Planned residential development.
El Paso City Code § 20.10.470
in effect20.10.470 - Planned residential development.
A. A planned residential development shall occupy at least the minimum site area established in the district regulations. City council may approve a special permit for a planned residential development with general lot sizes and setbacks below the minimum of the underlying zoning district. The proposed development shall additionally meet the following requirements necessary to protect the public health, safety and general welfare of the community and in order to foster the attractiveness of a residential development and its surrounding neighborhoods:
1. Evaluation Criteria.
a. Proposed buildings shall be sited harmoniously to the terrain and to other buildings in the vicinity that have a visual relationship to the proposed buildings. For purposes of this subsection, harmoniously shall not be deemed to require that the same architecture or same type of building materials be uniformly used.
b. With respect to vehicular and pedestrian circulation and parking, special attention shall be given to the location and number of access points to public streets, width of interior drives and access points, relationship of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and the arrangement of parking areas that are safe and convenient.
2. General Requirements.
a. Private streets and gates shall be permitted within a planned residential development and shall conform to the design standards enumerated in Title 19 (Subdivisions) of this Code.
b. The minimum site area for a planned residential development shall be one acre, within which only residential uses of the base-zoning district shall be permitted. Extensions to a planned residential development from a common boundary shall be permitted in increments of less than one acre, provided that the owners of at least seventy-five percent of the land within the original planned residential development are in agreement and are included as joint applicants to the request for special permit.
c. The minimum area requirement of the base-zoning district may be reduced by no more than twenty-five percent for lots within a planned residential development, provided, however, that the maximum density permitted by the base-zoning district shall apply in all cases except as otherwise approved by any applicable special permit granted pursuant to Chapter 20.04 (Administrative Provisions).
d. The setback requirements of the base-zoning district shall not apply to a planned residential development, except as follows:
i. The distance between buildings shall be a minimum of ten feet except as otherwise permitted in this title;
ii. The length of the driveway shall not be less than twenty feet as measured from the face of the garage or carport to the dwelling side of the sidewalk, or to the property line where there is no sidewalk.
e. The perimeter of the planned residential development shall be designed to insure compatibility with adjacent existing or potential development by provision of compatible uses and structures.
f. No building shall exceed the height requirements of the base-zoning district.
g. Consideration in the site plan review and evaluation process shall include the following:
i. The nature and character of the development and adequacy of the buffer between proposed improvements on the site and adjacent property;
ii. The adequacy of utilities, access, drainage and other necessary supporting facilities that have been or will be provided;
iii. The adequacy of the design, location and arrangement of driveways and parking spaces so as to provide for the safe and convenient movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic without adversely affecting the general public or adjacent developments.
h. A planned residential development shall be an architecturally integrated subdivision, whether unified by similar use and density, design, building materials, or open space and streetscape elements.
(Ord. 16653 § 2 (part), 2007)
Source: City of El Paso, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/el_paso/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT20ZO_CH20.10SUUSRE_20.10.470PLREDEFetched: 10/28/2026