is triggered.
The term 'rearranging boundaries' is not defined in the City Plan. The term applies to minor changes to lot boundaries such as a minor realignment of a boundary to remove an encroachment or align the boundary with an existing retaining wall or fence. These minor changes do not have significant implications or impacts, nor do they change lot configuration or utility.
5. Is the area of a corner truncation or widening included when calculating minimum lot size for reconfiguring a lot and the maximum GFA for a development?
Yes. The area of a new road widening and corner truncations where required as a condition of approval (that is, not currently existing) can be included in the site area when calculating the minimum lot size for reconfiguring a lot and the maximum GFA for a development.
If the corner truncation has already been dedicated, then the area of that truncation can only be included when calculating the minimum lot size for reconfiguration.

Asarco Demolition Progressing Quickly; Stacks Come Down April 13

Aerial photos released by the Asarco property trustee show that significant progress has been made in the process of demolishing the property near UTEP. Slides presented at a February 26, 2013 community meeting by Project Navigator, Ltd., show that the majority of structures are gone and slag has been largely removed from an arroyo on the site.

The trustee has also announced that the two looming Asarco stacks will be knocked down on April 13, 2013, after sunrise. Both the 828' and 612' chimney columns will come down at the same time in an event involving pushing the stacks onto their sides like falling trees. Explosives will create a hole on one side of the base of each stack, like an ax creating a hole on one side of a tree, helping direct the columns into planned fall zones. Earthen berms and elevated mist systems will help reduce the spread of potentially harmful dust.

Interstate 10, which runs along the eastern edge of the primary site, will be closed 15 minutes before the blast and tentatively reopen as soon as 15 minutes afterward. Paisano Drive on the western edge will be closed to traffic three hours prior to demolition and could reopen one hour after the stacks fall. There will be no public viewing areas for the event, but local broadcasters are expected to carry it live on television.

The smokestack fall zones are surrounded by berms, highlighted in green.

Another important element to remediation of the site is the rehabilitation of the Parker Brothers Arroyo. The culvert directs much water underground as well as bringing water to the Rio Grande River from higher ground to the east. The project is minimizing groundwater absorption and replacing contaminated slag with soil.

Parker Brothers Arroyo.

All remediation projects on the Asarco site should be completed by 2015 at which time the property can be put up for bid. The Project Navigator team on the Asarco project is headed by Site Custodial Trustee Roberto Puga.

Previously:
Asarco Smokestack Demolition Plan Moves Forward

Asarco Project website: http://www.recastingthesmelter.com/

See Medical Center of the Americas Renderings

The Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) master plan project is currently in Phase Two, and renderings released in the second half of 2012 include refined designs for specific buildings within the plan area. Four concept images show design elements that are more in line with the current Texas Tech School of Medicine buildings.

Clinical Sciences Building concept.

The Clinical Sciences building may develop as a nine story structure, based on its concept image. It will be located on Alberta Avenue between the current Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center clinic building and Raynolds Street.

Medical Science Bldg. 2 is in the background in this image.

The School of Medicine's Medical Science Building 2 will help complete the university area by going up to the east and perpendicular to the existing buildings. In the concept drawing, this building is in the background, and two additional school buildings are located in the foreground, along Raynolds Street.

School of Nursing building in the foreground.

Another multi-story building pictured in the images is the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, which will be constructed at the corner of Alberta Avenue and North Concepcion Street. Additional "Future Buildings 1 and 2" can be seen just to the west of the Nursing building, in front of a pedestrian plaza.

A pedestrian plaza between future buildings at the MCA.

A SmartCode rezoning plan is currently in the works for the site, and a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone was recently approved for the area.

Related:
Texas Tech Adds Nursing Building to MCA

Medical Center of the Americas master plan website: http://mcamasterplan.org/

Northwest EP SmartCode Zoning Moves Forward

A rezoning application for 1,660 acres of land in northwest El Paso will be reviewed at the February 7, 2013 City Plan Commission (CPC) meeting which looks to redefine the area with SmartCode. The City-owned land would ultimately allocate 750 acres of land for development and preserve 910 acres as natural open space under this plan.

Illustrative Plan

A wide range of densities will be allowed within six Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND), "each of which exhibits all characteristics of a complete neighborhood, including a mix of uses, walkable blocks, and dedicated Civic Zones, all within walking distance  of one another."

SmartCode zoning plan for northwestern El Paso.

A dynamic grid of thoroughfares will connect mixed-use main streets to neighborhood centers. Walkability and bicycling will be encouraged in each TND by including wide sidewalks, bike lanes, and sharrows, lanes that are shared by vehicles and bikes. Multiple new paths will add to the existing paths leading into Franklin Mountains State Park.

Neighborhoods will include playgrounds, civic buildings, and mixed densities. Terminating vistas and retail storefronts are stressed throughout and required on certain streets. Blocks are limitied to 3,000 square feet in size.

