Work-in-Progress Presentation gets 86% Approval

The project team hosted a Work-in-Progress presentation summarizing the work accomplished during the East Side charrette on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at the Riverside High School. Attendees were asked if the plan was generally on the right track and 72% answered “yes” and 14% answered “probably yes”. Photos from the charrette process can be found on the process photos page and the complete presentation can be found below..  

East Side Charrette Work-in-Progress Presentation

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Community Hands-On Design Session at Ysleta High School: Establishes Common Themes for the Future of Mission Valley and the East Side

(EL PASO, TX) Wednesday, November 10^th – On Wednesday evening, citizens gathered at Yselta High School for a hands-on design session to plan the future of Mission Valley and the East Side of El Paso.  Mathew McElroy, Planning Director for the City of El Paso opened the meeting, while Dover-Kohl principal Joe Kohl and project director Jason King gave an overview of the Comprehensive Plan process and a food-for-thought presentation on livable community building.  Transportation planner Jacob Riger of Charlier Associates presented on livable transportation concepts.  City Council representative Eddie Holguin Jr. was in attendance, as well as Jang Shang, Deputy City Manager for Mobility Services, and Katie Updike, City Plan Commission Chair.  A registered translator was present throughout the event for Spanish speaking participants.

Working side by side in eight small table groups, neighbors, business owners, City Staff and public officials, worked together on three planning exercises.  The first exercise was a visual preference survey, where participants were asked to vote on photographs of different types of housing, streets, civic buildings, and commercial properties around the city.  The second exercise focused on big-picture Comprehensive Plan issues and their application throughout the East Side of El Paso.  Participants provided input on issues ranging from long-term growth and development to transportation, economic development, and coordination with Fort Bliss.   The third exercise focused on urban design and community character for different small areas in Mission Valley and along the Alameda Corridor.  With over 60+ people in attendance, the community generated consensus around several ideas regarding future growth and redevelopment, which became evident as representatives from each table presented their group’s ideas.

Some of the concepts that emerged from the hands-on session included:

• Provide hiking and biking trails in the desert
• Restore historic buildings
• Create mixed-use development around transit
• Improve walkability along Alameda Avenue with lights, shade trees, and sidewalks
• Create public trails and parks along the Rio Grande
• Integrate community facilities such as libraries and parks into the neighborhood fabric
• Enhance neighborhoods in Mission Valley
• Enhance Paisano & Alameda as a revitalized intersection
• Provide a better system to handle flooding
• Provide economic development opportunities near the Medical Center of the Americas
• Incorporate the population increase associated with Fort Bliss into the City
• Add hospitals and other services throughout the Eastern side of the City
• Provide additional green spaces in the lower valley

Interested citizens have additional opportunities in the coming week to participate and to provide Dover, Kohl & Partners with feedback on the City-wide Comprehensive Plan.  The Comprehensive Plan design studio at 1700 N. Zaragoza, Suite 154 in the Zaraplex shopping center will be open for public input and meetings from November 8th-13th, as well as on November 15th.  An Open House will be held on Saturday, November 13th from 1:00pm 5:00pm at the design studio.  A Work-In-Progress presentation of the design work completed during the two weeks will be held on Tuesday, November 16th from 5:30-8:00pm at Riverside High School at 301 Midway Drive.

City of El Paso Seeks Input from its Youngest Planners

(El Paso, Texas) November 11, 2010 — Dover, Kohl & Partners, working with the City of El Paso and the El Paso Independent School District, worked with elementary students this week to gather input for the City’s Comprehensive Plan rewrite, Plan El Paso.  On Tuesday morning, November 9^th, members of the Dover Kohl team joined City of El Paso staff at Ysleta Elementary School to work with 55 sixth graders, their teachers and principal Homero Silva.  The morning began with a welcome by Carlos Gallinar, Comprehensive Plan Manager for the City of El Paso, followed by a presentation by Natalie Ruiz of IPS Group, a planning firm working with Dover, Kohl & Partners.  Ruiz introduced the Comprehensive Plan process to the students, and educated them on livable urban design and planning, showing them examples of different neighborhoods in East El Paso and how they can be transformed with walkable streets, parks, and mixed-use centers.

Following the presentation, the students worked in groups with a facilitator from the City of El Paso or the Dover Kohl team.  Students shared drawings they made of their favorite places, including parks, their elementary school, and their house.  The students then worked on base maps depicting an aerial of their elementary school and the neighborhoods within a 5-minute walk of their school.  The students were asked to identify their favorite places near the elementary school, to draw the paths that they take to walk around the school, and to propose improvements to the area, such as new sidewalks, crosswalks, gardens, and new lands uses.  Students identified potential for community gardens, shade trees, crosswalks, benches, new housing for families coming from Juarez, and new restaurants and shops along Alameda.  At the end of the session, each table presented their work to the group.  Principal Homero Silva wrapped up the session by explaining the importance of the event, and the fact that the students were planning for the next 30 years of their city.

On Wednesday morning, November 10^th, the Dover-Kohl/City of El Paso team worked with a group of 52 4^th and 5^th grade students at Eastwood Heights Elementary School.  City staff and the Dover Kohl team spoke to the students and emphasized the importance of planning for the future and “thinking big” for their community.  The Principal, Emilio Quiroz, and teachers joined the planning team to work with the students.  As at Ysleta Elementary, students brought drawings and photos of their favorite places, images of local malls, large-format retail centers, and fast-food restaurants ranking high amongst the students. After sharing their images with the group, the students worked in small table groups to plan the area within a five-minute walk of their Elementary school.  Some of the students’ suggestions included adding amenities to existing parks in the area, such as new soccer fields, and providing more ways for children to get around town safely, such as additional sidewalks and more bus routes and bus stops.  At the end of the session, students presented their work to the larger group.

The results of the hands-on design session and the students’ work is available for viewing until Monday, November 15^th at the Plan El Paso Design Studio, located at 1700 N. Zaragoza, Suite 154.  The public is encouraged to stop by to view all the public input to date as well as the work-in-progress.