Bastrop County collaborative asks Smithville P&Z for support of $75 million housing plan; commission tables resolution for more public input

Janice Bruno, representing the Bastrop County Collaborative for Housing and Health, presented the group's yearlong study and asked the Smithville Planning and Zoning Commission on June 2 to support forming a municipal commission and passing a resolution to pursue attainable and affordable housing.

Bruno said the collaborative, formed in 2024, secured a $750,000 Saint David's Foundation grant to study needs across Bastrop County and that the build and capital teams are identifying 18–20 acre sites and possible funding partners. "We really just want to encourage the development of safe, attainable, and affordable housing," Bruno said, adding the group's capital stack team is looking at roughly $75 million in potential funding needs for a full‑scale project while emphasizing that phasing would allow smaller initial steps.

Why it matters: commissioners and residents said Smithville — and Bastrop County more broadly — is growing quickly and that some local workers (including teachers, firefighters and first responders) are cost‑burdened. The collaborative cited county figures (about 102,000 population and roughly 35,000 households) and said that local zoning requirements such as ADU minimum sizes, lot sizes, setbacks and a two‑and‑a‑half‑story height limit can restrict smaller, lower‑cost housing options.

During a question-and-answer period, a commissioner asked for specifics about the "code barriers." Bruno said the policy team found four or five local barriers for Smithville, including an ADU minimum size cited in the review and minimum lot sizes that make tiny homes difficult to place. Commissioners and residents also raised concerns about reducing setbacks from established 25‑ft front yards to 3–5 ft on existing lots, parking minimums, and construction quality for lower‑cost units.

City staff and commissioners emphasized budget and process considerations. One commissioner said a proposed resolution in the collaborative's draft would make the city responsible for "all financial costs associated with board activities" and asked that staff estimate potential costs before forwarding any resolution to council. Bruno and collaborators acknowledged the need for legal vetting and recommended additional public outreach before any ordinance language is proposed.

Action taken: a commissioner moved to table the item until a public meeting could be called so the collaborative and staff could gather more feedback; the motion passed unanimously. Commission members said the collaborative may present a revised resolution and gather public input at a town hall or a council workshop before any formal council action.

What’s next: the collaborative will work with staff and commissioners to arrange additional public engagement and to refine the resolution and any proposed ordinance changes before returning to the council or the commission.