The MCA campus footprint is about 440 acres and is located south of Interstate 10, north and west of Paisano Drive and east of Boon Street. Since 2007, it has been the subject of careful and transparent master planning efforts by the MCA Foundation to transform the area into a world-class medical district.
The master planning process encompasses two major phases, which has been outlined in the chart below. On June 21, El Paso's city council unanimously voted to approve the SmartCode rezoning of the MCA campus. SmartCode is a new zoning regulating plan developed by the City of El Paso.
Questions to the MCA Foundation may be directed to Emma Schwartz or Noemi Rojas at (915) 613-2478, or by email at noemi@mcamericas.org. Questions regarding the technicalities of SmartCode may be directed to the City Planning Division at (915) 541-4632 or cityplanning@elpasotexas.gov.
| Master Plan Phase I - creation of the high level, long-term organizational blueprint for the campus Visioning meetings were held on April 3, 4 & 5, 2007. A series of interviews were conducted by architects Lee Burkhart & Liu (LBL) to gather information and ideas from the MCA Foundation and partner organizations. Design Charrettes – Workshops led by LBL and the MCA Foundation identified the needs of the institutional partners and the realities of the geography of the MCA area in order to create draft proposals for the high level organization of the MCA campus. Charrette #1 – August 16, 2007
Public Vetting – Phase I of the Master Plan was shared with the property and business owners in the MCA area and with the general public. Feedback was obtained on the draft Master Plan and was incorporated into the final Master Plan. Phase I was completed and incorporated into the City of El Paso’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan on October 21, 2008.
The enormity and complexity of this project has demanded cooperation between the City of El Paso, medical education and research institutions, nearby neighborhoods and a host of others. The vision is to create a world-class medical center that will lead the nation on issues and challenges unique to a major Hispanic, binational and military community. |
Master Plan Phase II – establishment of SmartCode regulating plan as the zoning guide for the campus. Phase II determined key elements of the MCA land-use plan, including architectural standards, landscaping plan, signage program, storm water management and utility upgrade, thoroughfare design, and the regulatory framework that will guide development. The MCA's regulatory standards were shaped using the city's new zoning approach, SmartCode. Charrette Participants –homeowners and business owners located in and around the campus, campus institutional tenants such as UMC and Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, elected officials, representatives from city public works agencies, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, San Juan Neighborhood Improvement Association members, employees and alumni of Jefferson High School and Silva Magnet School, and others. Online – the charrette was documented live with blogs and video at MCAMasterPlan.org. Public Vetting - On May 4, 2011, with the support of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of El Paso, City Rep. Emma Acosta, Texas Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, and many others, the MCA Foundation gave a presentation to the public at the Maxine L. Silva Magnet High School. This presentation was the second of two meetings held for the purpose of public vetting as well as in preparation for taking the MCA SmartCode rezoning issue before city council in June 2011. Click here to see the May 4th powerpoint presentation. The City Council unanimously approved the rezoning of the MCA campus to Smartcode on June 21, 2011, with no nay sayers from the public. Phase II is the last phase of the master planning and will continue to be ongoing for the next 50 to 80 years. Updates to the master plan will be inevitable as the realities of the campus' development unfolds. Above is an illustrative conception of how the MCA campus might build out according to the SmartCode. It demonstrates the network of thoroughfares, a proposed plaza and green space. Above is the MCA zoning map that was approved unanimously by city council the summer of 2011. The new SmartCode zoning will regulate build out with regard to landscaping, building-to-curb setbacks, signage, development densities, landscaping, walking paths and green space, etc. Darker purples illustrate the most densely developed zones. |
Read more about Phase II of the MCA master plan at www.MCAmasterplan.org
To see a summary presentation on the MCA Foundation, click here.
Now that Master Planning and SmartCode rezoning has been approved by the City, the MCA Foundation turns its attention to implementing the Master Plan. The Foundation will continue to work with the existing campus tenants to help them achieve their long-term visions. The Foundation will work to bring new tenants to the campus, such as clinics, research companies, medical office buildings, etc. Go to mcamericas.org/research-technology to read about our next exciting endeavor.
