Council reverts to 2017 transportation plan, removes mandatory street-grid requirement

The Bastrop City Council on March 4 voted unanimously to revert the city's Transportation Master Plan from the 2019 version that included an expansive gridded street overlay back to the 2017 plan and to remove mandatory references to a gridded street network from the B3 (form-based) code and the B3 technical manual.

City planning staff presented the change as a move to lower the number of new public streets the city would be required to accept and maintain. Planning staff member Mr. Rosales told the council the 2019 grid had required streets to be overlaid across new developments and that "one mile of road is on average over $1,000,000 a mile" to build and later repave, creating long-term budget pressure.

Supporters of keeping the grid pushed back in public comment and at the Planning & Zoning meetings, saying the grid helps preserve historic block patterns downtown. Resident Cecilia Serna said reverting to the older plan would remove an important future street type and urged the council to "keep the most current transportation master plan and remove any reference to a mandatory street grid." City Manager Sylvia responded that the downtown historic grid is already reflected in existing streets and that the proposed changes remove only the mandatory requirement for grid streets in future developments while leaving the grid as an optional pattern.

Council members debated the fiscal and practical tradeoffs. Councilmember Plunkett, citing experience in other cities, said grid connectivity can be beneficial; others, including council members and staff, said the grid as previously enforced had pushed small segments of public street into developments where the city would be asked to maintain short, costly roadway pieces that primarily served private uses. Staff noted the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended the change by a 6-1 vote after review of specific segments such as Blakey Lane.

The council approved the first-reading ordinance to revert the map and approved code and technical manual edits that remove mandatory language about the grid; the measures passed unanimously and will be scheduled for second readings on the council's March 11 consent agenda.

The action does not remove the grid as a design option: staff emphasized the grid remains available for developers who choose that pattern, but it will no longer be mandatory for new developments citywide.

Planning staff said additional work is planned to update street construction standards and to align the city's thoroughfare plan with county and TxDOT maps; those updates were described as separate items to return to council in the coming months.