Bastrop is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas, but its infrastructure is aging and its land-use regulations were outdated. The community has experienced significant flooding and drainage issues in recent years, and City leadership identified its outdated development codes as the root cause of those issues. In the summer of 2018, Buie & Co. was brought in to support the holistic reform of Bastrop’s land-use regulations and engage the community to build a better Bastrop, together.
On August 14, 2018, the Building Bastrop initiative was launched, kicking off a 15-month effort to proactively manage the city’s growth and guide responsible development that honors its past and prepares for a sustainable future. Our team created the campaign identity, taking what might typically be considered a mundane and complicated process, and using it as an opportunity to connect people to policy.
Over the course of 15 months, the Buie crew helped host more than 15 community events, maintained a dedicated project webpage, email account and hotline, and we coordinated more than 60 direct mail and email updates to keep stakeholders informed. We also supported the initiative by distributing press releases and securing media coverage at each project milestone – more than 30 pieces of coverage in total.
The Bastrop Building Block (B3) Code was officially adopted by City Council on November 12, 2019, and a livability impact can already be felt and seen. This project was one of our most rewarding to date, allowing us to do what we do best: collaborate with a client to thoughtfully engage the community in meaningful work that leaves things better than we found them.
To read more about Building Bastrop, take a look at some of the key media coverage we secured below:
- Austin-American Statesman, Brandon Mulder: Bastrop council adopts new development code
- Curbed, Patrick Sisson: How a small Texas city rewrote the rules of development
- Public Square – a CNU Journal, Robert Steuteville: Texas city adopts street grid and code