City Council chose the current plan in March of 2012 after community meetings were held to encourage input from residents. In June, the Public Service Board voted unanimously to convey 660 acres to Franklin Mountains State Park for conservation.

If approved by the CPC, the item will go to City Council for final approval.

Previously: 

Northwest Plan Doubles Open Space, Adds 'Villages'

City Plan Commission item: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/development_services/meetings/cpc0207131330/PZRZ12-00041%20CPC.pdf

Asarco Smokestack Demolition Plan Moves Forward

The trustee for the Asarco property stated last week that the demolition of the controversial smokestacks will move forward. Roberto Puga expressed his commendation to the Save the Stacks grassroots group for their efforts in preserving the iconic columns, but made clear that the deadline for the group to present a viable preservation plan had passed with no plan received by the trust. Mr. Puga made his statements in a press release at the Asarco trust website.

In November 2011, the trustee opted to give the Save the Stacks group 12 months to come up with a way to preserve the smokestacks, including finding a way to finance the endeavor. Late last month, the group attempted to have El Paso City Council designate the stacks as city monuments, which would have required the City to fund their upkeep. The City, however, decided to support the group's efforts in name only, not financially.

Trust's concept land use plan for the Asarco West property.

Mr. Puga has argued that keeping the stacks would make it exceedingly difficult to market the property to potential buyers. Presentations to city groups have shown examples of prosperity on former Asarco land in other parts of the country, specifically at locales where smokestacks were torn down.

Former Asarco site in Omaha, Nebraska.

Now, demolition is imminent, and planning will continue to ensure the stacks are destroyed next year. The trust's plans include a concept of a memorial plaza at the site of the largest smokestack. The lower twenty to thirty feet of the stack would be preserved and surrounded by a fountain. Another concept shows a roundabout surrounding the stack's footprint.

Street-level view of a potential memorial where the largest stack now stands.

Related: Asarco Ready for Development in 2015, Stacks or No Stacks

Asarco Trustee website: http://www.recastingthesmelter.com/

NE El Paso Next In Line for SmartCode

A 451-acre plot of land in Northeast El Paso could be next in line for SmartCode zoning. That's according to a rezoning application that the City Plan Commission will hear at its December 6, 2012 meeting.

The land will be divided into three "New Community, Traditional Neighborhood Developments" which will split the acreage into three pedestrian sheds. A pedestrian shed is an area that defines the distance a pedestrian can walk in five minutes. This, along with interconnected blocks, bike paths, and greenways will encourage walkability within the development. 

The development will be split into three neighborhoods.

The project will be interspersed with civic buildings, playgrounds, and shopfronts, and will focus on creating terminating vistas throughout. Plazas and main squares will be placed strategically within the neighborhoods. A transit center is also planned for the development.

The land, owned by the City of El Paso and managed by the Public Service Board, is located along the southern edge of US-54 east of McCombs Street. Once rezoning is approved, the City may move to hire a master developer, though no timeline is available for the project. The plan was developed by URS Corporation, the same firm that is helping plan the retirement community just north of this project.

Related: NE Retirement Community Could Spring Up By 2013

City Plan Commission agenda: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/development_services/preview_mtng.asp?meetingid=1767

The Essential Posts: February 2012

Our blog came to life back in February of 2012, and there have been over 100 posts so far! Here are some of the posts we believe are definitely worth reading (again) and a few you may have missed, listed here for easy access.

This first part includes stories from February of 2012, the very beginning. Every week, we'll highlight months from earlier in the year, just in case our readers may have missed some interesting stories.


UTEP Hires Firm to Improve Campus Design
According to UTEP's press release, the areas involved are: Memorial Triangle, Leech Grove, Circle Drive (between Old Main and the Psychology Building), the arroyo, the courtyard behind the Physical Sciences Building, and Miner Alley (the walkway between the Sun Bowl Parking Garage and the Fox Fine Arts Building, Miners Hall, Worrell Hall and Hudspeth Hall).

'The Mix' Adds Downtown Housing
A new "upscale, urban" mixed use development has added 14 modern apartment units to Downtown's Union Plaza District. Octavio Gomez, founder/owner of Union Plaza hot spots such as 1914 Lounge, Brick and Mortar, and The Garden, has renovated a century-old building at 518 W. San Antonio Avenue and is calling it The Mix.

Northpark Transit Project May Receive $15.2 Million
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, has recommended that $15.2 Million be included in the federal budget to support the City's Rapid Transit System's (RTS) Northeast corridor. This would include designing the transit-oriented development at the old Northpark Mall location, which is currently being demolished.

City Eyeing Old Saddleblanket For Artspace Project
The goal is to create a "high density mixed-use, arts-oriented affordable rental housing development on the Property containing studio/work and gallery spaces," according to the ordinance. The City entered into an agreement with the EPCF and Artspace in 2010 to produce a project of this type.

