The Bastrop Planning and Zoning Commission approved a recommendation to the City Council to approve the creation of Bastrop County MUD No. 5 in a 6-1 vote during a special meeting May 1. Commissioner Jeffrey Estes voted no.
City Council unanimously approved the development agreement for the Ironwood Development project during an April 8 meeting but has not approved creation of the MUD. The MUD would be a funding mechanism for infrastructure needed for the development.
The MUD explained
The future project, which sits at the intersection of SH 304 and Lower Red Rock Road, would consist of 1,256 lots and could include 550 townhomes, said Ryan Harper, representative for the developer’s legal counsel Allen Boone Humphries Robinson.
A portion of the WB Bastrop Land Ironwood Development project sits within Bastrop’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ. This triggers the need for developers to request the city’s approval for the creation of MUD No. 5, as the ETJ is under city territory.
The developers would be able to generate funding through the MUD as MUDs give developers the ability to levy fees on residents within the district, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Money generated through fees often goes to infrastructure projects such as roads, water and wastewater services and other utilities, Assistant City Manager Andres Rosales said. Additionally, through the agreement, WB Bastrop Land has agreed to annex property to the city in order for the city to collect tax revenues from the housing development.
What people are saying
Many community members voiced concern about the future location of the Ironwood Development as it would sit close to residential properties.
Bella Smith, resident of the Cassena Ranch community on Hwy. 304, said the development would “basically be my backyard.”
“I prefer the cattle,” she said.
Some residents also requested more information about the MUD boundary lines due to confusion about the boundary lines overlapping their property lines.
Harper and planning and zoning commissioners said the Ironwood Development would not be legally allowed to build over their existing land. Harper, who spoke on behalf of WB Bastrop Land, said the developer has “no intent to create the district over anybody else’s property.”
Still, because of the lack of clarity on the official boundary lines, the approved recommendation by commissioners includes an amendment to provide the development’s metes and bounds lines.
Residents also voiced concern about drainage in the area. Smith, who lives near Hwy. 304, said that when Hwy. 304 was redone, it created drainage problems for her property.
“My backyard turns into a pool every time it rains,” she said. “I have a lot of concerns about this new development and where that water is going to drain, and I don’t want it in my house.”
Additionally, residents said they were concerned about the impervious cover that would come from the development. Impervious cover is a human-made surface, such as pavement or rooftops, that doesn’t absorb water into the ground, which can lead to flooding from stormwater runoff.
Harper said the development agreement with the city includes a requirement that the project would not have more than 50% impervious cover.
Some community members said there was not enough information about the details of the MUD and the development, such as infrastructure planning details and specifications about housing.
Ryan Reynolds said that while he wanted to listen to the developer before forming a strong opinion, the lack of information led him to oppose the Ironwood Development.
“How could anyone [support this] without having critical information to make a decision?” he said.
City and developer officials said that because the project is in its early stages, many of the specific details are not available as they need to be discussed and approved in more detail.
Other community members said they would have liked more community outreach about the issue. Some residents said they weren’t given enough notice about the opportunity to talk, and others said they were not made aware at all by the city and instead heard by word of mouth.
Rosales said the city, as required by law, put public notice in the city paper, the Elgin Courier, and sent out mail notices to residents within 500 feet of the planned project, which is above the 200-foot requirement. During the meeting, both city and development officials said they would work to ensure better communication with the affected residents.
Over 15 community members gave public comments regarding their concerns about their property, traffic, drainage, water conservation, environmental impacts, community engagement and more.
Commissioners said that a benefit of the city approving the MUD would be the ability for the city of Bastrop to have more control over the district. Within the development agreement, the developer is required to meet city code and other requirements, which can include impervious cover standards and doing environmental surveys.
If the city does not approve the MUD, that paves the way for the developer to potentially take the issue to the state government and ask that the MUD get approved, city officials said.
“Do you want us to control it or do you want the state to control it?” Planning and Zoning Commissioner Gary Moss said.
What’s next
While the planning and zoning commission approved a recommendation for the creation of the MUD, the item needs to be approved by City Council to push the project forward. City Council is expected to discuss the issue at the May 27 regular council meeting.
