San Marcos Downtown Area Plan

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The central courthouse square, once lined with specialty stores and local businesses, began to change in the 1980s as suburban development drew shoppers elsewhere and local stores were replaced with larger retailers. Businesses around the square began to cater to local college students, with bars and restaurants replacing former “mom and pop” stores. In recent decades, there has been growing recognition of the intrinsic value of culture and history. In that vein, San Marcos was designated in 1986 as an official Main Street City by the Texas Historical Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation and remains one of the oldest Main Street programs in the state. In addition, San Marcos has been named a National Main Street City by the National Trust and the Texas Historical Commission since the recognition was established in 1999. The program is one of only a few cities in Texas to receive this honor. Additionally, the locally designated Downtown Historic District was established in 1986. The Central Texas corridor is booming. San Marcos is projected to see an additional 42,000-64,000* new housing units by 2050. The Vision SMTX Comprehensive Plan (2023) creates a community vision for the future and provides goals and strategies for how to achieve the community’s vision amongst rapid growth. This Downtown Area Plan provides recommendations for the role of Downtown in meeting the broader community vision.

Hays County Courthouse, circa 1910 (Photo reproduced from the San Marcos Hays County Collection at the San Marcos Library)

Aerial photo of Downtown San Marcos, undated (Photo reproduced from the San Marcos-Hays County Collection at the San Marcos Library)

*Hays County Forecast to grow by 212,500 housing units by 2050. San Marcos has historically captured 20%-30% of Hays County growth. The average household size in Hays County is approximately 2.75 people per household. (U.S. Census, State of Texas Demographer, and Economic & Planning Systems)

SAN MARCOS DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN

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