El Paso County planners recommend South Powers corridor framework
The recommendation would add a long-range planning framework to the county master plan, but it is not construction approval. The Board of County Commissioners has not yet acted.
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The El Paso County Planning Commission voted 7–1 on Sept. 17 to recommend adding the South Powers Extension Planning and Environmental Linkages Study and Access Control Plan to the county’s Your El Paso Master Plan. The framework would guide future corridor planning and identify potential improvements and long-term right-of-way needs; it does not authorize construction.
The Planning Commission’s meeting record describes the E3 alignment as anticipated first, while the H3 alignment would depend on future growth and transportation needs. The recommendation does not establish that either alignment will be built.
At the hearing, residents raised concerns about possible effects on property, farms, wells, water rights, drainage and Fountain Creek. The County Attorney said adopting the plan would not itself encumber property or prohibit current use. Alignments could be considered later during development review.
The recommendation is not a final decision by the Board of County Commissioners. County records reviewed as of Oct. 16 did not document Board action. The county’s posted Oct. 20 agenda does not list South Powers for the Oct. 22 land-use hearing; the county’s hearing schedule lists the Sept. 17 Planning Commission hearing.
If the plan advances, more detailed environmental review, permitting and technical analysis are planned, along with additional public input and the possibility of project changes. Commission discussion indicated that drainage analysis would come during later design work, before relevant improvements are built. Those later reviews—not the master-plan recommendation—would further examine potential project effects.