Chamizal residents are out of reach of their homes; city asked to ‘halt’ Onward Alameda plan

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Advocates and residents of the Chamizal neighborhood in south-central El Paso say they are being “actively” displaced due to rising rental rates by landlords, and are being harassed and pressured by new investors to sell their homes.

“They are making us lucrative and tempting offers to sell our houses,” said Maria Luisa Amaya, a Chamizal resident for 30 years.

“We have shortages and they start putting pressure on us by saying ‘we offer you cash, we’ll give it to you immediately’. At first they just made you an offer, now they take photos of your house and paint a nice picture of what they’re going to do with it. And after the residents accept their offer, they leave and do nothing for the residence,” Amaya said.

Amaya said she receives a new offer on her house almost every week.

Familias Unidas del Chamizal and residents are calling on the City of El Paso to halt the Onward Alameda plan until they adopt an anti-displacement plan that protects residents of Chamizal neighborhoods from being priced out of their homes.

“(I feel) anger and rage. There is an urgent need to protect families because this is happening now. When we say ‘stop Adelante Alameda’ it is because this is happening now,” said Hilda Villegas, a member of Familias Unidas del Chamizal.

The Onward Alameda plan, adopted by the El Paso City Council, aims to improve the 13-mile stretch between downtown El Paso and Socorro by making zoning changes that will allow new investment to come to the area.

According to its website, the plan “sets priorities for public sector action, while providing guidance for complementary private sector decisions.”

The group describes an ongoing “housing affordability crisis” in the affected areas that has and will continue to displace families.

According to the group, more than 90 percent of homes in Chamizal neighborhoods are “rent-occupied” and most rates are less than $500.

They described instances where residents saw their rents increase by $100 a month.

The group argues that with zoning changes being considered in the future, these families will not be able to afford to live in these areas as the private sectors investing in them will inevitably price them out of the area.

The City Council was scheduled to discuss proposed zoning changes on Tuesday, Sept. 10 regarding the Alameda Corridor, but city officials said that has been postponed.

Alex Hoffman, deputy director of Capital Improvement Planning for the City of El Paso, said the zoning changes being discussed by the City Council will not concern the Chamizal portion of the Alameda corridor.

He added that they will not make any zoning changes in that area until they have gathered enough information from affected residents.

“We want to make sure that we have policies in place that will reduce or hopefully prevent any displacement. So our goal is to bring those strategies to the City Council for consideration and guidance before we make any zoning changes that apply specifically to the Chamizal neighborhood,” Hoffman said.

But Villegas and residents argue that as the plan moves forward, it encourages landowners and investors to continue pushing families out of neighborhoods.

“We are talking about poor immigrant families. Women with a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and three children,” Villegas said. “How is it possible that they can implement a project that will increase rents to more than $1,000? We have nowhere to go in these conditions,” she added.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For breaking news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.