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Senior‑center leaders warn Crossings at 95 could strain parking, safety and emergency use
Summary
Bastrop senior‑center leaders and nearby residents said they worry new development will increase traffic and consume parking the center relies on; staff and council said the PDD increases enforceability and required fees can support park improvements and road fixes, but cannot guarantee private parking behavior.
Multiple speakers raised concerns about how the Crossings at 95 development could affect the Bastrop Community Senior Center and nearby ball fields.
Kathy Metcalfe, president of the senior center, told the meeting the center is heavily used: “We have to 70 members coming through that senior center every single day,” she said, and asked how the city and developer would prevent event overflow from displacing seniors’ parking and how emergency operations (FEMA use) would be preserved. Metcalfe and other residents said Linden Street is already narrow, lacks sidewalks in places and funnels traffic into neighborhoods and school walking routes.
City staff and councilors responded that the PDD requires on‑site parking and that the city is updating parking and landscape codes. "We have now have based on this PDD design... there's 1 parking space for each bedroom," a planning staffer said, and staff noted park‑enrichment and roadway‑impact fees can be allocated to nearby Jewell Hodge Park and Linden Street improvements. However, staff acknowledged they cannot prevent individual drivers from parking on public streets during large events and said enforcement and shared‑parking agreements would be explored.
Why it matters: Residents said seniors and children are especially vulnerable to increased traffic and that maintaining the senior center's emergency function requires planning; staff said the PDD provides enforceable standards but some concerns (driver behavior, timing of TxDOT projects) require additional work before council consideration.
