Plan commission approves Montecillo Unit 11 resubdivision with conditions

The El Paso City Plan Commission on May 7 approved a resubdivision combination for Montecillo Unit 11, allowing roughly 2.88 acres of vacant land to be reconfigured to extend two previously recorded lots by about 0.06 acres each and to establish a 32-foot-wide private drive. Staff recommended approval with the condition that the Montecillo regulating plan be amended to reflect the proposed private-drive cross section before the final plan is recorded.

The staff presentation described the proposal’s location north of Interstate 10 and west of Mesilla Street within the Montecillo development and laid out the preliminary and final plans. Planning staff said the application meets the city’s subdivision requirements subject to the stated condition. During the applicant presentation, the representative described the motivation for a private drive: steep topography and the presence of a high-tension electric easement make a through road to I-10 infeasible, and the replat converts an unusable stub into access for adjacent developable acreage. "Monticello is fully 100% smart coat, a little over 300 acres," said David Bogus, the applicant representative, while describing the project’s context and previous involvement in drafting the smart-code design.

Commissioners asked how the smart-code zoning affected the request; staff and the applicant said it does not change the approval basis for this resubdivision. One commissioner disclosed a potential business interest in the general area and abstained from the vote "out of transparency," and the commission nevertheless moved to approve the item with conditions. The motion to approve was made and seconded and the chair announced the motion carries.

The approval requires the applicant to amend the Montecillo regulating plan to match the private-drive cross section prior to recordation of the final plan. No additional changes to lot depths were indicated as necessary by staff. The commission’s action sends the recommendation forward consistent with the staff report.

Next steps: the applicant must submit the amended regulating plan and comply with the staff report conditions before the final plat is recorded.