Smithville RCP

Planning with Heart for Those Who Make Smithville Home

The City of Smithville is excited to share the preliminary draft of our Resilient Communities Comprehensive Plan—and your perspective matters. Whether you're a lifelong resident, a new neighbor, or a local business owner, your voice will help shape what comes next.

Organized into five easy-to-navigate sections—Community, Land Use, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Implementation Strategy—the draft highlights ideas to guide Smithville’s growth, resilience, and small-town charm for years to come.

You can explore the full plan in the window below—leave comments, suggestions, or questions by clicking directly in the document, or use the top navigation bar to review each section individually.

Let’s build a stronger, more connected Smithville—together.

How to Participate:

Click on any section to explore it. You can leave comments, suggestions, or questions directly within the document by clicking and adding a marker.

Let’s build a stronger, more resilient, and connected Smithville—together.

Community Profile

This section explores the people, culture, housing, and services that define Smithville, with strategies to strengthen social resilience and quality of life.

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Land Use

Outlines the city’s growth patterns, zoning, and land development goals to support balanced, resilient, and context-sensitive development.

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Infrastructure

Addresses the systems that support daily life—water, wastewater, drainage, and utilities—with a focus on long-term sustainability and hazard mitigation.

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Transportation

Focuses on mobility, safety, and connectivity through a transportation network that supports residents, visitors, and emergency access.

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Public Facilities

This chapter outlines Smithville’s critical infrastructure and
recreational assets, emphasizing their role in community resilience, safety, and quality of life.

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Implementation Strategy

Presents the roadmap for turning plan goals into action, including timelines, responsibilities, and strategies for funding and accountability.

Review the implementation strategy
Land Use Interactive Map Activity

Your voice helps shape Smithville’s future! Join us in this fun and easy interactive mapping activity where you can highlight the places, spaces, and issues that matter most to you. From Residential Development to Parks, Trails, Parking, and Mobility — your input will help guide the City’s comprehensive plan and ensure it truly reflects our community’s needs and vision.

Click here to participate

Share Your Vision

Here's how to participate: Pick a category: 1. "What I Love" - Things you appreciate about your community 2. "What Needs Attention" - Areas that need improvement or attention 3. "My Vision" - Your hopes for our community's future Then simply: • Write a brief comment (just a sentence or two is fine) Your perspective matters. (max 140 characters).

You have 140 characters left

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Email address

Moderation Policy

15 August, 2025

Anissa W. says:

3"Market Smithville’s charm with targeted tourism, signature festivals & biz support to boost occupancy rates, visitors, and local revenue."

12 August, 2025

Kristi Farquar says:

Part-time rides for Smithville residents to reach care, food & essentials—removing barriers & empowering wellness through access.

12 August, 2025

Kristi Farquar says:

Bring affordable housing for Seniors to Smithville~

8 August, 2025

Robert P says:

Build a Pedestrian and vehicle railroad overpass at Hill St./Old Lake Rd. See the map marker. Woodress is mislabeled Old Lake Dr...

4 August, 2025

Sara Hickman says:

Please finish updating Main Street and the sidewalk in front of 216 Main. Please reconsider adding arts’ funding back for local artists.

3 August, 2025

Janice Bruno says:

Continue to work with UT on plans for the Buescher State Park/MD Anderson proposed plan, utilizing it for other types of workforce training.

3 August, 2025

Janice Bruno says:

Create a follow-on special movie for 'Hope Floats' to commemorate its anniversary year - this will attract many tourists.

3 August, 2025

Janice Bruno says:

Affordable living studios in a vacant, for-sale Marrs Jones FH, featuring 10-12 units. Discuss with investors and restore historic stables.

3 August, 2025

Janice Bruno says:

Smithville has so much potential both in the downtown district and on the Sunnyside of town - Loved the idea of a library on the Southside!

3 August, 2025

Kristin Barrow says:

Love the historic downtown but concerned by how expensive it is for new businesses to start downtown & the lack of care of those buildings.

2 August, 2025

Jimmy Jenkins says:

Our city has a aging population that would need a area for seniors, to live, play and have activities. We will also need affordable housing

2 August, 2025

CRM says:

I would like Smithville to keep the small town feel. Bastrop has become a congested and over built. It's lost the small feel.

