EL PASO, Texas -- There is no question new subdivisions are popping up all over a growing El Paso. In early March, a $131 million, 4,800-acre master plan was put on the rocks over the definition of smart growth.

"Smart growth is this thing that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people," said District 7 Rep. Steve Ortega.

City council is trying to better define the term smart growth, with principals that will become part of city ordinances. These ordinances are not just for the Master Plan, but for any new subdivision.

Mayor John Cook told KFOX, "What we did is we committed to Hunt that we would get the codes in place and take their input and that we would sit down and take their input on how the deal was structures and see how we could save it."

Tuesday city council will introduce two ordinances defining smart growth principles like walkability, sidewalk design and layout.

"A short term objective to better define those goals. The long-term objective is to make sure the subdivision ordinance reflects that. This will influence the final subdivision code that we get, but this is not the piece Hunt has been waiting on," said Rep. Beto O'Rourke of District 8.

As developers come to council with new subdivisions proposals, the new smart growth codes will be applied, not for Hunt Communities but more immediately for any new subdivision.

"We are doing this so we can build the best possible neighborhoods in El Paso, neighborhoods that people enjoy living in, that they are proud of, that are easy to get around in," said O'Rourke.

City council has until the April 29 to come up with the major changes to the subdivision code before meeting with Hunt Communities.