San Marcos Downtown Area Plan

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

A.1. Promote a high quality of life for Downtown residents through the provision of daily community amenities, goods, and services which support a complete neighborhood. A.2. Prioritize multi-modal transportation improvements on all Downtown streets. A.3. Complete an updated Downtown housing inventory to gather a complete understanding of the Downtown housing supply to assist in making policy decisions. A.4. Support the development of multi-family and mixed-use housing products within Downtown designed for all demographics and all stages of life to provide contextually appropriate density and affordability. A.5. On the outer western edges of Downtown, support diverse housing types (e.g. townhomes, duplexes, etc.) to transition/buffer Downtown from existing neighborhoods while also providing housing options to those who desire to live downtown. A.6. Incentivize affordable for sale- and rental housing units. A.7. Streamline development processes and development code amendments for recommended housing types. A.8. Pursue strategies to increase home ownership opportunities in residential building types such as condos, townhomes, cottage courts, single-family homes in Downtown for low to medium income households. A.9. Pursue updates to/adoption of the Housing Plan (2019). A.10. Work with Texas State University to identify opportunities for on-campus student housing to relieve the pressure on Downtown. A.11. Conduct a Downtown resident or visitor travel survey, to measure any increase in non-car travel as housing opportunities increase Downtown. OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS All residents should have options if they desire to live Downtown, and a diverse Downtown population is part of what ensures Downtown San Marcos is vibrant and thriving. Downtown residents support local businesses, attend Downtown events, and add more liveliness during different times of the day and week than business patrons alone. The City can support this population by encouraging development of diverse, affordable housing types and making Downtown a great place to live. Overarching recommendations for this topic are outlined below, with key concepts explored in more detail on the following pages.

Sustainability Town/ Gown Collaboration

SAN MARCOS DOWNTOWN AREA PLAN

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