Bastrop West, a proposed 400-acre development that could bring a hotel-convention center and medical complex with a full-service hospital, is currently under review.
The City Council signed a letter of support for legislation that would allow the development to opt out of Emergency Services District 2, or ESD 2, and be served by the city of Bastrop.
The overview
The owner of the development property would prefer to be served by the city of Bastrop because it has a better Insurance Services Office, or ISO, rating and a lower tax rate than ESD 2, said City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino.
An ISO rating measures how well a local fire department can handle structural fires, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.
“There is currently no way in the existing legislation to allow a property owner to opt out,” Carrillo-Trevino said. “They're not allowed to opt out of an ESD.”
The council signed a letter supporting legislation that would allow property owners to opt out of the ESD if they meet two criteria:
“[The legislation] clears a path for the hospital, the master-planned developments that we have in our ETJ and also offers property tax relief,” said Council member Perry Lowe. “Most importantly, it ensures superior municipal fire protection.”
The city of Bastrop meets both requirements that would allow Bastrop West to opt out of the ESD and be served by the city.
“It is important that we can have a regional hospital that serves so many people,” said Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris. “It is imperative that we do what we need to do, and hopefully we can get the legislators to understand.”
The need
Feasibility studies on the proposed hotel and convention center and hospital were conducted earlier this year, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The studies indicated that the projects would be a good fit for Bastrop, Carrillo-Trevino said.
The first phase of the hospital study examined demographic trends, inpatient hospital use, access to acute care facilities and patient migration patterns across a 37-ZIP-code service area surrounding the potential site to determine if the facility was needed.
Carrillo-Trevino said the study identified an approximately 97% gap in local health care demand when compared to currently available sources, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
“There are so many resources [a hospital] can provide for the youth, the elderly, the veterans, birthing and everyday usage,” Harris said. “This is something that we majorly need here in Bastrop.”
A feasibility study on the hotel and convention center recommended a 300-room hotel and a 40,000-square-foot convention center on a 33-acre site.
