Church youth center permit on hold
Tuesday the Bastrop City Council delayed a hearing and possible decision on a special permit allowing a church supported youth center to operate in a residential district across the street from Bastrop High School.
Former city council member Jimmy Mathison has applied for a conditional use permit to allow the church program at 1111 Cedar St. Mathison owns the property in question, now zoned for residential use.
Neighbors say the scores of teen who gather there both before and after school hours have become disruptive to their family lives by playing loud amplified music and wandering off the site into nearby yards. They add that there’s too little off street parking, no privacy fencing and ineffective adult supervision.
After a closed door session to receive legal advice Tuesday evening, Mayor Terry Orr said the council needs more information about the situation before taking further action.
City Manager Mike Talbot said the council wants more details about usage of the facility, known as Alpha House. City planning staff calculated that the building has a capacity to seat up to 18 people as a church facility. Some supporters of the Alpha House program have claimed it serves several hundred students each week.
After a recent public hearing on the same issue the Bastrop Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to deny the conditional use permit sought by Mathison. The city council must approve or reject all commission recommendations.