RCP Timeline - In Progress

Timeline item 1 - complete

Contract Execution

GLO contracts with the community for the grant funding and holds an administrative virtual meeting to explain the requirements. (10/23)
Timeline item 2 - complete

RCP Community Kickoff

RCP Kickoff virtual meeting with Langford project team and community leaders/staff. 1st Public Meeting held to announce RCP grant. (03/11/2024)
Timeline item 3 - complete

Data Collection/Draft Base Studies
- Existing Plans Assessment
- Draft of Base Studies, including population, housing, public facilities, infrastructure; wastewater, water, stormwater, electrical, and transportation
- Draft Resiliency Goals and Objectives
Submit RCP Milestone Package #2 to GLO for approval (12/18/2024)
Timeline item 4 - incomplete

Community Engagement

RCP community survey, forums, stakeholder meetings, data gathering, and compiling results. (Ongoing)
Timeline item 5 - active

Preliminary Plan Development

Develop the preliminary plan draft and include all required segments focused on resiliency. Review and collect input from stakeholders, city council, staff, and planning department. Create a complete draft for review.
(In progress)
Timeline item 6 - active

Preliminary Plan Review

Introduce segments of the resiliency goals, base studies, and draft of the plan to stakeholders, community leaders, and residents for review of the preliminary drafts.
(In progress - 04/25 - 10/25)
Timeline item 7 - incomplete

Preliminary Plan Revisions - Final Review

Prepare the final edition of the preliminary draft including all community input, key stakeholders, city council, and staff recommendations and approved revisions. (11/25)
Timeline item 8 - incomplete

Final Review/Approval/Adoption

Present to the council, stakeholders, and residents at a final Public Meeting #3. (12/25)

Development Governance

This memo will focus on reviewing the city’s adopted codes and regulations to determine whether they enhance, undermine, or are silent on resilience to these specific hazards. Additionally, the memo will evaluate current zoning ordinances for the presence or absence of best practices that support hazard resilience, ensuring that local land use policies align with the region’s most significant risks.

Governance Annex 2
Community Input Report

The Smithville public forums, surveys, and stakeholder meetings have successfully gathered diverse and meaningful community input, shaping a comprehensive vision that reflects local priorities and fosters collaborative solutions for the city’s future.

Summary of Engagement
Resiliency Goals & Base Studies

Community resiliency in Smithville refers to the ability of the community to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant adverse events, particularly natural hazards.

Review Assessment & Base Studies

1) Population Study; (10-year projections) utilizing current data while addressing potential and projected future issues with an emphasis on resiliency.

2) Housing Study; (20-year projections) refreshing any existing reports, and studies and review the city’s current situation with a future outlook for housing demand.

3) Land Use Study/Plan; analyzing current land use and studying the future projections to ensure the community is well positioned for future needs and prepared, and more resilient to both natural disasters and local hazard risks.

4) Zoning Ordinance; review existing zoning ordinances (where available) and recommend revisions and/or new ordinances to meet identified needs and risks.

5) Infrastructure Study / Capital Improvement Plan; including analyses of all community infrastructure assets and systems (e.g. transportation, drainage, water, sewer, and parks) and recommendations for capital projects to increase community resilience.

The Texas General Land Office created the Resilient Communities Program because they recognized that Texas communities need to prepare not just for today, but for tomorrow's challenges too.

For Smithville, this means planning that considers our unique character while strengthening the ability to bounce back from events like floods, economic shifts, or growth pressures.

Resiliency isn't an add-on to our comprehensive plan—it's woven into every aspect of it.

Your specialized knowledge is invaluable to us. We're counting on your expertise to ensure our plan effectively addresses both today's needs and tomorrow's challenges. We're asking you to review:

Resiliency Goals and Objectives
Hazards and Risks Assessment
Community Profile

As you review each section, please keep these important questions in mind:

Do the objectives address both immediate shocks and long-term stressors?
Have we adequately considered social equity and vulnerable populations?
Are there clear mechanisms for monitoring progress and adapting strategies as conditions change?
Do the objectives promote cross-sector coordination and systems thinking?

Your thoughtful feedback will help shape a plan that preserves what makes your community special while building resilience for generations to come.

FAQ

What is a GLO - Resilient Communities Program comprehensive plan?

Why do we need a new plan?

How long will the planning process take?

City of Smithville RCP

Planning with Heart for Those Who Make Smithville Home

Community Profile

Land Use

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public Facilities

Implementation Strategy

Land Use Interactive Map Activity

Share Your Vision