San Marcos Downtown Area Plan

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

SAFETY, MAINTENANCE, & OPERATIONS Approximately 6,000-8,000 people are in or pass through Downtown San Marcos every week Thursday- Saturday. Maintenance has been identified as a key issue by both City staff and stakeholders. Vandalism is frequent in Downtown and affects signage, public furnishings, tree grates, and landscaping. Litter is also prevalent. The City has been focusing on increasing cleanliness and beautification initiatives downtown and has added temporary staff to address issues.

However, additional full-time staff and resources to keep up with repairs related to vandalism in addition to regular maintenance in the public right-of-way is an important need.

Volunteers assisting with downtown maintenance

DOWNTOWN ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT

Downtown San Marcos is the entertainment, historic, and cultural center of the community. The Downtown Core is home to 283 businesses and 2,080 jobs. The Greater Downtown Area (surrounding the Downtown Core) contains an additional 87 businesses and 744 jobs. In total, the Downtown Core accounts for over 7% of Citywide employment. Economic activity in Downtown is driven by its major assets including the presence of Texas State University, the San Marcos River and associated parks and open spaces, the cultural and historic attractions, and a variety of restaurants, bars, and shops. EMPLOYMENT Source: ESRI Business Analyst, 2022

SAN MARCOS DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN

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