San Marcos Downtown Area Plan

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS A major asset of Downtown is its adjacency to the Riverfront Parks and the San Marcos River. Better connections between these areas would help Downtown’s vitality. Public space within Downtown is somewhat limited to public rights-of-way, the Courthouse Square, and Eddie Durham Park. Public spaces can be improved in Downtown through additional amenities, additional space, and sustainable infrastructure. Overarching recommendations for this topic are outlined below, with key concepts explored in more detail on the following pages. E.1. Inventory and expand Downtown’s tree canopy in order to provide shade for pedestrians and a more pleasant outdoor experience with careful species selection soil and planting considerations for drought, stormwater, and groundwater. E.2. Prioritize additional building elements that provide shade such as canopies, awnings, or other creative artistic sculptures which provide shade in places where additional trees may not be feasible due to hydraulic or drainage concerns. E.3. Prioritize sustainability with supplemental educational information in public spaces, streetscapes, and private spaces as feasible through permeable pavements, rain gardens, green infrastructure, native landscaping, and additional shade trees. E.4. Create better connection from Downtown to the Riverfront Parks and the San Marcos River through east-west parkway connections, art, signage and wayfinding, multimodal infrastructure, and landscaping. E.5. Consider additional new amenities, programming, and/or a redesign of the Courthouse Square to provide the community’s priority desired amenities rather than just passive lawn space. E.6. Study the potential for new parks throughout Downtown to serve the density of residents in northwest Downtown, either on the Texas State University campus, on City-owned property and right-of-way, on purchased property, or through publicly accessible plaza space. E.7. Provide the community’s priority desired amenities throughout Downtown in existing and new parks, plazas, and parklets to better serve a broader demographic in Downtown. E.8. Prioritize existing park improvements in Eddie Durham Park to promote the cultural and historical stories of the area and to align with recommendations and goals of an Arts and Cultural District.

Sustainability Town/ Gown Collaboration

SAN MARCOS DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN

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