Bastrop residents to discuss development plans for Pecan Street fourplexes
The Bastrop Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 regarding a proposed development at 1005 Pecan St.
Some context: The land used to be the site of a historic home that Bastrop resident Mary LeBlanc, who died at 88 years old in 2020, had lived in for decades. Following her death, RubiCrown Development purchased the property and demolished the house.
Chris Kirby of Bastrop Law Group is representing the developers and met with residents in late July to discuss their plans to build two owner-occupied fourplexes with 16 parking spaces on the property—homes that would need to be governed by a condo association.
Each unit would be approximately 1,189 square feet.
Notable quote: “Now, I’m not going to convince you,” he told residents during the July meeting at 602 Brewing Company. “I’m going to tell you what the facts are about what the house was, what’s happening now and what the alternatives are. It’s up for you to decide.”
Bastrop ISD ratifies tax rate for 2025-26 financial year
Bastrop ISD officials ratified a tax rate in September that is the same as what was approved for the previous financial year, but represents an effective 8.8% increase due to new legislation around school funding.
What you need to know: Mike White, BISD's chief financial officer, said this is due to an influx of school funding from House Bill 2 and property values not growing beyond the threshold for tax rate compression by the Texas Education Agency over the past year.
What they're saying: White said if the district had a tax rate that raised the same amount of funding as the previous year, BISD would have to cut its rate significantly—adding that this would likely have a "catastrophic" impact on the school district.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Austin area.
A new location of Mendocino Farms is opening soon in Sunset Valley.
The menu at Mendocino Farms offers fresh sandwiches, salads, soups and sides. The “chef’s specials” menu features sandwiches and salads made with seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as the sweet peach and goat cheese salad, summer heirloom BLT and watermelon ‘poke’ salad.
To drink, the restaurant serves housemade beverages, including a passion fruit black tea and pomegranate mint lemonade.
TC4 & Co plans to construct the new restaurants at 1411 S. I-35 frontage road, Georgetown, on property it owns, according to a representative with Pennington Public Relations.
The League Kitchen & Tavern serves burgers, chicken pot pie, weekend brunch and a variety of drinks at four locations in the Austin area.
Tony C’s Pizza & Beer Garden currently has five locations in the Austin area, including offerings at the Moody Center and Dell Diamond. Menu items include mozzarella sticks, lasagna, pizzas, sandwiches, and a selection of beer and wine.
American Cancer Society, Occidental partner to expand access to cancer care in Texas
Per a Sept. 12 press release, the American Cancer Society and Occidental have partnered to expand access to life-saving cancer treatment to patients across Texas. Occidental’s half-million-dollar donation will help the American Cancer Society continue to deliver the resources patients need to access cancer care that could save their lives.
The details: With the new contribution, Occidental is helping fund essential access to care programs that remove barriers often standing between diagnosis and survival for cancer patients, according to the release.
Programs the partnership is helping with include free lodging, rides to treatment and 24/7 support for cancer patients and caregivers.
Quote of note: “We are honored to contribute to the American Cancer Society and help remove barriers to accessing vital care so people can focus on their healing journey,” said Rob Stevens, vice president of supply chain with Occidental.
