Paradise Engineers is designing the project, which aims to build dozens of residential units and multiunit townhomes as well as a 4,000-square-foot restaurant, for Iron Realty, according to city documents.
Some background
The nearly 7.4-acre property at 2002 Hwy. 95, Bastrop, which is currently vacant, is east of the Public Works Department and south of the Bastrop Youth Baseball and Softball Organization’s fields.
Although developers don’t need a zoning change from an employment center to move forward with their current plans, they are seeking a planned development district designation to better partner with the city.
“A planned development district allows us to work with the developers to come up with designs and standards,” James Cowey, Bastrop’s director of development services, said during the meeting. “They can’t deviate from that design, and through this process, we can address drainage, access, traffic, etc.”
Under the existing employment center zoning—a designation for a mix of development uses, including commercial, retail and office—developers could begin construction with no public input, according to city officials.
“I just want to make sure we're super clear about what we're deciding between,” Place 3 council member Kevin Plunkett said during the meeting. “It's this apartment complex [with multiunit town homes and a restaurant], or just about any kind of crazy thing they could come up with.”
Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris highlighted how developers initially wanted their site plan to include two four-story buildings on the site—three stories for residential units and one for commercial spaces, such as donut and pizza shops.
The developers have since updated the site plan to remove one story of residential units.
“They are wanting to do what the people of Bastrop want,” he said during the meeting. “For them to drop a whole story of living space to accommodate says a whole lot. When it comes to development, that’s dollars for those developers. So I was shocked when I heard that.”
Zooming in
Traffic and parking remained at the top of Bastrop City Council’s concerns.
“I’m super concerned about danger on Hwy. 95 and backup on Hwy. 95, because we already have it right now,” Place 2 council member Cynthia Meyer said during the meeting.
However, Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino told Bastrop City Council that city staff are working with the Texas Department of Transportation on extending Linden Street to Hwy. 95 and reducing the speed limit on Hwy. 95 near the development.
“It's a combination of things,” she said during the meeting. “I really feel like we've got to get the TxDOT improvements resolved and underway, and I think that's happening sooner rather than later.”
What residents said
Heather Green, a Bastrop resident, was in favor of the Crossing at 95 project.
“We deserve to be able to go to a place right around the corner that feels like home,” she said during the meeting. “I feel like the developers have been very forthcoming and flexible. There are a lot of things that we don’t have answers to, but this gives us some growth and it’s respectful of the people that are [already] there.”
Others gave their input online.
“Growth is coming to this area whether the residents like it or not,” Ben Coleman, a Bastrop resident, said in a social media post. “The benefit that we have is we can see how areas like Round Rock, Dripping Springs and Cedar Park have all grown, and we can adapt to not turn into those areas. This is exactly what the [planned development district] designation allows the city to do.”
The outlook
Bastrop City Council is scheduled to vote on the zoning change from employment center to planned development district during an Oct. 21 meeting.
