Intent.
El Paso City Code § 21.10.030
in effect21.10.030 - Intent.
The intent and purpose of this title is to enable, encourage and qualify the implementation of the following policies:
A. The region.
1. The region should retain its natural infrastructure and visual character derived from topography, Chihuahuan Desert habitat, farmlands, riparian corridors, arroyos and mountains.
2. New development should be organized in the patterns of Clustered Land Development (CLD), Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), or Regional Center Development (RCD) as defined in this title.
3. Affordable housing should be distributed throughout the region to match job opportunities and to avoid concentrations of poverty.
4. Transportation corridors should be planned and reserved in coordination with land use.
5. Green corridors should be used to define and connect the urbanized areas.
6. The region should include a framework of transit, pedestrian, and bicycle systems that provide alternatives to the automobile.
7. Chapter 21.40 of this title is most appropriate for application in the areas including downtown, transit corridors, future TODs and previously urbanized mixed use centers.
B. The community.
1. TNDs and regional centers should be compact, pedestrian-oriented and mixed use.
2. TNDs and regional centers should be the preferred pattern of development and that districts specializing in a single use should be the exception.
3. Ordinary activities of daily living should occur within walking distance of most dwellings, allowing independence to those who do not drive.
4. Interconnected networks of thoroughfares should be designed to disperse and reduce the length of automobile trips.
5. Within neighborhoods, a range of housing types and price levels should be provided to accommodate diverse ages and incomes.
6. Appropriate building densities and land uses should be provided within walking distance of transit stops.
7. Civic, institutional, and commercial activity should be embedded in downtowns, not isolated in remote single-use complexes.
8. Schools should be sized and located to enable children to walk or bicycle to them.
9. A range of open spaces including parks, plazas, and playgrounds should be distributed within neighborhoods and downtowns.
C. The transect.
1. Communities should provide meaningful choices in living arrangements as manifested by distinct physical environments.
2. The transect zone descriptions on Table 1 shall constitute the intent of this title with regard to the general character of each of these environments.
3. The transect zones' characteristics, as set forth in this title, were determined through a process of public hearing with approval by the city council. Therefore, since these transect zones have been properly incorporated into this title, projects within SmartCode Zoning districts that require no variances shall be processed administratively without further council approval.
D. The block and the building.
1. Buildings and landscaping should contribute to the physical definition of thoroughfares as civic places.
2. Development should adequately accommodate automobiles while respecting the pedestrian and the spatial form of public areas.
3. The design of streets and buildings should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense of accessibility.
4. Architecture and landscape design should grow from local climate, topography, history, and building practice.
5. Buildings should provide their inhabitants with a clear sense of geography and climate through energy efficient methods.
6. Civic buildings and public gathering places should be provided as locations that reinforce community identity and support self-government.
7. Civic buildings should be distinctive and appropriate to a role more important than the other buildings that constitute the fabric of the city.
8. The preservation and renewal of historic buildings should be facilitated, to affirm the continuity and evolution of society.
9. The harmonious and orderly evolution of urban areas should be secured through form-based codes.
(Ord. 16945 § 2 (part), 2008) (Ord. No. 17542, § 3, 4-26-2011)
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=TIT21SMCO_CH21.10GEALPL_21.10.030INFetched: 10/28/2026