The details
During a Nov. 18 Bastrop City Council meeting, the Development Services Department proposed to retire the B3 Code, a form-based code, and replace it with the Bastrop Development Code.
Brittany Epling, a senior planner with the city of Bastrop, told Bastrop City Council that the Bastrop Development Code will keep “the most important intentions” of the B3 Code and ensure that regulations are “clearer, simpler and more predictable to administer.”
“The Bastrop Development Code is intended to guide land use and development through clear standards and consistent procedures so that growth remains authentically Bastrop, fiscally and environmentally sustainable, and thoughtfully planned to meet future needs,” she said in a staff report.
Epling added that the Bastrop Development Code will be a Euclidean-based zoning ordinance that will focus on the following areas:
- Clearly named zoning districts with development standards, such as lot size, setback and building height
- A comprehensive landscape ordinance and a review of the tree mitigation ordinance
- A consolidated minimum off-street parking table for commercial uses
- Special districts and overlays
- Sidewalk and access/connectivity standards
- An updated sign code
Bastrop adopted the B3 Code in 2018.
“While B3 addressed important goals, ongoing implementation has revealed challenges, including ambiguous language, inconsistent interpretation and administrative complexity,” Epling said. “These challenges have affected predictability for applicants and staff, and have highlighted the need to improve protection of community character, natural resources, and the health, safety and welfare of residents.”
The outlook
The Development Services Department will present a draft of the Bastrop Development Code and proposed adoption timeline at a future meeting after a series of community workshops, city-wide notifications and public hearings, according to city documents.
“Hopefully by 2026, [the B3 Code] won’t be a topic anymore,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said during the Nov. 18 meeting. “We’ll have moved onto bigger and better things.”
Notable quote
“The proposed Bastrop Development Code ... is intended to protect Bastrop’s identity, deliver predictable outcomes, and support intentional, high-quality, fiscally responsible growth,” Epling said.
