Bastrop, Tx–As early as Oct. 27 the Bastrop City Council could sign off on a deal allowing the creation of a 10,000-acre residential and commercial development between Bastrop and Elgin on the west side of Texas 95, potentially more than doubling the size and population of the city.
If given final approval and built as presently conceived, XS Ranch would include almost 7,500 homes, apartments and other living units plus some 300,000 square feet of commercial space and thousands of acres of parks and open space, some of it open to the public, as well as up to three schools over the next 30 years.
Currently the City of Bastrop includes roughly 6,600 acres and about 4,000 living units, including single family homes and apartments. The agreements under discussion would allow the entire XS Ranch area to be annexed into the city limits in coming decades, perhaps beginning in about 25 years, city officials said.
Crucial to developers is the city’s permission to create as many as 10 municipal utility districts with taxing powers to pay for providing roads, drainage, water and sewage service as well as parks and other amenities. In return the city wants to assure some development standards and annexation rights in the future, if that becomes financially attractive.
The city’s consent is required because almost all the XS Ranch land, including the former 6,700-acre Steiner Ranch, is part of Bastrop’s extended extra-territorial jurisdiction acquired in 1985 by voluntary landowner requests. At the time the City of Austin was threatening to extend its development controls deep into Bastrop County, an effort frustrated by landowner petitions for Bastrop to extend its protections to their properties.
The pending XS Ranch deal, reviewed by the council at some length during a workshop meeting Monday at City Hall, has been under negotiation for more than a year now. Council members and development officials said they like the terms so far.
“It looks pretty good to me,” said Council Member Julie Hart. Council Member Bill Peterson agreed. Council Member Joe Beal was not present. No one voiced doubts, reservations or objections.
“It’s been a good process” of negotiation, said Bastrop City Manager Mike Talbot. He said the Oct. 27 council meeting agenda will permit a binding vote on the pact.