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El Paso, Texas, Proposition A, Land Preservation Initiative (May 2019)
| Proposition A: El Paso Land Preservation Initiative |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| May 4, 2019 |
| Status: |
 Approved
|
| Topic: |
| Local property |
| Related articles |
| Local property on the ballot May 4, 2019 ballot measures in Texas El Paso County, Texas ballot measures Local zoning, land use and development on the ballot |
| See also |
| El Paso, Texas |
A citizen initiative designed to preserve land in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve was on the ballot for El Paso voters in El Paso County, Texas, on May 4, 2019. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of permanently prohibiting private development and public roadways on the 1,107 acres known as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve—an area that includes the Franklin Mountains, Transmountain Road, and Lost Dog Trail. |
| A no vote was a vote against permanently prohibiting private development and public roadways on Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve. |
Proposition A was designed to preserve land in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve (TIRZ 12), known as the TransMountain Corridor, which is located near Franklin Mountains State Park and includes the Lost Dog hiking trail. The support campaign for Proposition A was known as Save Lost Dog.[1]
Election results
|
El Paso, Texas, Proposition A, Land Preservation Initiative (May 2019) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
18,037 | 88.87% | ||
| No | 2,260 | 11.13% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Shall an ordinance be approved to preserve in its natural state, for all time, the 1,107 acres owned by the City of El Paso and referred to as "Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve," which includes the "Lost Dog Trail," and to prohibit, for all time, any private development and any major public roadways on said 1,107 acres?[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Progress 915 led the campaign Save Lost Dog in support of Proposition A.[4]
Arguments
Progress 915 made the following statement in favor of Proposition A on the Save Lost Dog campaign website:[4]
| “ |
On May 4, there will be an election to decide if Lost Dog will be maintained as the park we love or developed as a 9580 unit, ultra high-density residential project. The Franklin Mountains and Transmountain Road are without a doubt some of the most scenic and iconic parts of our cultural identity. Lost Dog is physically connected to the Franklin Mountains and Transmountain Road. Development will damage the western slopes of our mountain, degrade the view and completely alter the area forever. To develop the area will require over $100 million of incentives to developers. Those incentives will be paid for by every property owner in El Paso.[3] |
” |
| —Progress 915 | ||
Opposition
No opposition campaign was identified for Proposition A. If you know of any arguments that belong here, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Background
City council creates TIRZ 12, places moratorium on development
On May 29, 2018, the El Paso City Council voted 5-4 in favor of expanding Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 10A and creating Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones 11 and 12 in northwest El Paso. The city established these zones as areas where tax dollars would be used to make public improvements to the land, encouraging development. The city established TIRZ 12, the subject of Proposition A, in order to make improvements to 1,107 acres of land next to Franklin Mountains State Park. City officials stated that they intended to sell 750 acres of the land in TIRZ 12 to a private entity for housing and commercial development.[5]
El Paso Economic Development Director Jessica Herrera stated, "The development of these TIRZs will help offset tax burden felt by many homeowners in the area. These zones will allow us to finance public improvements that will attract commercial development increasing our sales tax revenue and providing much needed relief to our residential taxpayers."[6]
On September 18, 2018, the El Paso City Council voted to place a two-year moratorium on the sale and development of land in TIRZ 12. According to Mayor Dee Margo, this move was made following responses from the public in opposition to development in TIRZ 12.[7]
City response to Proposition A
City officials stated that approval of Proposition A would "preserve approximately 1,000 acres of land, including existing trails" and "require the City to expend $11.3 million or more to preserve the land." The city also stated prior to the election that a funding mechanism for preservation had not been identified. The city stated that voting against Proposition A would "preserve 250 acres of land under the existing development plan" and "offer an opportunity to develop 750 acres of land as per the Northwest Regulating Plan" and to "enhance existing trails."[8]
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a successful initiative petition campaign.
In El Paso, proponents need to gather signatures equal to 5 percent of the voters that voted in the previous general election in order to place an initiative on the ballot. Proposition A proponents needed to collect 1,666 valid signatures. On September 2, 2018, the El Paso City Clerk verified that proponents had submitted 1,977 valid signatures.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 El Paso Times, "Petition certified; voters will decide whether to protect Northwest El Paso land," September 12, 2018
- ↑ El Paso County Elections, "Sample Ballot," accessed April 7, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Save Lost Dog Trails, "Home," accessed April 8, 2019
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Open-space advocates lose as council OKs plan to develop land near Franklin Mountains park," May 29, 2018
- ↑ KVIA, "Council approves creation of 2 tax increment reinvestment zones in Northwest El Paso," May 29, 2018
- ↑ KVIA, "Council approves 2-year moratorium on sale, development of land in Northwest El Paso," September 18, 2018
- ↑ Twitter, "City of El Paso," April 24, 2019
