Residents and farm owner warn commissioners of worsening drainage near Hope Valley Tree Farm

Steve Hype, owner of Hope Valley Tree Farm, told the Planning & Zoning Commission he and his wife have operated their 28-acre nursery near the Colony and the Boring Company site for more than two decades and have endured repeated floods.

"We went through five major floods and, by the time the last one was I just called out to God, I said, God, I can't take any more of these because we had to literally rebuild the place back," Hype said as he described walking the drainage paths to the Colorado River and offering photos to staff and commissioners. Hype said he has scheduled a site walk with developers' engineers to show where water collects and urged the city to require developers to address drainage now while construction is underway.

Pamela Vere, a Bastrop resident who said she learned about the issue after visiting Hype's farm, urged officials to ensure the project protects the Colorado River and said she had contacted TCEQ for guidance on effluent limits. Jack Richards, speaking for a nearby storage facility, said increased lot coverage in adjacent development could send more runoff toward his business and asked whether retention and detention would be sufficient.

City planning staff acknowledged the concerns and said engineers had already reviewed drainage for the Sendero/Alta Trails parcels and that the master drainage plan routes stormwater into a master pond. Staff committed to arrange on-site meetings and follow up with engineers and developers and to notify nearby property owners as preliminary and final plats proceed.