New Housing Developments Halted in Ciudad Juárez Amid Legal Uncertainty
Ciudad Juárez, August 6, 2026 – The Municipality of Ciudad Juárez has suspended the authorization of new housing developments until legal certainty is established regarding the application of the Urban Potential Transfer (TPU) mechanism. This decision comes after the Collegiate Court of the Seventeenth Circuit declared the TPU unconstitutional in March of this year.
The measure has put at least three or four real estate projects on hold while the City Council works on modifications to the Sustainable Urban Development Regulations. The aim is to align the regulations with the resolution issued by the Federal Judicial Branch.
Commission Approves Limited Housing Expansion
During a session held yesterday, Wednesday, the Fracturing Commission only authorized the expansion of four homes promoted by an existing real estate development. No new subdivisions were put to a vote.
Mireya Porras Armendáriz, coordinator of the commission, explained that projects remain on standby because the regulatory adjustments are not yet complete. These adjustments stem from an appeal filed in 2020 by Plan Estratégico de Juárez A.C., an organization that won a favorable ruling against municipal and state urban development provisions.
City Council to Decide on TPU Authorization
Porras reported that personnel from the City Council Secretariat and the General Directorate of Urban Development are drafting a proposal to reform the current regulations. A key change proposed is that the authorization of the Urban Potential Transfer will no longer rest solely with the Fracturing Commission but will become a power of the City Council, subject to a vote by the full body.
The TPU mechanism allows developers to invest in urban infrastructure in various parts of the city, in lieu of donating land for public facilities within new housing developments.
Concerns Over Mechanism’s Use
Claudia Arreola, a member of Red de Vecinos de Juárez, emphasized that the Federal Judicial Branch’s ruling is definitive and must be complied with as ordered. She asserted that, for years, the Urban Potential Transfer allowed developers’ obligations to be diverted to projects unrelated to the equipping of the areas where subdivisions were being built.
According to Arreola, resources that should have been used to balance urban growth were instead used for purchasing vehicles for civil associations, rehabilitating municipal buildings, and even acquiring paint for social programs.
She recalled that the State Court of Administrative Justice (TEJA) recently sanctioned three former councilors from the administration of Armando Cabada Alvídrez, ruling that they exercised powers that belonged to the full City Council. In her opinion, this resolution also explains the caution with which municipal officials are now acting, as they seek to avoid similar administrative responsibilities.
Risk to Urban Infrastructure Warned
Arreola estimated that there are currently three to four subdivision projects awaiting the City Council to unblock the new legal framework to reapply the Urban Potential Transfer in accordance with the criteria set by the courts.
She argued that this instrument should only be used in cases provided for by the State Law of Human Settlements, Territorial Planning, and Urban Development. When it becomes a recurring rather than exceptional practice, the city loses territorial reserves designated for social infrastructure.
Arreola also criticized that urban potential generated by social housing developments in the southeast of Ciudad Juárez ended up being converted into infrastructure works for sectors such as Campos Elíseos, instead of directly benefiting the areas where housing growth originated.
Related Content Highlights Past Issues
Previous reports by Norte Digital have highlighted problems with the TPU mechanism:
- Frozen Construction: 24 developer projects were halted after a Supreme Court ruling, preventing real estate companies from fulfilling obligations and marketing some subdivisions.
- Municipal Suspension: The municipality suspended TPU articles after a judicial ruling, necessitating a review of the scheme. The City Council is now required to authorize the transfer of urban potential.
- Unfulfilled Promises: Out of 45 project requests under the TPU in two years, only 18 were executed. Most remain under review or without progress, while residents demand works and councilors evade discussions on whether the mechanism meets its original objective.
The ongoing legal and regulatory changes are expected to have a significant impact on the real estate sector and urban planning in Ciudad Juárez, as authorities strive to ensure legal compliance and equitable urban development.
Source: Norte Digital
