San Marcos staff outlines 20-year downtown area plan implementation strategy

San Marcos City planning staff on March 18 presented an implementation strategy for the downtown area plan the city adopted in fall 2023, outlining projects, funding needs and next steps to carry out 75 recommendations across seven topic areas over a 20-year horizon.

Andrea Villalobos, assistant director of planning, presented the report to the City Council and said the plan "was adopted in fall of 2023 following community input and includes 75 recommendations across 7 different topics." Villalobos told council the implementation strategy groups recommendations by topic and by the departments responsible so the city can track progress and resource needs.

The presentation covered seven topic areas: housing; building form and infill development; multimodal connectivity and parking; streetscapes; public spaces and amenities; small business support; and history, art and culture. Staff described recent successes and projects in progress and flagged large capital projects that will be needed to meet the plan’s recommendations.

On housing, Villalobos noted the city has acquired land for a new downtown fire station on MLK Drive and identified transit and preservation plans and a development-code update as items that will support future housing. She said no new market-rate multifamily housing was constructed downtown in 2024, but council previously approved a purpose-built student housing project at Lindsay and North Street and additional housing permits near downtown are currently under review.

On building form, staff noted changes to the city code requiring vacant structures to board windows and reported Main Street division efforts to inventory vacant properties and to connect property owners with tenants. Staff pointed to the 4 Jackman Building on Hutchinson Street as an example of a vacant-structure success (the presentation states that building is now about 70% leased).

For multimodal connectivity and parking, Villalobos summarized 2024 accomplishments including repairs and installation of roughly 1,500 feet of sidewalks in the downtown boundary, reintroduction and expansion of e-bikes and e-scooters across I-35, and a code update establishing a framework for a parking benefit district. She said the city approved an interlocal agreement with Texas State University to coordinate transit, and staff will present a comprehensive parking advisory board recommendation in 2025.

Staff described streetscape work such as moving aerial electric underground on Guadalupe Street and a near-complete (90%) design for the Kissing Alley project, which would convert an alley to a green-infrastructure pedestrian space. The presentation also noted a new downtown plant palette developed in 2024 and the installation of pollinator gardens and sidewalk medallions highlighting local history.

On public spaces and amenities, staff emphasized connections between downtown and riverfront parks and said the Purgatory Creek CIP project remains a priority; the presentation said engineering is advancing easement and right-of-way acquisition. Main Street staff reported securing a 1-to-1 match from the TERS board (as cited in the presentation) to expand incentive grants for facade and tenant improvements.

Small-business support items highlighted ongoing programs: the Think Big technical-assistance program, the 1 Million Cups Greater SMTX entrepreneurship series, and a local Business Community Lenders of Texas (BCL) presence downtown that provides bridge loans and grant-application assistance. Staff said the city recently hired a business retention and expansion coordinator to improve coordination with downtown businesses.

Villalobos acknowledged that many recommendations depend on private development or require capital funding and added that some CIP projects needed to support downtown infrastructure are funded many years out; as an example she said a full reconstruction of South LBJ Drive would not be fully funded until 2032. Staff recommended pursuing grants and other funding sources and noted TERS funds and CIP/bond funds as likely sources for larger projects.

Council members who spoke during the presentation expressed appreciation for the report and for staff and Main Street efforts. A council member asked staff to move two economic-development items from medium to short-term: (1) explore downtown-focused recommendations within the economic development policy and (2) explore a formalized business retention and expansion (BRE) program for downtown businesses. Staff responded that it could do so and council verbally agreed to advance that effort.

Villalobos said staff will provide annual status reports, post the full report and a strategy online, and explore an online dashboard to make implementation progress visible to the public. She noted the full implementation report is in the packet and posted online.

The presentation included requests for additional staffing and funding to implement programmatic recommendations (incentive programs, enhanced maintenance for landscaping and street trees, and expanded sidewalk easement funding). Villalobos said private development will also be a major driver of implementation because developers typically install required streetscape and utility upgrades when they build.

Looking ahead, staff identified the transportation master plan and stormwater master plan updates as key coordination opportunities for downtown projects and said more specific CIP funding and timelines will be presented in future CIP briefings.

Ending: Staff said it will return annually with status updates, continue to coordinate implementation across departments and pursue funding. Council asked staff to return with updated priorities and the proposed timeline for the short-term items, and staff indicated Main Street would lead many of the actions.