Politics
El Paso Council Advances Plan to Address 18,000 Housing Unit Shortage
Updates target a shortage of more than 18,000 housing units and direct changes to zoning rules, tax credit evaluations and infill incentives that affect local residents seeking homes.
How we reported this
El Paso’s City Council is advancing a comprehensive housing strategy under the Envision El Paso Comprehensive Plan update to address an immediate shortage of more than 18,000 housing units. The effort includes establishment of a Housing Strategy Implementation Cross-Functional Team and revisions to existing evaluation policies for low-income housing projects. These steps directly affect residents who face limited options when searching for housing in the city.
Key Policy Adjustments
The Council approved the Housing Strategy Implementation CFT in late 2025. The team is tasked with developing recommendations on zoning updates, construction incentives and preservation tools. In February 2026 the Council directed staff to rewrite the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit evaluation policy to include geographic indexing and minimum point thresholds. A final policy is targeted for alignment with the regional housing plan by mid-2026.
City planners have also proposed eliminating parking minimums in the historic core and easing rules for homeowners who want to build accessory dwelling units, known locally as casitas. These changes are intended to increase housing supply and density. Officials have noted that the existing Infill Development Incentive Policy, which offers tax and fee rebates for multi-unit complexes, remains significantly underutilized and are working to increase awareness among builders.
Effects on El Paso Residents
The shortage of more than 18,000 units means many households encounter fewer available homes when relocating or forming new households. Revised tax credit scoring and zoning changes could influence where new projects are located and how quickly they move forward. Homeowners interested in adding casitas may find the process simpler once rules are updated, while builders may see clearer signals on incentives for infill projects in established neighborhoods.
City officials continue to identify ways to make current rebate programs more visible so that more multi-unit developments can qualify. The next steps center on completing the LIHTC policy rewrite and integrating recommendations from the Cross-Functional Team into the broader Envision El Paso framework.