El Cruzero to Transform Far East El Paso Desert
A new 228 acre mixed use development is slated for far east El Paso which will incorporate new Smart Code rules. El Cruzero Town Center will be built at the northeast corner of Montana Ave and Joe Battle (Loop 375), and will be comprised of two mixed-use areas, a Regional Center Development and a Traditional Neighborhood Development.


Asarco Ready for Development in 2015, Stacks or No Stacks
Roberto Puga, the trustee appointed to oversee the remediation of the Asarco site, stated this week that he would like one master developer to purchase all 350 acres, which span both sides of I-10, and that the site would be ready for sale in 2015, a short three years away. A new change in the plan includes topping the site with five feet of clean soil and not the asphalt surface that was in the original plan.

New Airport Rental Car Garage to Include Public Art

The City is moving forward with plans to create a three level parking structure at the airport which will be used by rental car companies for pick up and return of automobiles used by travelers. The Consolidated Rental Car Facility (ConRAC) will be located immediately to the west of El Paso International Airport's main terminal, steps away from the baggage claim area.

Concept design of the structure in the Southern Industrial Park Master Plan.

Included in the structure will be Ready and Return areas, customer kiosks, fueling and car wash areas, a light maintenance facility, and vehicle storage for use by the rental companies. It will include 650-700 parking stalls and be designed using Smart Growth and Congress for New Urbanism principles, including a focus on pedestrian accessibility. The final structure will conform with the newly released Southern Industrial Park Master Plan SmartCode guidelines.


The City will choose an architect for the project at its October 9, 2012, meeting. According to the agenda item, the City is poised to award the $2.7 million contract to the firm of Demattei Wong Architecture, Inc. of California. Demattei Wong will develop schematic and final construction designs as well as oversee the eventual $30 million construction project, which will be paid from airport revenues. Demattei Wong has constructed multiple ConRAC facilities around the United States.

A Public Art project will also be incorporated into the structure, and the City may choose Allbritton Lee, LLC of Texas as the artist, according to the Council agenda. The $350,000 project includes the design, fabrication, and installation of the final art piece, which will be incorporated into the parking structure's construction timeline. Allbritton Lee consists of artists Norman Lee and Shane Allbritton who have multiple public art installations around the country, including pieces at Houston's Hobby Airport and Texas A&M University.

An Allbritton Lee installation at Hobby Airport.

The design and bidding phase of the parking structure project should be completed within 10 months, at which time construction may begin.

City Council Agenda: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/city_council.asp?agenda=10-09-12&addition=false

Previously: Smart Code, Master Plan Coming to Airport Land

Smart Code, Master Plan Coming to Airport Land

An industrial area southwest of the El Paso International Airport and commercial areas along Montana Avenue could soon be rezoned to Smart Code, according to an zoning application on the City Plan Commission agenda. The Southern Industrial Park Master Plan envisions pedestrian friendly streets with retailers and restaurants lining the sidewalks, architecturally interesting courtyard hotels with hidden parking, and a 450,000 square foot business conference center, all in a 300+ acre area owned by the airport.

View looking northwest over High Street. A courtyard hotel is in the foreground.

The plan, developed by Placemakers LLC, focuses on two "pedestrian sheds" that lie to the south of the main international airport. The first area is bounded by Airway Boulevard to the east and north, Airport Boulevard to the west, and Montana Avenue to the south. This area would see the densest development.

Full build-out shown on the right.

The main north-south arterial is referred to as High Street in the plan, and would require storefronts along most of the roadway. Retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and office buildings would line the route, which would stretch from Montana Avenue, north past Airway Boulevard, and all the way to a new rental car parking garage that would be adjacent to the main airport terminal. High Street would in no way be a straight shot and instead take a meandering route through the master planned area.

Required High Street storefronts are lined in red.

A business conference center could also be located in this area with between 215,000 and 450,000 square feet dedicated to this use. The conceptual plan shows the location of the center along the Airway Boulevard curve. 

Business Center Options

Concept plans for hotels located in the plan area would require a "courtyard" design, with the building facades lining the streets. Hotel occupants would have immediate access to High Street activities, including restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.

Towers could help draw visitors travelling along Montana Ave.

The second, less dense area consists of parcels between Montana Avenue and Boeing Drive, from Airway Boulevard to Hawkins Boulevard. Commercial and industrial uses would be maintained, but buildings would be re-oriented to line the sidewalk along Lockheed Drive, which runs immediately parallel to Montana Avenue. 

Buildings along Montana Avenue, east of Airway.

The entire project would be built in phases, mostly to accommodate the expiration of current leases the airport has with tenants already occupying the area. Some vacant parcels are ready for development, while the leases on others expire anywhere between one and 16 years from 2012. 

A phasing concept for the more dense area of the plan.

The City Plan Commission will vote on the rezoning application at its September 20, 2012 meeting. If approved, it will go to City Council for a final vote. Due to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, residential uses are not allowed on airport land.

City Plan Commission agenda: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/econdev/preview_mtng.asp?meetingid=1739