The details
Bastrop purchased the site at 610 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in June 2024 for $147,000 through its Land Acquisition Fund, according to city documents.
“The property is located in the Gills Branch tributary,” Bastrop Police Chief Vicky Steffanic said in a staff report.
With much of the land in the floodway and the 100-year floodplain, officials established the property as parkland to prevent development from occurring.
“The area must be kept open to efficiently carry the majority of flood waters during high-flow events, which is necessary for the natural flow of water,” Steffanic said during a Sept. 9 Bastrop City Council meeting.
Some background
Bastrop officials have repeatedly discussed measures that could help alleviate flood issues, and hosted a Project Identification Exercise over the summer at Bastrop City Hall—an event that helped strategize how to maximize long-term resilience in the midst of ongoing developments.
“While many new developments meet minimum drainage requirements, there is still a potential concern for any cumulative impacts that are not visible right now,” according to a report developed from the Project Identification Exercise. “During this period of growth, it is important to reduce and mitigate downstream impacts and infrastructure strain now with pending developments, near-term and long-term.”
The outlook
During a meeting on Sept. 23, Bastrop City Council shared plans to commission “iconic arts pieces” in the newly created park space.
Colin Guerra, a spokesperson for the city of Bastrop, told Community Impact on Sept. 24 that there are not currently any plans for funding dedicated to the development of this land.
“The Parks and Recreation Board has been discussing and will continue brainstorming on the possible uses for the MLK parkland,” he said.
